Pre-Law Major
Preparation Guide
Objective:
To obtain admission to a law school.
Philosophy:
The particular course schedule or major is not the most important factor in the path to enter law school, but it is more the depth and breadth of the subject matter to study. The foundations in the practice of law are understanding how to interpret a mass of information accurately, succinctly, and quickly; and communicating the message clearly.
Skills Needed:
A high level of critical reading skills (able to read and interpret a mass amount of information)
Large vocabulary
Research skills
Critical/logical thinking
Analytic skills
Problem-solving skills
Excellent writing skills
Conceptual thinking (able to make connections to unrelated ideas and topics)
Likely Major at CSS:
Humanities or English with a minor in political science or Language and International Studies
General Preparation Courses:
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Literature (lower and upper
division) |
CTA 4417 Mass Media Law and
Ethics |
ECN 2230 Microeconomics |
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History (American) |
CTA 2210 Mock Trial and/or
Policy Debate |
ECN 2280 Macroeconomics |
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Political Science (all
courses) |
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Public Speaking CTA 1102 or
CTA1100/1101 |
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MTH 1111 Elementary
Function |
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CTA 3445 Argumentation |
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PSY 1105 General |
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CTA 2241 Intercultural
Communication |
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PSY 3330 Research Methods |
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CTA 4445 Persuasion |
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PSY 3331 Statistics |
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PHL 1105 Logic |
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SOC 1125 |
Law schools expect that students to have the basic academic foundations in place and leave little room to “learn” these expectations. Students will be expected to read a vast amount at one time and synthesize the information in a short period of time. Subjects may include critically reading of judicial opinions, statutes, and documents related to the field. The best preparation for you in undergraduate school is taking difficult courses from the most demanding professors.
Web Resources:
www.lsac.org Law School Admissions Council
http://www.abanet.org/index.cfm American Bar Association
4/18/07