Science going into law school?

[JChance]

I'm a B.S. Chemistry and B.A. Molecular Biology graduating soon with 2 years of experience working in a Chem lab. I have tried pre-pharm, pre-med, pre-dental and research, but found that they are all not for me. I think law is right for me, but dont have much experience in it nor community service/leadership. I want to take a few years off before applying to law school, what kind of jobs should you suggest me looking into? I've been checking out Regulatory Affairs, Public Policy and Campaigning work and am not sure if I am on the right track... Please advice!

 

[facebookdigg123]

intern at a law office or something. my friend went from engineering to law school with no law experience.

 

[JChance]

Did he/she get into law school with no law experience?

 

[Cotillion]

ya if you just study and do well on your LSATs. Thats whats important. Many law students I've known were not "pre-law" in undergrad. Just spend enough time studying for the LSATs and get a good score.

 

[Harold falcon]

Originally Posted by JChance

I'm a B.S. Chemistry and B.A. Molecular Biology graduating soon with 2 years of experience working in a Chem lab. I have tried pre-pharm, pre-med, pre-dental and research, but found that they are all not for me. I think law is right for me, but dont have much experience in it nor community service/leadership. I want to take a few years off before applying to law school, what kind of jobs should you suggest me looking into? I've been checking out Regulatory Affairs, Public Policy and Campaigning work and am not sure if I am on the right track... Please advice!

Do you have any idea what kind of law you want to work in? What is it about lawyering that is attractive to you?

 

[facebookdigg123]

Originally Posted by JChance

Did he/she get into law school with no law experience?

yea. im sure he rocked the lsat though

 

[globetrotter]

I have a bunch of friends who are intellectual property lawyers, they have backgrounds in science before law school. good money, less stress.

 

[Mal]

Originally Posted by facebookdigg123

intern at a law office or something. my friend went from engineering to law school with no law experience.

Doesn't help for law admissions. Experience is generally regarded as experience and is a very soft factor.

LSAT and GPA are 95%+ of admissions decisions (outside of Yale basically).

 

[rjakapeanut]

Originally Posted by facebookdigg123

intern at a law office or something. my friend went from engineering to law school with no law experience.

most people go to law school with no law experience.

why do you think law is right for you, OP?

 

[AR_Six]

Up here IP boutiques won't even look at your resume unless you DID get a degree in science (or in some cases engineering) before going to law school.

 

[unjung]

As far as I know the whole point of law schools requiring another undergrad is to ensure you're a rounded thinker, in essence. Taking pre-law seems ridiculous. Science, social sciences, humanities, arts, I know all would be considered in Canadian law schools.

 

[Kai]

Hard science is a great preparation for law school. There are many areas of the law where an understanding of science is important (environmental, patent, many areas of products liability, health, etc.)

Provided you also have decent writing skills, I would rate a hard science as the best of all undergrad tracks for a legal career.

As for what to do in the time before you apply for law school, the best preparation would be working in a patent department, or just doing scientific research somewhere.

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by JChance

Did he/she get into law school with no law experience?
OP, I'm in law school with an engineering undergrad, so I was in your place not long ago. Read the post below. Read it again and again and again. Most people think law admissions are like other admissions programs where various factors add in to the decision. In law they do only to the tune of about the 5% below. It's all undergrad GPA and LSAT. It is this way because there are SO MANY APPLICANTS that they are weeded very mechanically. Experience is a very, very minor part unless your experience is so astronomically, incredibly special -- which yours will not be. This is not an MBA. It's all undergrad GPA and LSAT. Please don't forget this. Also, do you have any idea where in law you might want to use your background. And if you are serious, go get an LSAT logic games book and start practicing now -- yes, you should practice the whole two years until you apply. You really should. I was good at them, and even though I nailed the rest of the LSAT, and I mean nailed it, I did poorly on the logic games and wound up with only a 98th percentile score. In LSAT terms, 98% is good, but not great. Get that book. Start practicing now. Really. ~ H

Originally Posted by Mal

LSAT and GPA are 95%+ of admissions decisions (outside of Yale basically).

 

[JohnGalt]

I work in regulatory affairs - feel free to ask if you have specific questions.

 

[ConcernedParent]

Originally Posted by Huntsman

OP, I'm in law school with an engineering undergrad, so I was in your place not long ago. Read the post below. Read it again and again and again. Most people think law admissions are like other admissions programs where various factors add in to the decision. In law they do only to the tune of about the 5% below.

It's all undergrad GPA and LSAT.

It is this way because there are SO MANY APPLICANTS that they are weeded very mechanically.

Experience is a very, very minor part unless your experience is so astronomically, incredibly special -- which yours will not be. This is not an MBA.

It's all undergrad GPA and LSAT.

Please don't forget this.

Also, do you have any idea where in law you might want to use your background.

And if you are serious, go get an LSAT logic games book and start practicing now -- yes, you should practice the whole two years until you apply. You really should. I was good at them, and even though I nailed the rest of the LSAT, and I mean nailed it, I did poorly on the logic games and wound up with only a 98th percentile score. In LSAT terms, 98% is good, but not great.

Get that book. Start practicing now. Really.

~ H

How much does the prestige of your undergrad factor in? I'm sure it is a criteria, but probably not half way as much as I think it does. I'm assuming if that's the case, those that went to no name schools with stellar GPAs are standardized by LSAT score (most of them probably didn't do so hot) and thus the importance of prestige of undergrad diminishes.