I just started college. Im working on a BA in Legal Studies. I am already ready looking into Law Schools.?

Question

People are telling me this is way to early to plan which school I want to get into. Its going to tke about 3 years for my BA. Are they right, am I being silly in already looking for a Law school?

Also, any suggestions for a good Law School beside Harvard or Yale.

Answer 1

Just looking at the second part of your question, I'd have to say that it's a little early.  While it's a safe bet that you'll get a strong education at any top-ranked school like Harvard or Yale, identifying which one is best for you depends on the type of law you want to practice and the kind of instruction you respond well to, and you're not going to know that until you've spent a little time in class exploring the material.  Besides, you don't want to be so focused on what comes next that you miss out on what's going on now.  Don't put the search out of your head entirely, if that's what it takes to keep you focused, but I wouldn't stress over it for another year or two.

Answer 2

You can never start too early. You are doing right.

Have you considered Georgetown?

Answer 3

My answer to your question is an it depends. If your grades are marginal (e.g. 2.75 - 3.25) then you may be rushing it a bit and I would recommend working at getting your grades up before worrying about law school. However if you have a solid GPA then it is not too early to look. The top law schools such as Harvard and Yale are very competititive an only take the top candidates. To have a chance of being considered you would need a  LSAT score of at least 170 with at least a 3.5 GPA. Even if you do not get those marks and your marks are more boarderline (e.g. 3.0 with a LSAT of 145) there are third and fourth tier schools like University of South Dakota and University of North Dakota which you could consider.

Anyhow I have provide a link to the US News rankings for you in the source section. It shows the school, their ranking, and link to their web site. So it will give you a good idea of what schools require.

Best of luck to you.  

Answer 4

There are a lot of good Law Schools to go to, even Thomas Cooley, which is at the bottom of the list, is pretty good.  Focus on your school work now, but it is also good to have a goal.  I am not sure legal studies is the best degree plan since not everyone gets into Law School, and there is a high drop-out rate because it is not what many who are accepted expected.  Some even drop-out because they think Lawyers make tons of money a year, which is rarely true.  The average starting salary for Lawyers after 7 expensive years of college is about $60k.  The average salary after ten years is around $120k.  That is more than some careers, but if you were to go into business or computers, the amount you could make is endless.  Hope you like to read and write... Law School requires at least 3-4 hours every night of reading case files and outlining them.  Good luck.