Is law school a good choice for me?
Law school is a good choice if you want a legal career. It trains you to be a lawyer. To confirm that this is a good choice for you, we suggest that you:
- take courses in the legal studies program
- read literature available in the Hiatt Career Center regarding careers in law
- do a law-related internship
- speak with lawyers - why not start with Brandeis alumni currently practicing law! (ask a counselor how to obtain alumni contacts)
If you are not certain that you want to be a lawyer, we strongly encourage you not to go to law school - at least not until you clarify your career goals. As a Brandeis liberal arts graduate, there are many other career choices available to you. To begin learning about these choices, you can:
- Research career fields online
- sign-up for a career decision-making workshop in the Hiatt Career Center.
- attend other career-related programs offered throughout the semester
- meet with a career counselor to begin exploring your options (stop by Hiatt or call 63618 to schedule an appointment)
What else can I do with my liberal arts degree besides law or medicine?
Just about anything! You will find that your liberal arts education will expand rather than limit your options!!! For some fields you already have enough education/preparation. For others you may need additional experience or education.
To begin learning about these choices, you can:
- Research career fields online
- sign-up for a career decision-making workshop
- attend other career-related programs offered throughout the semester
- meet with a career counselor to begin exploring your options (stop by Hiatt or call 63618 to schedule an appointment)
What can I do with a law degree?
Graduate/professional programs do just the opposite of your liberal arts education - they focus your education in a specific direction. Law school will train you to be a lawyer and for law-related positions.
We recommend that you check out the resources in our law section to learn about the many options available to you. Your JD will not enable you to do everything! Some people find that a law degree, paired with other professional experience, makes them more marketable and expands their options. Just the law degree by itself is not enough to make them competitive in non-legal fields.
Most law schools work on a rolling admissions basis. It is to your advantage to mail your applications by Thanksgiving. But don't worry if need a little more time, just make sure that your applications are completed thoroughly and that you have allowed plenty of time to meet the law schools' deadlines. If you are applying for early admission or to a special program, be certain to double-check the date by which all your materials are due.
How soon will I hear back from law schools?
It's hard to say. What we have found is that candidates who have applied to schools for which they are especially competitive tend to hear very early. Generally candidates will receive responses from law schools throughout the spring semester. If you have been placed on a waiting list for a particular school, you may not hear until the end of the summer.
The best time to take the LSAT is when you have had time to prepare thoroughly! We suggest taking it in June of your junior year if possible. If you find that you need to re-take the LSAT, you'll be able to do so in the fall with plenty of time to select appropriate schools and still get your applications in early. Most law schools will accept the December LSAT as well. Some may even accept the February LSAT.
Do law schools mind if I take time off to work or do something else before attending law school?
Most law school students take time off before going to law school. You might want to consider this option especially if:
- you are not completely certain that law school is the choice for you
- you want to strengthen your candidacy
- you're feeling "burnt out"
- you need to earn money to finance law school
For the most part, law schools don't have a preference about what you do with time off between college and law school (work, travel, etc.). However, if you are unclear about law as a career choice or if you are looking to strengthen your candidacy, you may want to pursue a legal-related option.
How can I make myself a more competitive candidate?
Law schools are looking for candidates they believe will be able to successfully complete their programs. The successful candidate will have demonstrated strong analytic, critical thinking, research, and communications (oral and written) abilities. In addition, law schools like to see that candidates have been involved in leadership roles.
To evaluate your candidacy, law schools look first at:
- LSAT score
- undergraduate GPA
They then take into consideration:
- recommendations
- personal statement
- activities list
- other information included in the application
At this point, there will be some things you can't change. However, here are some things that you can change which may make you more competitive:
- take courses which develop your logic and analytic abilities
- get law-related experience through internships or employment
- re-take the LSAT
What majors do law schools prefer?
You're in luck! Law schools do not have a preferred major. What they do prefer, however, is that candidates have an academic background where they have developed strong analytic, logic, research and writing skills as well as critical thinking. Your Brandeis education has prepared you well in each of these areas.
For non-seniors thinking about choice of major, we encourage you to study what fascinates you most. Your GPA is likely to be higher and you will be connecting more closely with faculty from whom you may later seek a recommendation.
Nancy Waggner is the Hiatt Career Center's Pre-Law Advisor.
She will work with you to:
- determine if law school is a good choice for you
- identify a range of law schools to which you will apply
- choose a topic for and help you develop your personal statement
In addition, you can access a variety of other resources at Hiatt to help with your decision-making and application process:
- The BC On-Line Law School Locator
- library resources which discuss:
- field of law
- writing the personal statement
- what Brandeis alumni have to say about their law schools
- scholarships/fellowships
- information re: acceptance rates of Brandeis candidates
- alumni contacts
- recommendation forms
- LSAT/LSDAS application packets