Thinking About Going to Law School? “What? Like It’s Hard?”

You may remember this famous line from the movie Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon. When a classmate says to Reese’s character, “YOU got into Harvard Law School?” She responds by casually stating, “What? Like it’s hard?” 

In reality, getting into a top law school is challenging. However, just like with undergraduate colleges, there are hundreds of programs available with different selectivity rates. If you are considering law school after college, there are some things you should understand about the process to make sure you are prepared to be successful not only with admission but also in the classroom once you get there. 

Although many students who plan on going to law school are political science majors, it is a myth that law schools prefer this major over others. In fact, you can major in practically any subject. Every year there are philosophy, English, psychology, math, and even religion majors who successfully apply to law school. For example, who better than a nursing or health sciences major to specialize as a healthcare malpractice attorney? Law schools look for students who bring different interests, backgrounds, and opinions to their classrooms. At most colleges, pre-law is a track, not a major. This means that students study their selected major, and the school offers special advisors, seminars, and sometimes even LSAT support for students on the track to law school.

Getting into law school does not necessarily indicate how well you will do once there. Law school involves an incredible amount of heavy (and sometimes quite boring) reading and writing. Students who majored in subjects that required in-depth reading and writing and built strong skills in these areas will feel prepared for the workload. Students who did not have these particular academic experiences in college might find the intensive work very difficult.

Students might wonder if law schools are only looking to accept students who went to the more selective undergraduate schools. This is also a myth. Even top-ranked law programs do not only accept students from the most exclusive and selective undergraduate colleges. They want to balance their classes with students from big public universities, small private universities, and schools from all over the country. What matters most is how well the student did at their school. Unlike undergraduate admissions, where applicants are looked at more holistically with their activities, essays, and teacher recommendation letters, law school admissions focuses mainly on GPA and LSAT scores. It is very important to choose an undergraduate school where you can earn a high GPA. Does this mean you should go to a school where you can get a 4.0 GPA with little effort? Absolutely not. You should go to a college where you will be challenged but where you can also thrive in the classroom.

Another thing to keep in mind while in college is that when you apply to law school, you might be required to report any code of conduct infractions or any charges brought against you by the police (even minor ones). Some schools ask for this information, and some do not. Depending on the state in which you register for the bar exam, you may also have to report this information. If you are planning to attend law school after college, the most important thing to remember is to choose an undergraduate major that you are not only passionate about but that will also give significant exposure to reading and writing and that your undergraduate GPA will be a major factor in your admission. If only it could be as easy as Reese’s character makes it look in Legally Blonde.