Choosing Courses

There is no "best" pre-law major. According to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC): "No particular major, course of study, or kind of bachelor's degree is required for admission to law school. Virtually all law schools will consider a variety of majors and look closely at an applicant's overall background before reaching an admission decision. What matters most is that you do progressively well in challenging courses, courses that require you to synthesize information."   

According to the LSAC, the kind of skills you must develop for law school "...include effective oral and written communication, analytical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Your undergraduate education should include courses in which those skills were required. In general, you should use your undergraduate education as an opportunity to explore and work on your intellectual development. It's not necessary to take law-related courses as an undergraduate. Law schools don't care what you know about the law when you arrive; they care about how well you can write and analyze problems."

English courses are highly recommended. You need an excellent knowledge of English grammar and composition. More generally, try to choose courses that include a significant writing component. Courses designated as "writing intensive" should include such a component.

Learning a foreign language will help you master your own. You might also want to consider taking some Latin courses, as a lot of legal terminology is in Latin and, also, learning Latin will help you expand your English vocabulary significantly.

For oral communication skills, look for courses that include oral presentations and consider taking COM 232: Argumentation & Debate.     

Ideally, all of your courses at WSU will help you develop your analytical reasoning skills, but you should make a conscious effort to do so. Courses in Philosophy and Math can be particularly useful in this regard.

Many law schools teach very little about the mechanics of the legislative and judicial processes. It will be useful for you to have some background knowledge of American governmental institutions and process, particularly from courses in history and political science.

Legal education includes the study of business law and tax law. It will be advantageous for you to have some knowledge of business finance. Courses in economics, accounting and other business courses can be very useful. Liberal arts majors often say that they wish they had taken more business-related courses to prepare for contracts, property, and tax courses in law school.

According to the ABA's statement on "Preparation for a Legal Education," potential law students should possess: "A broad understanding of history, particularly American history, and the various factors (social, political, economic, and cultural) that have influenced the development of the pluralistic society that presently exists in the United States; a fundamental understanding of political thought and theory, and of the contemporary American political system; a basic understanding of ethical theory and theories of justice; a grounding in economics, appropriate to the profession itself; some basic mathematical and financial skills, such as an understanding of basic pre-calculus, mathematics and an ability to analyze financial data; a basic understanding of human behavior and social interaction; and an understanding of diverse cultures within and beyond the United States."