Since there are no “Pre-law” designated classes at UB — given there is no single-path or particular academic background required for Law School — it can be somewhat daunting for students to choose courses with the intent of furthering themselves in the field of law. Common questions I am asked include:
1) Are there specific courses that will be helpful in preparing for law school?
2) Are their specific courses that will improve chances of admission?
3) How about classes that will help me perform better on the LSAT or strengthen my application generally?
4) Are there courses here that I can take to help me decide whether Law School is right for me or not?
To start with 1) today (and the following parts to cover the other questions), the American Bar Association has a good overview of Pre-Law, and has a nice section regarding course selection. Following the link, you’ll see they then break-down the various different categories too. They assign “skills and values” as general core abilities one should obtain while in college:
Core Skills and Values:
* Analytic / Problem Solving Skills
* Critical Reading
* Writing Skills
* Oral Communication / Listening Abilities
* General Research Skills
* Task Organization / Management Skills
* Public Service and Promotion of Justice
Keep in mind that any major is ok for Law School. Students with a background in science for example have an excellent foundation in problem-solving and critical thinking abilities that will serve them well in law school (and possibly qualify them for certain specialty areas non-science majors wouldn’t qualify for). Social Behavioral Sciences majors such as Psychology or Political Science are also very sound disciplines to consider, as is Business or the Humanities. Below are just some thoughts to complement your major of choice in addition to your major classes.
So in summary, there are numerous courses at UB that are applicable to the foundational skill sets Law School will demand. To summarize it as effectively possible, however, your writing abilities should be positively top-notch. Secondly, reference and research paper writing know-how is critical. Try to take a few upper-level courses that require a thesis of some sort. Thirdly, being able to effectively absorb and comprehend large quantities of reading material is enormously helpful. When your law professors give you a stack of 100 cases to go through for the next couple of weeks, you’d better have some keen organizational skills in place and the ability to concentrate and absorb data on an impressive scale.
At UB, therefore, consider taking some Humanities courses that stress reading and writing. Any English literature courses at the 200-level is a very good beginning. Classics, Philosophy, History, etc, that focus intensely on paper assignments are great. Also, additional, advanced-level courses that stress research papers would be a wonderful follow-up to these initial classes. As a very integral by-product, a lot of these courses have a strong discussion and participatory requirement. Oral communication skills are very critical to your success in Law School. A lot of your law classes will be discussion-based.
For this Fall, here are some examples of writing / discussion / linguistic analysis courses that should prove beneficial (note that content is contingent on instructor’s intent and changes from year to year and are just examples from a variety of different programs on campus at the 200-level).
AAS 290 - Race & the Law
AMS 207 - US in the World
CL 222 - Greek Civilization
COL 226 - Memory as Art
ENG 253 - Lit Types - Novel
HIS 220 - Culture & Arts East Asia
LIN 207 - Lang Society & Individual
PHI 215 - Deductive Logic
SSC 221 - Writing in the Law
MFC 334 - Legal Research and Writing
These courses are by no means ‘necessary’ and are based on individual interest level and are just relatively random examples, given the absolute plethora of good options. Also, keep in mind that research and Independent Study credit are also excellent ways to enrich your academic experience. For Independent Study credit, consult your departmental adviser. There may also be research or internship hours available for credit. There is also a wonderful resource on research projects available on the CURCA Web site (Center for Research & Creative Activities).
Have some questions about law school? Want to know more about the application process? Interested in knowing what the law school experience is like?
The UB Law School will be presenting a workshop this upcoming February 13th, from 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. in 145 D Student Union about the law school application and experience. Admission officers will provide information on the application process to UB Law School, admissions, curriculum of study, student-life, and even post-law school opportunities. We will also reserve time to answer questions you may have, and will provide information packets for attendants.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Jon Bonebrake by either sending an email to me at bonebrak@buffalo.edu or calling my office number at 716.645.6031. Please contact me very soon if you’re interested in attending. (Please RSVP no later than February 12th.)
This is a wonderful opportunity to hear first-hand about UB Law School and the law school application process in general, and I encourage anyone interested in law to attend this informative event!
Hello everyone and welcome back! Hope you’re excited about the new semester! I wanted to mention a few Pre-Law related things and some other matters of interest to undergraduate students at UB.
First of all, take a look at the workshops offered this semester. Pre-Law workshop listing can be found at http://prelaw.buffalo.edu/workshops. Please note the upcoming UB Law School Informational session for February 13th. If you are interested, please RSVP to me by February 10th. If you are interested in a general overview of what Pre-Law is all about, nothing is better than the Law School Application Process workshop on February 20th. For those of you who are looking to write your Personal Statement for your law school applications, Perfecting the Law School Personal Statement workshop, taught by Professor Charles Carr of the UB Law School, is a wonderful start. There are two sessions of these available, on March 5th and March 26th.
You can register for these workshops, as well as find other workshops of interest to you, by going over to http://workshops.buffalo.edu.
Also please note the KAPLAN workshops listed for this semester. They have a Test Strategy session this upcoming January 28th, and an LSAT Practice Test on February 16th. If you are interested in learning more about their services or finding out about other Pre-Law related events, you can contact them at (716) 636-1882 or stop by Suite 201 in The Commons.
“Managing your Academic Plan”, “Time Management”, “Study Skills”, “Financial Aid information”, and “Choosing a Major” are just some of the workshop topics offered by Student Advising Services this semester. Strong study habits lead to a healthy GPA, which is critical for success in your applications to law schools. (More about these workshops can be found at http://sas.buffalo.edu/workshops/)
Please tune-in to the Pre-Law Web site regularly for Pre-Law information (http://prelaw.buffalo.edu). Also, please take advantage of the helpful information found in the Student Guide categories. You can also use the IM window found on that page to contact me about a quick question you might have, or follow the contact information to make an appointment.
Career Services is another very important resource on campus (http://ub-careers.buffalo.edu). Wayne Porterfield in Career Services can help Pre-Law students learn more about careers in law, can help with resume questions, and much more. Please visit their Web site to find out how to best contact Wayne.
A great way to stay up-to-date on Academic Advisement information is the ever helpful Be Advised Newsletter (http://advising.buffalo.edu/beadvised/). Learn about important academic advisement dates and deadlines, helpful reminders about upcoming workshops, and other highly-relevant information (up there right now is a very good post about important dates to be mindful of this semester. I’d recommend you print that out!).
A class that would probably be very interesting to Pre-Law students:
PHI238, Philosophy of Law, is an introduction to legal thought and the kinds of theories that lie behind many legal subjects covered in law school. Topics to be addressed include: the relation of law to morality, the nature of judicial interpretation, the justifications for legal authority, and the theoretical underpinnings of contract law, tort law, constitutional law, and criminal law. The class fulfills requirements in the legal studies section of the interdisciplinary social sciences program as well as in the philosophy major and minors in general philosophy or philosophy of law. Interested students can get more information at
http://philosophy.buffalo.edu/courses/undergraduate/spring/#238
or by contacting Professor Ken Ehrenberg at kenneth@buffalo.edu
Posted November 21, 2007 in Classes