Pre-Law Basics

Nicole
Nicole D. Park
Susan L. Wagner ’82 Associate Director/Advisor for Government, Law, & Public Policy
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This guide is your starting point if you are a current or prospective Wellesley College student exploring the possibility of a career in law.

 

Is There a Pre-Law Track at Wellesley?

As one of the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges, Wellesley offers 50+ departments and programs and intentionally does not offer a pre-law major or track. At Wellesley, you are encouraged to harness your intellectual interests and pursue your own unique path to law, with individualized support from faculty and the Industry Advisor for Law, Government & Policy.

Wellesley’s liberal arts education is both rigorous and well-rounded. It provides space to explore your passions, while ensuring that you graduate with the top-notch research, writing and analytical skills required to excel in law school. 

This philosophy has a proven track record of success in law school admissions, where Wellesley applicants far out-perform nationwide averages. Admitted law school applicants from Wellesley hail from a wide range of disciplines - everything from Studio Art to Neuroscience!

 

How Does Wellesley Support Pre-Law Students?

The Lulu Chow Wang ’66 Center for Career Education supports students through a combination of engaged, compassionate advising and hands-on learning opportunities. Below are just a few of the specific ways pre-law students can benefit from everything Career Education offers: 

 

What Should I Do Now to Prepare for a Legal Career?

There are a few simple steps you can take now that will benefit you whether you end up applying to law school or pursuing a different path:

  1. Prioritize Academics — Especially Research & Writing: Unlike for medical school, for law school there is no required major and no prerequisite courses. Do seek out courses that strengthen your writing, research, and critical thinking. If you major in social sciences or the humanities, this will happen on its own. If you are a STEM major, you may need to work harder to include writing-intensive courses. Do your best to maintain a strong GPA at Wellesley, but also don’t rule out law school if your academic record isn’t perfect! There are other effective ways to indicate academic strength in a law school application, including recommendations and test scores.
  2. Build Relationships with Professors: Strong recommendation letters are crucial for law school applications. You can begin building relationships with professors from day one at Wellesley by attending office hours, participating in class, and seeking feedback on assignments. When you take a class with a professor you like, look ahead to future semesters and try to schedule another class with the same professor. This way, you can continue to get to know each other and the professor can observe your skills develop over time.
  3. Get Involved on Campus: Taking on leadership roles in student orgs, sports teams, or volunteer work demonstrates to law schools that you are engaged in your community in a meaningful way. These experiences can also indicate skills like time management, teamwork, and conflict resolution. Joining law-related orgs is not required or expected by law schools. You may find the Pre-Law Society or Mock Trial helpful and enjoyable, but it’s ok if you prefer to pursue other interests. Note that law schools value depth over breadth in campus involvement. 
  4. Spend Summers Productively: There are many ways to build a strong resume for law school, and your summers do not need to be spent in legal internships to make you a competitive applicant. Focus on gaining exposure to professional environments and building transferable skills. Productive summer experiences can include coursework, summer research, Pathways Programs, Wellesley-funded internships, or other internships. All that said, you may find it personally helpful to gain hands-on summer experience in law or related fields in order to confirm your interest in a legal career. Opportunities at law firms, government offices, advocacy organizations, or nonprofits can help you decide if law is right for you. 

 

 

How Can I Discern if Law School is Right for Me?

Pursuing a legal career is a big decision, and most people take years to research and explore. In fact, over 80% of Wellesley law school applicants take 1+ years between college and law school to gain real-world experience and clarify their career goals. 

It's important to reflect on your “why” AND examine the realities of life as a lawyer. As you begin this process, use these Reflection Questions and Action Items:

  1. Reflection Questions — Interests: Ask yourself why you’re interested in law. Does your interest stem from specific academic or personal experiences? Have other people in your life suggested law school to you — if so, why? Also think about work and topics that you find engaging. Do you enjoy advocating for others, or solving complex problems? Are you passionate about justice or public policy? 
  2. Reflection Questions — Long-Term Goals: Law school is a serious investment of time and money, and a law degree may not be required for the type of impact you want to make in the world. Think about your ultimate career goals. Are there problems you want to help solve? Policy changes you hope to help implement? Groups of people you hope to advocate for? Move onto the Action Items below to explore whether you need a law degree to achieve these goals.
  3. Action Item — Talk to Lawyers and Law Students: Reach out to alumni, professors, or people in your personal network who are lawyers or law students. Ask about their career paths, what they like about their work, and what challenges they face. Also seek out people who are in policy or legal-adjacent roles, and ask them if a law degree is necessary to do the work they do. Shadowing a lawyer or interning in the legal field can also provide valuable insight. Hint: your Career Education advisors can help you identify these people and opportunities, and make a plan for connecting with them! 
  4. Action Item — Explore Classes and Experiences: Several courses at Wellesley examine the U.S. legal system, and/or provide direct exposure to case law. Take a look at the options in the Political Science, Philosophy, Economics, Peace & Justice Studies, Classics and History departments — among others! Look into student organizations like the Pre-Law Society, Black Pre-Law Society, Mock Trial Team or Debate Society to see what you can learn by joining. Consider pursuing a legal internship to gain hands-on experience working directly with lawyers. Hint: more details on legal opportunities and events can be found in the monthly Government, Law & Public Policy newsletter!

 

How Do Law Schools View a Wellesley Academic Record?

Wellesley College transcripts are unique in several ways. Luckily, because 70+ Wellesley students and graduates apply to law school every year, law schools are familiar with Wellesley’s policies and its academic rigor. In addition, LSAC provides law schools with data that puts your Wellesley GPA in context. If you feel worried about Wellesley’s grading, remember that law school admissions staff are highly trained professionals who work hard to interpret your transcript fairly — and Wellesley’s law school admissions results speak for themselves!

Shadow Grading: Wellesley’s policy is that the grades received in the first semester of your first year will not appear on your official transcript. Because this policy has been in place since 2013, law schools understand it. You will not face negative repercussions in the law school admissions process because you have P/NP grades on your transcript in your first semester. You also do not need to explain the policy in your law school applications or request that Wellesley release your shadow grades to law schools. 

Study Abroad: Study Abroad appears on your Wellesley transcript as credit, with no grades. Students sometimes worry that the combination of Shadow Grading and Study Abroad makes for a less robust academic record. First, know that you always have the option to send law schools the transcript from your Study Abroad institution, if you would like to or if a particular law school requires it. Second, law schools encourage Study Abroad experiences! Going abroad demonstrates willingness to challenge yourself and go outside your comfort zone. It can also build cross-cultural competency and critical thinking. If you are interested in and able to study abroad, the value of the experience far outweighs the value of showing law schools one additional semester of Wellesley grades.

Academic Rigor and GPA: Wellesley is academically rigorous. As a result, the average GPA of Wellesley law school applicants is 3.6, which is lower than the median GPA at most top law schools. Every year, large numbers of Wellesley law school applicants are successfully admitted to law schools where their GPA is below the median. Rest assured that law schools are aware of Wellesley’s high academic standards and take this into consideration. Wellesley applicants also greatly benefit from strong relationships with their faculty recommenders and excellent writing skills developed through their challenging coursework.

 Any time you start to feel that the high academic standards at Wellesley are a liability in law school admissions, try to reframe your demanding undergraduate education as an asset. That's certainly how the law schools see it!

 

How Do People Finance Law School?

Pursuing a legal education is a significant investment, but it is possible to develop a clear strategy for funding your degree. 

The very best resource for understanding law school finances is the nonprofit AccessLex. Through their website, register for a free AskEDNA account and take 10-minute lessons on topics like Paying for Law School and Your Law School Investment. 

  • Anticipated Future Earnings: Large private law firms have starting salaries over $200,000, while small private law firms and public sector employers have starting salaries of $50,000-$90,000. Going into law school, you do not need to know exactly what job you want afterwards — but deciding between these two salary buckets will help you anticipate your future earnings and determine the amount of debt you are willing to take on. During your undergraduate years and any gap years, explore the legal profession to get a sense of whether you see yourself in the private sector or the public sector.
  • Merit-Based Aid: Most law schools offer merit-based scholarships, which are based on the strength of your application rather than your financial need. There are clear strategies you can use to maximize your merit-based aid, such as: 
    • applying to law school early in the rolling admissions cycle, 
    • optimizing your LSAT score by preparing thoughtfully, 
    • striving for the best GPA you can, and
    • applying to a range of law schools, including schools where your LSAT and GPA are above their medians. 
  • External Scholarships: In addition to scholarships that come directly from law schools, you can apply for external scholarships. Even small external scholarships are worthwhile, because every scholarship dollar is one you do not need to pay back. Explore:
  • Federal Loans and Private Loans: Once you are admitted to law school and you know how much you are receiving in aid and scholarships, you will work with your law school’s financial aid office to determine the loans you take out. 

 

Advisor-Recommended Resources

The path to law school can be confusing, but there are many people and organizations doing excellent work to improve transparency and accessibility. Here are a few resources vetted by Wellesley’s Industry Advisor for Law, Government & Policy — check them out to learn more!

  • Subscribe to the monthly Government, Law & Public Policy newsletter
  • LSAC’s LawHub: Set up a free account in LawHub, which has many resources about exploring a career in law, getting ready to apply to law school, and preparing for the LSAT.
  • AskEDNA by AccessLex: Set up a free account with the nonprofit AccessLex to access financial planning tools for law school, including regular webinars and free one-on-one coaching with Accredited Financial Counselors.
  • Diversity Pathway Programs Directory: There are dozens of excellent programs around the country that provide college students and/or college graduates from historically underrepresented groups with information and resources about law school and the legal profession. This directory can help you identify programs you may be eligible for, and filter for the features that best fit your needs.
  • Law School Transparency: Explore comprehensive data on law schools, including acceptance rates, median salaries, debt projections, bar exam results, and much more.
  • Podcasts like I Am the Law and How I Lawyer are an excellent way to learn about a day-in-the-life of different types of lawyers.
  • Engage with the law schools directly!

 

#law #glp #lawschool
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