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Pre-Law in high school / High School 2 Top Law School Guide
« on: December 31, 2005, 06:48:43 PM »
What to do now.

1.  Learn to read fast.  From now on, anytime that you are reading any fiction/non-fiction, try and read it faster and with bettter comprehension.  Learn to read without having to go back a sentence.  Learn to read properly the first time.  No skipping up and down, left and right while you read.  This is the first step in improving reading, don't let your eyes jump around.

If you don't read at all (I think I had read maybe one full fiction book prior to graduating high school), start reading.  Go to Amazon and or a Barnes and Nobles and find something that would amuse you.  Focus on speed and comprehension.  Test your reading speed and get it up to 500+ words per minute. 

2.  Write as much as possible and make a concious effort to improve your ability to write.  Start a blog, post on message boards, write in a diary or start a website.  If you're taking classes right now and have an essay due, take pride in your work, edit it and make it better because it can be.  One tip that seems to a common flaw - write shorter sentences.

Improving literacy, writing skills and intellectual capacity should be an active and concious effort. 

Picking a College

Don't pick the most academically challenging college to go to.  Don't go to a school where you will be average, you have to aim for straight A's.  This is assuming you are going to a top-50 college.  In the eyes of law school admissions, a 3.7 GPA at Princeton is the same as (ie.) a 3.8 GPA at Penn State.  Ofcourse, the undergraduate school you go to will come in to play again later when getting a job, as well as for general prestige purposes.  It's a big decision, choose wisely.

Picking a Major

When you go to college, do not major in Criminology or Pre-law.. they are garbage majors.  The only thing that matters is your grades.  You can be a liberal arts major or an engineering major, it's all the same in the eyes of law school admissions.

I know a lot of people say pick "that interests you."  Thats BS for a lot of you high schoolers if you were like me.  What interests me is watching movies, things.  I found some majors more appealing than others, but I never found going to class fun.  That said, I learned to become intersted in my major (I ended up being a Finance major).  I grew up bonding with my dad by shooting the crap  with him while he was on the couch watching the CNBC ticker.  When it came time for my finals in securites or financial accounting or whatever, I was not "interested."

Pick a major that plays to your strengths and will get you a job after graduating if law school doesn't work out.  If possible, something that interests you. 

Your main focus should be GPA.  Law school is a numbers game, you should be thinking straight A's.  Straight A's is tough to pull off in some majors (ie. Engineering).  If you think you can get straight As as an Engineering major, than do it.  If you want to be involved in Intellectual Property be a Pharmacy, Engineering or Computer Science major.  Job demand and starting salary is often higher for Intellectual Property lawyers.

Regardless, your major should be something you can kick butt in.

Also if business is your interest, don't be a Business Administration major.  Be an Economics, Finance or Accounting major instead.

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