Pre-Professional Programs
Pre-Law
As indicated by the official guide to American Bar Association (ABA) approved law schools, there is no single path or degree that must be pursued in order to gain admission to law school and to pursue a career in law. Legal education programs and law school admissions boards welcome and value diversity of experience and education.
While the ABA does not specifically recommend courses of study or undergraduate majors, there are several that, because of the skills they specifically aim to develop, are traditionally regarded as preparing students for law school admissions: History, English, Philosophy, Political Science, and Business. In the current social climate, degrees in fields as diverse as communication, education, nursing, or science are also excellent paths to a legal education.
Every student seeking admission to law school must develop the following set of core skills:
- Analytic and problem solving skills,
- Critical reading ability,
- Written skills,
- Oral communication and listening skills,
- Research skills,
- Task organization and management skills.
In addition, persons pursuing a legal education must develop a strong sense of value relating to the faithful service of others and the promotion of justice. A Northwest University education specifically aims at encouraging both of these values and informing them from a distinctly Christian worldview. Students pursing legal education are strongly encouraged to participate in educational, extra and co-curricular activities, life experiences that will assist in developing the core skills and attributes necessary for success in the legal profession.
The ABA further defines five areas of basic knowledge that are helpful to a legal education and to developing competent lawyers:
- A broad understanding of history and the factors that have influenced the development of our society.
- A fundamental understanding of the American political system and of political thought in general.
- A basic understanding of mathematics and finance appropriate to the analysis of financial data.
- An understanding of human behavior and society.
- An understanding of the nature of culture and cultural diversity.
Courses that may help the student develop these understandings at Northwest University include, but are not limited to:
- Political Science/Legal Studies courses such as: American Government, Judicial Process, Legislative process, American Presidency, Constitutional Law, and Political Philosophy.
- Communication: Advanced Speech, Argumentation and Debate, Debate team
- Economics: Macro and Microeconomics
- English courses such as: Advanced Expository Writing, Media Writing, Business Writing. Literature courses,
- Foreign languages and cultures
- History: United States History, Diplomatic History
- Philosophy: Logic, Critical Thinking and Writing, Political Philosophy, History of Philosophy
- Mathematics: Pre-calculus (minimum)
- Psychology and Sociology
Objective criteria for admission to law schools
- Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Scores from this half-day standardized test are used by most law schools as a common measurement of potential for success in law school.
- Undergraduate GPA. Applicants submit undergraduate transcripts to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), which converts grades to a cumulative grade point average using a set of consistent values. This data is used by committees in comparing applicants.
- Applicant index. Many law schools ask LSDAS to combine applicants LSAT scores and GPAs with weighted constants to produce a single number which they may use to assess and compare potential for success in completing a law degree.
Students desiring to pursue a legal education are encouraged to contact the College of Arts and Sciences pre-law advisor, and to participate in the pre-law advising cohort.
Source of information: Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools http://officialguide.lsac.org/
