An ideal undergraduate degree for Law School?

[atownsoimperfect]

I am currently a sophomore in college about to began my major in the fall and I plan to go to UCLA's school of Law once I am done with my undergraduate degree. Many of my colleagues who are on similar paths are studying criminal justice and political science. However, my major is currently international studies because I plan to work with issues concerning immigration. Are my undergraduate studies in International affairs going to be sufficient for studying law?

[steelcitygurl86]

Your undergraduate degree doesn't and shouldn't affect your law school studies. My aunt is a lawyer and her undergraduate degrees are in philosophy and mathematics.

Good luck with your studies!

[Jonathan W]

Law schools do not require a specific major. International affairs is an excellent field to have a background in before attending law school. Political science and criminal justice will not give anyone an advantage in law school over others because the material and format is new to everyone. So to answer your question, it is plenty sufficient.

I was on the same path. I was doing political science until my junior year. I took an international affairs course and fell in love with it. So I double majored at GW. I am now a 3L in law school and can tell you without a doubt your international affairs degree will serve you better in immigration law than a degree in poly sci. or criminal justice. Law schools are much more concerned with LSAT scores and GPAs. Good luck, you seem to have things all figured out.

[Elizabeth99]

Oh, my lord, yes. The main thing about the undergraduate degree and the application are who "you" are and how well you communicate. So we have the clearly written question you have, here, so we know you can write well and get your thoughts across.

Too many people try to enter law school with the poli sci degree, because they think that's what's expected of them. if you start your degree program in international affairs (which has plenty of writing and communicating in it), you easily will be able to convey to the admissions office why you did it. Even if you change your interest away from immigration, in the next two years, it shows that you had a clear path and plan.

It sounds as though you are already admitted to UCLA(?) but if you are not, then take the time to attend one of their admissions seminars or see their FAQ on their site.

I realize it's two different questions, "will these studies be sufficient for studying law," from "will these studies help me get into law school," but when you think about it, the admissions process is designed to see how well you will do in studying law, so you can learn a lot from the admissions recommendations.

Best of luck. It sounds like a great plan!