Good majors for law school besides prelaw and criminal justice?
There is no such thing as "pre-law". Unlike aspiring doctors, aspiring lawyers do not have to take any particular courses. There is no such thing as a "pre-law" major either. (Even pre-med isn't a major.) Any college that claims otherwise is lying to you. Criminal justice is not good preparation for law school. Most lawyers don't do criminal law anyway, and even those that do learn what they need to know in law school. Forget CJ. Choose a major that strongly emphasizes writing and research, since lawyers must do a fair amount of both, and also emphasizes critical and analytical thinking. History, Literature, Philosophy, the social sciences (Poli Sci, Anthropology, Economics, etc.) would all be good choices.
International Studies major + Law School = ?
International law is a rare specialty that every attorney seems to want to do, but very few ever actually get to practice. I mean, who doesn't want to travel to foreign and exotic lands and get paid obscene amounts of money to do it? Many who do practice international law do so from the United States and don't travel much. A lot can be done over the phone and email. Some corporate attorneys do work abroad or work with international organizations, but most don't. I just want you to be prepared for that possibility. Philosophy might help you in law school - teaches you how to think critically, dissect and analyze arguments, find flaws in reasoning, understand the connections between ideas, all skills useful when studying the law and, more importantly, when studying for the LSAT. International Studies won't do much for you unless you can actually break into international law, but even then I'm not so sure that it'd be particularly useful. If you want to attend GULC, Penn or Cornell, then you should focus on keeping your GPA up (ideally, over 3.5-3.6). When you begin preparing for the LSAT, treat that sucker like your full-time job and study for 3-6 months.
Is it a good idea to go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer?
Absolutely not. This answer may have been different 15-30 years ago, but today it is black and white. I rarely write emphatic answers like this — and rarely have the courage to disagree openly with Keith Rabois — but this one is clear. If you don't want to be a lawyer, it would be a very bad decision to go to law school. The opportunity cost is enormous. 3 years of your life, at least, and maybe worse (see next bullet).The risk of incurring tens of thousands of dollars in debt is a huge problem; the debt will tempt you to make terrible career decisions (i.e., join a law firm for a few years so that you can pay down the debt) that will strand you by the time you reach the age of 30.Increasingly, companies view law degrees as a negative when it comes to non-legal positions. We are no longer living in the 1960s where law school was considered a generalist door-opening field; now it is considered narrowing and self-selecting narrow.Look, this is all probabilistic. Maybe you'll go to law school and have experiences that will lead to an amazing career/future. But more likely than not you will be making a mistake by spending those 3 years in law school.As Matt Cohler points out, the only reason to go to law school if you don't want to be a lawyer is if you want to run for office very soon after college graduation (a la Bill Clinton in Arkansas). In which case, going to a law school in the state where you will be running for office could be useful.
Best major in undergrad for law career?
Many different majors will lend themselves well to the study of law, including: English History Philosophy Political Science Business If you are a highly dedicated student who is willing to focus on a difficult curriculum for four years, I highly recommend St. John's College (Annapolis, MD and Sante Fe, NM) as superb preparation for law school. If you can identify two or three law schools that you are interested in, you can contact their admissions office. Ask there if there are specific undergraduate majors that they believe are most helpful in preparing a student for law school. DO NOT ask them which major is best. Ask them what majors BEST PREPARE a student for the curriculum and rigors of law school. Factor their input into your decision, but remember that if you don't like what you are studying -- if you don't have an affinity for it or if you do not see its relevance in your life -- you won't do well in it; so while input from others is helpful, you should make a decision based on YOU and who YOU are. Also consider calling or stopping in at a couple of law firms in your area. Tell the receptionist that you are a high school student who is interested in becoming a lawyer. Ask if there are any lawyers in the firm who might be willing to speak with you for 10 or 15 minutes. Have a list of questions ready, including your question about what majors would be helpful in best preparing you for law school. There are a lot of good people out there, and I'm sure you will encounter one or two who are willing to share their knowledge and experience -- so long as you are respectful of their time (that means ready with your questions, well-mannered, and keep to the 10 or 15 minutes that they agree to give you). All the best to you!
Could I still go to law school with just a GED?
I'm 16 years old and I live in Missouri. I always got good grades before entering high school. I was always on honor roll and even took an ACT test in 7th grade through Duke University and I got a medal for one of the highest scores in the state. Soon after entering high school however, a series of events caused me to be extremely depressed and suicidal. I got help for that, but by that time, I was so far behind that it was impossible to catch up. So I dropped out as soon as I turned 16. Before all this happened, I had dreams of being a lawyer and I still do. I'm starting my GED classes next week. Is it possible for me to get into a fairly good law school without a high school diploma? If so, how do I go about going to college and then law school after getting my GED?
Is now a good time to go to law school? A friend, who is an attorney, told me early last year there was severe over saturation in the US. Is this still the case?
Yes, the US legal market is overly saturated, and barring a bizarre turn of events, that's the way it's going to be at least until (a) Baby Boomer lawyers finally begin to retire en masse, (b) law school enrollments meaningfully decline, or (c) some combination of the two occur. But guess what? Most Boomer lawyers I know either are making so much money that it would be stupid to retire, or, on the other end, can't afford to retire and need to keep working. On the law school side, applications have dropped as people have figured out that a JD isn't a mythical ticket to riches, but enrollment is still at historically normal levels, and demand for young lawyers remains low. Bottom line, law schools are still churning out more lawyers than the market needs, and this is likely to continue well into the next decade.So the answer to your question is an emphatic NO, unless you really want to be a lawyer and: You know what the life of an actual lawyer is like. (Hint: it's not like TV.)You have either been admitted to a top 10 nationally ranked program or an extremely well-regarded regional program, or have been offered a substantial amount of money (with easy retention requirements) to attend a lesser school.You have a realistic plan to use your JD.If you can't answer all three of these requirements in the affirmative, then it's unlikely that law school is going to work out well for you. Spending three years at school "because you like to argue" is a terrible idea. Taking out six-figures worth of non-dischargeable debt to attend a place where years of records show that graduates struggle to find work is a terrible idea. And yet, people keep on making these bad decisions.
What are the factors to consider in choosing a college major?
you can always hone your writing skills even if you don't take up journalism. choose a major that you will enjoy. college life is not exactly a bed of roses. weigh all your options carefully. good luck.