UB Pre-Law Advising

-More on Selecting Courses

Selecting Courses

Students are encouraged to take classes that are challenging and that will assist in improving analytical, reasoning, research and writing skills. Some courses *may* be beneficial even for preparing for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), such as Critical Thinking (PHI 115) and Deductive Logic (PHI 215).

Law School is about using words effectively in communication, both the written-word and verbally. Courses that involve writing papers would be very beneficial, especially reference type papers that require students conduct some preliminary research. It is therefore recommended to choose course(s) that have some sort of thesis requirement, to show admissions officers you have taken courses to improve both your writing ability and your academic researching skills.

There are some technical writing and legal writing courses that might also be helpful. A course like Writing In the Law (SSC 221) might include a section devoted to writing the Personal Statement on applications for Law Schools, for example.

It is very important students meet with the Pre-Law Advisor or their Academic / Departmental Advisor (link takes you to Campus Advising Directlry) to determine what is the best selection of courses for each semester. In addition, the advisors will help students with choosing courses to satisfy their general education and departmental requirements.

Important: Grade Replacement Policy
It is important to realize that the Law School Admission Council, who process your academic information and provide that in summary form to Law Schools when you apply to them, will ignore grade replacement policies. UB currently allows students to retake courses and “replace” the first received grade. However, doing so will not affect your LSAC GPA. Instead, they average the two grades of a course taken twice. This is highly important to consider when thinking about retaking a class to improve your GPA.