Can you apply to law school if you have a bachelor’s degree in international business?
I want to get my bachelor’s degree in international business and then get my law degree in international business is this possible to do?
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Yes you can just be sure to finish all law school pre requisites while in college.
Hey beachbum,
As long as you have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, you can go to law school. It doesn’t matter what the major is (though law schools probably won’t accept you with a Basketweaving major).
As far as getting a law degree in international business, that’s different. Law school doesn’t work like undergrad – everyone gets the same degree. You can tailor which classes you take to your interests while studying, but you’ll end up with the same JD taking international business law classes as the guy who took all copyright classes.
Good luck!
Hey beachbum,
Law schools don’t look for any particular major at all–in fact, almost any academic subject is a fine choice when it comes to picking a major that will look good on a law school application. Although there are certainly “traditional” majors that students interested in eventually pursuing law undertake (economics, political science, etc.), there is no one “perfect” major when it comes to preparing you for law school. There are some majors (particularly those that aren’t strongly academic, such as the arts) that may place you at a slight disadvantage but, even so, plenty of students in those fields get admitted to law school every year. If you major in something you love, then you have a greater chance of doing extremely well in school, which will translate to a high GPA, which will in turn increase your chances of admission. If international business is what you love, then go for it! You should be fine when it comes time to apply to law school.
As a side note, as one of the previous answerers pointed out, you don’t “major” in anything during law school. Everyone gets the same degree: a Juris Doctor, or JD. You can take classes in the field or fields you are interested in, but you’ll graduate with just a JD, not a JD with a specific specialization.
Going back to your college major: The key is not so much what you major in but, rather, what you do within your major. Aim to do the following:
1. Pick a college major that will require a lot of reading- and research-intensive classes. Many of the classes in international business will likely fall into that category. Picking a major of this sort will not only prepare you for law classes (which themselves are incredibly research- and reading-heavy), but it will also demonstrate to law schools, when you apply, that you can handle the academic load of law school.
2. Keep an upward grade trend throughout college. This means that your grades either get stronger as you go through school, or start off strong and remain there for all 4 years of college. Most law schools will want to see GPAs of 3.5 or above (the closer you can get to a 4.0, the better).
3. Take a challenging class load: Intro classes are okay for freshman and (maybe) sophomore year of college, but once you get to junior and senior year, your focus should be on upper-level classes and seminars that allow you to really hone in and focus on your specific interests within the major. And, as always, keep your grades up throughout.
4. Establish rapport with your professors (particularly during your junior and senior years of college). You can do this by attending office hours, working for them as a research assistant, and talking to them after class. They will be the ones writing your letters of recommendation, and will only be able to write effective, overwhelmingly positive ones is if they have specific, anecdotal knowledge of you and can favorably compare you to other students in your class.
Another useful thing you can do, regardless of your major choice, is to take formal logic courses (which can be found under the Philosophy Department at your college) during your sophomore and junior years; this will help you later as you prepare for the LSAT.
It also doesn’t hurt to start thinking about what else you can do in college to maximize your law school chances:
1. Work on your extracurriculars. Don’t worry about being a part of 30 student groups; instead, focus on 2 or 3. Become a part and get involved during your freshman and sophomore years, and then obtain leadership positions in them during your junior and senior years.
2. Take the LSAT either the summer after junior year or the fall of your senior year of college. This will allow you to get the LSAT out of the way and apply as early in the admissions cycle as possible, which is incredibly beneficial to your overall chances.
3. Research law schools and become familiar with their LSAT and GPA requirements, as well as their acceptance percentages. Law school admissions center around your GPA and LSAT combination, so knowing where to aim is definitely a plus. A great place to start is the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools: http://officialguide.lsac.org
I know I gave you a lot of info, but I hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions; I’m happy to help!