What do Hendrix students who are interested in law school major in as undergraduates? The answer is anything and everything. Hendrix students entering law school have majored in literally every major offered by the College, including interdisciplinary majors. At a liberal arts institution such as Hendrix, all students, regardless of major, are encouraged to develop the attributes of critical thinking and effective communication. These are the hallmarks of law school and the legal profession, which is why nearly all Hendrix graduates applying to law school are accepted in to one or more programs and why they thrive once they arrive at some of the best law schools in the country.
Look to the Future
Law school admission committees emphasize various factors when considering applications: a commendable grade point average, a good performance on the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), and a combination of three general types of skills: the ability to read and comprehend a great deal of information quickly; the capacity to reason logically and quickly, using both verbal and quantitative skills; and the ability to use both spoken and written English to express ideas clearly, fluently, and with precision.
Hendrix students work closely with their individual advisors and the pre-law advisor to design academic programs with these goals in mind. Moreover, because Hendrix pre-law students have worked so closely with faculty members during their time at Hendrix, their law schools letters of recommendation often include a depth of knowledge about the student not possible at other colleges.
As the skills necessary for law school are not discipline-specific, virtually any major will be acceptble to law school admission boards, so long as applicants can demonstrate that they have these skills. While a particular course of study is not required for application to law school, students are encouraged to gain some experience in reading court cases before applying to law school. Courses that would assist in achieving this goal include POLI 320 Criminal Law, POLI 321 American Constitutional Law: The Federal System, POLI 322 American Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Liberties, and BUSI 350 Business Law.
Finally, the best law schools want to know not only that a student can succeed in law school but also that the student understands why he or she wants to enter the legal profession. The engaged learning opportunities available to Hendrix students in the form of internships, taking on leadership roles in student organizations, and developing serious undergraduate research projects, allow that exploration of vocation to occur throughout their time at the College.
Questions?
For further information, contact Dr. Kim Maslin, advisor for Pre-Law students or J.J. Whitney, Career Services Assistant Director.