Prospective law students generally take classes to complete an undergraduate degree before they begin law school. According to the Wellesley College Center for Work and Service, law school admissions boards often focus most on the applicant's four-year undergraduate program and Law School Admission Test score. An admissions board might consider the difficulty of the undergraduate program as well as the applicant's grades earned in college classes. As such, prospective law students choosing an undergraduate college may wish to consider a program's academic reputation and the possibility of earning high grades while studying there.
Law school admissions boards do not generally emphasize certain college majors over others. The American Bar Association observes that law students come from a variety of academic backgrounds. Prospective law students may therefore select classes as they wish. Many future law students choose to major in popular pre-law subjects such as English, history, political science, philosophy, business studies or economics. Though an admissions board may notice the applicant's major, the applicant's grades and demonstrated interest in an area of study may outweigh the major itself.
Though law school admissions criteria does not usually include a set of prerequisite classes, students may wish to highlight their pre-law preparations by developing skills related to the legal profession. Classes that encourage pre-law students to improve their writing, debate and public speaking skills may demonstrate an affinity for a career in law. The American Bar Association also recommends classes to develop critical reading, logic and problem-solving skills. These skills can also help students preparing to take the Law School Admission Test.
Regardless of their chosen coursework and major, prospective students must present their transcripts to the admission board of each law school. Students applying to U.S. law schools must register for the Credential Assembly Service (see Resources). The service streamlines the application process by accepting official transcripts directly from colleges and universities and forwarding the information to each of the applicant's selected law schools. Admissions boards will be able to see the applicant's classes by reviewing her official transcripts.