Does it make sense to earn a second bachelor's degree before going to law school?
Question:
I also know that I don't want to stay teaching in the high school that I am currently in and want to attend law school.
However, I think my writing needs to be improved because I majored in technical majors and I've adopted some bad speech habits from my parents who are from the Caribbean and speak English but in a slight 'Creole' fashion if that makes sense.
So I'm thinking of going to a top undergrad school for a second BA and picking up a B.A. in English and then going off to law school. I'm trying to get into the very best law school that I can get. I would like to omit my first bachelor's degree because the GPA sucked (2.7), I have no chance to get into a first or second tier law school. What is your take on earning another undergrad before law school?
Answer:
Actually, you do have a chance of getting into a good law school with a 2.7. I go to Loyola Law School, a very reputable school in Los Angeles, and I know several people who got in with a 2.8 or so. Especially if you have a technical degree, they will forgive it a bit. And the longer you have been out of college, the more weight they will put on your resume and LSAT score.
Before going back and getting a degree you won't necessarily need and spend more money on loans, you should take an LSAT prep course and see how high of a score you can get. With a higher score, your GPA will be less of an issue. As for your writing and speaking skills, you could always take a class at a junior college in public speaking and a grammar class to brush up. They will teach you how to write in a "legal" way in law school. Unless you really want a second BA, it may be worth seeing what schools you can get into with your degree now, and you can always re-apply after you get your second degree.
At the very least, take a practice LSAT now and see where you score. Kaplan will give you one for free. Then check out http://www.LSAC.org and they have a function where you can input your GPA and score and see where students with similar profiles go.
Also, keep in mind, teaching at an inner city high school is very respectable, you will have a strong personal statement and stand out from other applicants. You also may have a better chance of getting into a part time program, which will be 4 years instead of 3, but still quicker than getting a second degree!!
So see how you are on the LSAT and give it a shot before you go running off for another 2 years. You can take an LSAT prep course to help improve your score. And your score is good for, I believe, 3 years for applications, so if you take it now and decide to go back for your BA, you may not have to take it again.
Good luck with your decision, but do a little research before you rush off for a second BA just for the application - you would be better off spending six months or so studying your LSAT and high scoring than going back - they will look at the GPA for all of your degrees, I don't think they will just ignore your first one, even though they may not weigh it as highly. So unless you do significantly better, it will be harder for you to bring up your overall GPA.
It may depend on what kind of law you want to pursue. If going into patents, you may want more of a computer, engineering, chemistry background. If going into criminal law, then you may not need to. Also, once you decide which area of law to go into, you may want to ask attorneys already practicing in that field, what areas of study may benefit this area of law and whether it is even necessary to pursue a second degree prior to law school.
One of the hottest jobs out there is a lawyer with actual scientific or technical background, not just a lawyer who read a few books about DNA fingerprinting, etc. I suggest getting a part-time job in computer science like software testing to build up your background. Having a B.S. in computer science makes you stand out, more so than the hundreds of law school applicants with degrees in history, English, pre-law, or philosophy. With your knowledge of programming and programming ethics, you could get a job as a lawyer specializing in Internet crimes...I think it would definitely keep you busy and hopefully profitable.
More Questions & Answers...