Law School

[Jrritc]

So right now i am working on my BS in Liberal Studies from Excelsior and plan on going to law school after i get out of the military, i was wondering you any of your thoughts regarding whether i may need another degree from a "traditional" school?

[Yenisei]

Are you planning on applying to a Top 14 school? If so, it might help. Don't forget that your LSAT in particular and your letters of recommendation are also key factors. Another thing to be aware of is that your GPA will be based upon the coursework you did prior to being awarded your (first) bachelor's degree and not on courses taken afterwards.

[sirjake]

I don't think you "need" a degree from a traditional school to get into a very good law school. As Yenisei says, if you're shooting for a t14, it might matter, but your LSAT and your GPA are going to matter way, way, way more than anything else in almost every case (if you're a minority it still matters, but the standards are lower).

After graduating from TESC with a BA in Liberal Studies, I got in to two of the four top 25 schools I applied to and was waitlisted at the other two after applying late in the cycle (withdrew before hearing a final word). I had a 3.63 GPA and a 168 LSAT.

[Maniac Craniac]

May I suggest looking up admissions criteria for the schools you want to apply to and seeing where you fit in? Email a few people about it and see what they say?

Remember that you degree is one of many factors considered by admissions. If you stand out in one or another way other than your degree, it could be a huge advantage.

Disclaimer: My comments and suggestions above are not specific to law school, something I don't know much about. Rather, I was just relaying some general principles that I have gleaned from others.

[Yenisei]

In addition to the excellent points made by others, may I also suggest considering majoring in something other than Liberal Studies? Think perhaps about what sort of law you want to practice- if it's patent law you will want a degree in a hard science or in engineering. If it's business law, an accounting degree is probably useful to have.

[blu2blu]

Or you could get yourself arrested if you plan on being a criminal lawyer. Get it? Criminal lawyer! lol!

[Maniac Craniac]

Or you could get yourself arrested if you plan on being a criminal lawyer. Get it? Criminal lawyer! lol!

[DetroitSki]

Your LSAT score will be the predominant determining factor in Law School admissions.