Best Undergrad Major For Law School (and College Degree) 

The struggle of finding a major when you have interest in everything

I'm an attorney. Undergraduate majors are irrelevant. I was an English major. We had chemistry majors, a black studies major (he was white), business majors, etc. It comes down to whether you have good communication and reasoning skills. Fast reading and good comprehension are the keys.

how did this guy make it through the whole video without telling us what his undergrad degree was in

Even though it’s not directly relevant to law school, at least my history degree has prepared me to read large stacks of huge, dusty books. :)

I feel like majors like History, Political Science, Philosophy, English Lit, Sociology, Law and Justice/Criminology/Criminal Science/Criminal Justice (whatever your school calls it), Public Policy (if your undergrad offers it), Psychology. All perfect majors that cover at least SOME of the things that you will need to know for the LSAT and even during Law school.

I signed up for a degree in history and ended up with major depression, does that count?

Get a BA in Stress Management. You’ll need it

I’m actually starting med school in September but I find your videos entertaining for some reason 😂

I studied history during the undergraduate and I found History major is well-prepared for law schools. It trains your ability in writing, reading comprehension, research, and logical reasoning, basically everything you need for law schools.

Going into my senior year as a Philosophy, Poli-Sci Doubble mojor. I think its been great, certainly love philosophy more than the Politics side.

Personally, I would say to pick a major that you're actually interested in not just because it will help you get good grades but, also you never know if during your undergrad years you might decide you don't want to go to law school anymore. It would suck to end up with a major you picked just to help prepare for law school and then not going to law school. Long story short unless your 1000000% sure you want to go to law school, just study something that genuinely interests you, and you think would be useful to you in the future, regardless of whether you go to law school or not. That's just my take on it tho

I agree with this advice, but I should point out that my major, philosophy, totally taught me how to think like a lawyer... or at least the beginnings of it. Logic, rhetoric, hypotheticals, that's all philosophy. "Jurisprudence" means legal philosophy. Also, Aristotle was not a student of Socrates, he was a student of Plato and Plato was a student of Socrates.

Socrates didn't mentor Aristotle. Socrates taught Plato who then taught Aristotle. Splitting hairs but that's what RU-vid comments are for right? 😂

Is it better to study a harder undergraduate that gives you good job security (in case you don't go to law school), or an easy undergraduate that has no job security but gives you a better GPA for law?

Engineer majors and philosophy majors preform the best on average on the LSAT

Ask your law school questions in the comments!

currently studying philosophy and public speaking in hopes for law school, ur videos have been really nice to get myself excited for the concept of going into law!

My husband is a nurse and he’s looking into law school. He’s always wanted to be a lawyer but his parents kind of pushed him into nursing. He thought he was stuck with nursing but I reminded him that you don’t need to have a particular degree to apply to law school. Thanks for information you provide on this channel. I’d love to know more about how you get a job after law school, different types of lawyers, etc.

This helped me lots, thank you! I’m majoring in Sociology.

I am in law school now. I am in my third semester. My legal studies courses went over some of the same subjects as my actual J.D. program. Some of the best students I know GPA wise also had legal studies degrees and already knew things like consideration (contracts), proximate vs. actual cause, and important aspects of Constitutional Law like Due Process. It is a huge advantage if your Legal Studies courses actually teach you law, and not just philosophy.

I majored in philosophy and political science. The philosophy major required that I take an upper division course in formal logic, which I found to be tremendously helpful in preparing me for the LSAT. Philosophy majors also spend their time analyzing and constructing arguments, thinking critically, and writing long essays packed with cogent arguments. As for the poli sci major, perhaps I am biased, but I think it provided me with an edge over those who majored in other disciplines like English or the sciences.

just finished my first year of undergrad. Initially, I wanted to double major in History and English. But I didn't enjoy the introductory History course and now plan on changing to an English specialist instead and might minor in classical civilization. Many people told me to major in Political Science or Philosophy because they believe these two majors are critical in preparation for Law school. It's true that it really depends on you and your interests. Instead of trying to choose what major or degree prepares you the most, improving your reading comprehension, and writing(style & skills) is essential. Although I don't have much experience to be giving tips and this seems to be obvious to most people, I learned the hard way. To all the high school students that might read this comment. READ READ READ. Read anything you can get your hands on. Books, magazines, scholarly articles...Speed reading is crucial in undergrad and even more in Law School. Also, by reading more you pick up more vocabulary and improve your overall writing style. I would also recommend taking essay writing classes, before undergrad and some are even taught by university professors. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS

I'm going to be a lawyer

for all of you guys who are short on time; just pick a major that will grant you good grades.

Something inside me wants to be a lawyer, but Im scared because my grammar is horrible. But this coming semester I took AA Speech Communication to polish my orator skills and take as many writing and english class as possible, I'm even taking ESL Lol. Do you think focusing on my weaknesses is also a good strategy?

Currently considering studying to be an attorney. This was very direct, and practical. Which equates to common sense. I am passionate in two areas Human service and Special Education.

It's sad that this is an accurate view of how law school views students. Major doesn't matter. It should, but it doesn't. The answer is philosophy. Without a doubt. Philosophy teaches you to write impeccably, reason well, think in depth about moral dilemmas, speak with precision, and read dry, dense, complex material and still be somewhat fascinated by it. If you hate your experience getting a bachelors in philosophy, then you'll likely hate law school and being a lawyer.

I plan on taking Nursing as an undergraduate then try to take LSAT, apply for law school and if I don’t get in, at least I have a back-up - I’ll just be a nurse. If you think you’re in trouble because you’re interested into many fields, DO NOT! - Make that as an advantage instead. I’m currently trying to improve my writing skills, my vocabulary is decent (because I watched House of Cards), I think my understanding in politics and government is enough. I also need to overcome public speaking and confrontation. If you’re really interested into something, there is no reason for you to not be able to comprehend it.

In my view Business major is the best major for law school. First of all Business administration degree teaches you corporate and business law, tax law, bankruptcy law, secondly it's content heavy. Thirdly, it can make new opportunities for you for example you can pursue corporate law, tax law etc easily because it mixes both business and law. Business degree also helps you to start your own law firm. Acceptance rate is high for business undergrad majors.

this is honestly some of the best general degree advice I've ever gotten

Client: Is it okay that I killed the cop? Lawyer: Well it depends.

Now, i am a mechanical engineering student. I do plans to pursue law but at first, i was concerned that my major will not qualify me to pursue it. But after watching this video, i am confident that i could as long as i have good grades.

Your degree does matter for those of you interested in Patent Law. A hard science degree is required to be eligible for the patent bar. In the current market, a degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science will serve you best but the others will work as well (I was a Mechanical).

Political Science or Criminal Justice is your best option. Economics is good to.

So CS is fine, as long as I have good grades.

I’m hopefully starting law school fall of 20/20 and I’m a double major in philosophy and psychology. I started with philosophy but added psychology late in the game because I love it. I also love most philosophy. Everything is so metaphorical that you’re forced to read between the lines , research, and think abstractly. I also read that philosophy students statistically score best on the lsat. So there’s that.

This makes me feel so much better, i dont need to have a psych major, ill try a psych class and if thats better than history ill stick to it. If not, then either history or music...

I'm graduating this fall in Advertising and Marketing. I plan to attend Law school on Fall 2021, I'm looking at Corporate Law. You have great videos btw!

The better question is: What are some of the best classes that can help you prepare for the LSAT and law school?

Here in New Zealand it's a little bit different. You study law as a 4-year undergraduate degree (non-professional degrees take 3 years here,) but your first-year results determine if you can continue for the next three years. As well as that, 99% of people doing law also have another major. That's how I'm double-majoring in biochemistry and law... are they complementary? Who knows?

Thank you this video has helped put me at ease as a computer science and philosophy major. I’ve been on edge about how beneficial or harmful it may be.

I’m a Math major who is interested in law. The funny thing is Math is linked closer to law than most would think!!

My major is biochemistry and I have a 3.957 GPA. Is it ridiculous for me to even think about going to law school after I get my bachelors?

I have a special interest in psychology, is it a good major for law school?

I want to go to law school & i'm currently working on my undergrad degree in history. From my research, this is a good major for prospective law students as it'll teach you how to write, read a large volume of information, and research skills.

Great Video! Gave me a peace of mind. Thank you!

I've heard a pre-law curriculum is a waste because it doesn't give you an advantage in a law school application. So, as the video states, major in a subject that interests you because you will do better in a subject that captivates you rather than one in which you have marginal interest but think will be valuable preparation for law school.

Why make a video just to say nothing?

It’s 3:00 am here. I couldn’t sleep because of my thinking. I just wanna say thank you! You made me wanna work hard on my major and I wanna study so hard until I finish my four years and I will go raid my bout with everybody else! Law school!

I am majoring in psychology and until very recently I wanted to go to law school to be a lawyer. I decided I do not want to be a lawyer anymore, but now I do not know what I want as a career. I have some ideas, but do not have anything like when I wanted to be a lawyer. I think there is a small part of me that still wants to be a lawyer and after watching some of your videos that part of me was stirred up. I was told by one of my psych professors that my personality type would not do well in the legal system; I am very passionate about seeking justice and helping people in need. So I guess, my question is, apart from grades (my grades are excellent so that won't be an issue for me and I am also very good at conducting research, writing essays, etc), does having a certain type of personality affect how well people perform as law students and as lawyers in general?

I'm a scientist, not a lawyer, but there are a lot of JD's who are scientists are heart (and scientists by credetial) who work in patents + copyright arbitration etc. It really depends what you want to do

I'm a criminal justice major which is a lot of fun and isn't tedious, however I think I may switch to political science. Every thing I do in undergrad is only for the cause of attending law school. I love the law and everything about it, especially as a subscriber of yours. Thanks for the encouragement.

What's the point of having people go through college if ultimately it doesn't matter what you do? Why can't one be allowed to go directly to law school? I'm not sure myself how things work here in Europe but US colleges seems to be extended high schools to me at this point.

Haha I’m a mechanical engineering major. I seriously thought you had to be a philosophy, political science major type to sign up for law school. I’m kinda binging your videos to see if I would like law school or what career specialities there are.

I signed up for a degree in English and literary studies. It helped a lot because we were tasked with reading a lot of books and novels each semester,oral communication for speaking purposes and we were also taught on research methods. English was indeed a very lovely course as it has helped to improve my diction and expanded my knowledge in many areas

I transferred to my University in Spring 2017, I will graduate in Spring 2020. I triple major in Criminal Justice, Multicultural & Gender Studies with a General option, and Political Science with an option in Legal Studies. I am also working on my paralegal certificate.

I’m currently majoring in Natural Science with a minor in history. I plan to take more reading intensive courses cause I’m a pretty slow reader too lol. Love your videos btw.

I know this is super super late, but I'm surprised he didn't mention the idea of an undergrad degree relating to a legal specialty you've already decided on, if you have decided. For example, if you want to specialize in cyber law, start with a cyber security degree. If you want to be in environmental law, start with a degree related to that. It's a place to start if you already know your top passion and it's a specialty that exists.

I am a senior in high school. I have always had a fascination with both law and Computer Science. To me this really has helped me because I have always felt that I must choose one or the other for college, but now I know that is not the case and I am going to peruse both fascinations!

Space Science! Only thing I think you should have mentioned, is that you need to graduate with a hard Science/engineering to take the patent bar.

I would like to note that fi you are transferring in undergrad your major matters. Top colleges will be a bit more impressed in a challenging major that you do well in as opposed to a less challenging major that you do well in. It all depends on how competitive the school that you are transferring into is.

amazing video, Thank you

1:04 “There is no one, best (undergrad) major for law school”. *laugh in bachelor of law program (B.L. or LL.B) 😂😂

Is their a major that might help a certain area of law you want to study? Like would a business major help prepare you for business law as a example?

Since high school I’ve wanted to be a lawyer but went with what I was good at and became a Harley mechanic but now I’m seriously thinking about going back to school to become a tribal lawyer

Philosophy majors score higher on the LSAT and the Bar exam. I actually had a philosophy professor who got a higher grade on her LSAT by challenging her test scores and arguing for each of her answers.

My last semester of community college I switched my major to history. I switched because I love reading, writing, and history (obviously). But I switched in order to pursuit becoming a college professor, and law school had always been my back up. Fast forward, I’m in my senior heavily leaning towards law school. I don’t think any major prepares you for law school, so definitely choose what you enjoy and what will increase your chances on admissions (via grades). I throughly do enjoy some of the crossover a history major has provided. Heavy reading and writing, being able to synthesize, comprehension skills, and historical precedence. Best of luck to everyone!

I have a major in English, a minor in Philosophy, and a creative writing certificate. Yes! I love it (I am in my last semester before Law school), and I wouldn't have changed it for anything. I have excellent grades (grades are like bank accounts; it's not respectful to mention). If I took history or science because someone once told me that these two subjects help teach a person to think better (realistically), I would have been miserable. I still cannot wait to graduate into law school; I have been reading law books for fun for about three years now, and I love it (I find the cases to be as beautiful and filled with lessons that are better than fiction. :)

Well this was 6 minutes to say that it literally doesn’t matter what major you are in.

which major? 1: whatever you want 2: poli Sci

The university education system in the U.S. is crazy! Here in Europe, the Czech Republic at least, you go to a five-year law school straight after high school. The workload during those five years is enormous, including a 100-page (maybe more) thesis at the end of the fifth year and the final exam that is unheard of in the U.S. But then you get your MA degree and you can practice law, once you have also passed the bar.

awesome vid

I have lots of interests but I don't have that "passion" help😂

I’m planning on going to law school and majoring and political science currently. The same notion goes for pre-med, my dad majored in English and went to med school, it comes down to if you have an interest and passion for law

Wow, this was actually the answer I really needed to hear. Thank you so much for squashing my nerves.

Disagree. Philosophy best teaches you the logical thinking and argumentation necessary to succeed in law school. Many philosophy classes are taught using the Socratic method as well, so that experience would likely prove useful.

I think I will major in History and minor in Philosophy to help me in Law school. Also I have a certificate in professional acting.

After watching this then going to download your checklist, I read your profile on the download page.. I feel like I’m gonna have a heart attack and I’m only on my first semester of undergrad-

I want to dual major. I know I will take philosophy, but I’m undecided between poli sci and economics. I know eco will prep me better for LSATS, but I think I can get higher grades in poli sci. Which should I take?

Well I'm majoring in English literature and I'm working on a legal studies minor that they offer at my college as well I hope this is a good preparation for law school

I’m a politics & law major, I’m also a history buff. Nonetheless I do want to become a lawyer and hopefully of owning my own law firm in life that’s what I’m striving for, also almost done with undergrad and we’ll see where this goes.

I’m almost done with my bachelors degree in Business Management. I’ve explored different degrees and it is taken a long time to get to my final semester. Unfortunately, straight out of high school, college was not a priority. My grades were poor in science and math but high in psychology. I went through my first two years aimed at being a psychology major, and did well there, but with my other courses my GPA was not great. It was right about a 3.0. Fast forward, add a marriage, and add working in the field and deciding psychology wasn’t great. I’m at a 4.0 in my business major and will likely end with slightly below that 3.8ish after my last semester. The average comes out to be about 3.5 from what I can see on my transcript. My concern is that my first couple of years will impact any pursuit into law school as I began to navigate this trajectory. Could this negatively impact getting into a law school? I understand the LSAT matters and that I wouldn’t get into something like Harvard.

I’m going into economics for my Major to become a lawyer. I wish there was more information on economics but I have faith in the degree and having good marks.

What about fashion merchandising?

Philosophy is the best major to prepare you for law school, it looks the best on your application, and it is probably the most interesting too. It teaches the skills described par excellence. It is probably the only major that actually teaches you how to think and reason, and no major is better for developing reading and writing skills.

Not me nervously sweating this while almost done with my BA in Law

I did philosophy. Was planning on a career in law. I might still. We'll see. . . . It depends. 😁

Ucla Hist major here with 4.0 my first 2 quarters. Im scared that this stay at home stuff will mess with my grades because i dont live in a contemporary living situation. i currently live in a laundry room attached to my mothers house with 4 younger brothers and little space to focus my energy on my work. im doing my best but i hope my best is enough in this situation. I feel alot more comfortable being in a classroom setting too but now that everything is online and pre recorded i feel like my efforts wont be as appreciated as much as if i was in a classroom getting to know their preferences in assignment delivery etc. I wanna go to law school but i hope this pandemic doesnt tarnish me atm :/

I was a nurse who always knew i wanted to be a lawyer. Now i work at the top law firms in New York and I really enjoy my life. I have found the thing that us for me.

Thank you for this video, sir. I would just like to ask, what do you think of the course, bachelor of theology, which I am currently taking as a degree before law school? I took it because it fascinates me the most and because I think the study of it is one of the factors playing significantly in our society. I'm from the Philippines btw.

Journalism is excellent pre-law. It has writing, research, critical thinking, and issue-spotting as core skills. Oration, argument presentation, rhetoric are there too as you have to interview people (fr man on the street to govt officials) daily, pitch your stories, argue with editors/colleagues (lol). You get familiar with the law and people who work on or around it when you cover the police or justice beats or do any political reporting. And determining what angle or lead is most important in a story and what facts are relevant are good training for spotting legal issues down the road

I actually want to do a double major in nursing/philosophy or nursing/psychology

After watching this video, I disagree with it. You named a few skills such as(critical/logical thinking, writing, research, the Socratic method of teaching) that I think will be improved in certain majors more then others. For example if your trying to improve your logical reasoning then Math, Philosophy, etc or if they're trying to improve their ability to write then a degree in English. A person trying to become a lawyer should evaluate themselves and pick a major in the area that they are either strong, weak, or have an interest in. But I understand/agree with your main point in that none of the degrees are going to have such a material effect on their success in law school.

I would recommend Philosophy. Most of the LSAT was formal logic and law school writings are basic deductive arguments with an added technical layer of applying rules to facts. In a sense, the law, at least the theoretical aspects focused on in law school, is basically philosophy applied in real life.

I’m 18, and about to graduate highschool and go to college. What steps should I take now to prepare myself best for law school? Also im majoring in history because I feel like it’s what I am mostly interested in and would get highest grades for that reason.

I did Crime & Justice Studies

I had no idea what major I wanted to do other than law, so I went to the UK where law is an undergraduate degree and will be practicing in London in August!

i cant decide if want to be a surgeon or a lawyer

I love History and would that or Political Science work a little? Im interested in both

Im a history Major and Ive been contemplating law school lately, its weird because I never even considered Law or being a lawyer but who knows...