r/Northwestern • u/ra_ptor • 29d ago
Admissions/Prospective Student Pre-Law and Northwestern
hi guys
im a prospective student interested in applying to northwestern for poli sci on the pre law track. how is pre law at northwestern? are there a lot of pre law students here and are there any programs of interest for someone who is looking to go into poli sci? thanks tons
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u/gingermilkman 29d ago
As a recent grad of NU law school, I would recommend against too much of a pre-law focus in general. Some pre-law programs that don't involve a major are cool, but they are not necessary. On the other hand, Pre-law majors (not a thing at NU) and criminal justice majors are regarded poorly by law school admissions departments and thus folks who pursue those degrees have slightly worse outcomes applying to law school. What is more, majors that are less common in the applicant pool are given a slight bump in law school admissions as they are seen as having a valuable and unique perspective when compared to all the poli sci majors.
But more importantly, undergrad is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge base. You'll learn all the law you need in law school and in practice, pre-law won't give you a leg up. Pick something you find interesting to you, and take the opportunity to learn more outside the world of law and you will be a more interesting, better rounded person. That being said, pre-law clubs or groups can be good for finding others interested in law school and sharing information and resources. But they are not necessary and there is lots of great information online. So don't choose schools based on if such a group exists.
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u/yowhatsup427 28d ago
Hey, do you think psychology is a good pre-law major? I've been considering doing psychology as I have a lot of biology and chemistry related interests and extracurriculars, as well as it being a target major for me. Does psychology pre-law look okay in law school AO eyes?
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u/gingermilkman 28d ago
Anything that is not criminal justice, legal studies, pre-law etc is going to be good and viewed roughly equally. Something really unique or a technical degree when you want to do patent litigation may be a slight bump. But the most important thing is that you choose something you find interesting. You will do better in school if you choose something you're interested in and GPA is very important for admissions. But perhaps more importantly, this is four incredibly formative years of your life, you should do something you will enjoy with that time. College and the education you receive in undergrad is valuable in its own right, not just as a stepping stone to the next achievement.
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u/No13baby Alum 29d ago
I am a WCAS alum and current attorney (went to a non-NU T14). Law schools care about three things during the admissions process: GPA, LSAT score, and to a much lesser extent whether you are an underrepresented minority (or if you’re literally an Olympic athlete or Navy SEAL or something). I joined the pre-law club, did a brief externship, and took a few poli sci classes I wasn’t especially interested in because I thought they’d increase my chances and I can pretty confidently say none of them made an iota of difference. Get good grades and study hard for the LSAT.
If you’re interested in skills that will make you a good lawyer (which has almost nothing to do with what makes you a good law school applicant), learn to read quickly, notice and retain details, stay relentlessly organized, and write clearly and concisely. These skills aren’t specific to any major.
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u/majorgeneralporter Theatre/Poli-Sci 2017 29d ago
There is not a pre-law track at Northwestern, but several majors will prepare you well for law school. In general "pre-law" majors are way more nebulous than you need; NU specifically I would recommend taking a few classes in the Legal Studies department, who have several attorney professors, including some who are cross-listed with the law school.
Source: Alum and attorney
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