Law Related Courses

Illinois State University does not offer a formal pre-law major or minor. In fact, a recent trend for those universities and colleges that did offer a major or minor in pre-law is to drop those types of programs. There is no one major that significantly better prepares students for law school than any other major.

Choosing a Major

In choosing a major in regard to law school, students should pick a major that truly interests them. Students will experience two direct benefits.

First, students typically will perform better in courses that interests them. This will translate to a higher undergraduate grade point average which is an influential factor in determining whether students will get admitted to law school.

Second, if students do not get admitted into law school (remember a substantial number of students are not admitted) they then can pursue careers in a major that is appealing to them.

Courses

In regard to specific courses, students interested in pre-law should take courses that will enhance skills that will not only help them on the LSAT but also in law school. Those skills are:

• Reading comprehension
• Critical thinking
• Cogent writing

Students should take a course where they will be reading actual court opinions. This has several distinct benefits for a pre-law student including:

• Developing familiarity with legal terminology
• Awareness of a judge's writing style
• Determining if this is something that they really want to do for three years in law school

In selecting courses for a specific major and/or minor, pre-law students should consult with their advisor in the department of their major. Illinois State does offer a major and minor in Legal Studies, which is geared toward giving students the skills necessary to be a paralegal. Many of these courses would be useful to students anticipating attending law school.