社会学/司法研究法律预备课程

规划你在法律行业的职业道路.

课程

Because of the number of law- and justice-related courses offered through the sociology and justice studies programs at Rhode Island College, many students interested in legal careers choose to major in one or both of these fields. 然而, 法学院入学不需要任何固定的课程——所以, you can major in any discipline without limiting your chances of getting in. It is worthwhile to make sure you take a broad set of liberal arts courses. Some areas of study that you may wish to include in your program are those in English, 写作, 计算机技能和哲学(尤其是逻辑).

If you are interested in specializing in certain areas of law such as business and tax law, 你可以考虑会计课程, 或者如果你对专利法感兴趣, 你可以考虑生物课程, 化学与物理.

Of course, exposure to legal reading, 写作, research and ideas are important, too. It will be particularly helpful if you take several courses requiring sustained research and 写作 experiences.

之前的经验

Many law schools also like to see that students have had one or more internship or job experience related to law or public service prior to admission.

你知道在很多法学院吗, 学生的平均年龄是25岁或26岁, so if you are a younger student you might want to consider working in law (as a support staff) or in public service for a year or two before applying to law school. 一些法学院也认为领导经验很重要, 花在学生组织的时间, 志愿工作或其他活动可能会有所帮助. 

Though there are many decisions about your courses and other activities that can make a difference in law school admissions, far and away the two most important factors are your GPA and your LSAT scores.

法学院入学考试(LSAT)

LSAT是法学院入学要求的标准化考试. It combines reading comprehension and logical reasoning questions and requires you to write an essay as well.

The LSAT/GPA calculator is a good way to predict your chances of admission at various law schools. Keep in mind that this site only provides estimates – students can and do gain acceptance at schools for which their credentials seem low, 特别是如果他们有生活经验或特殊技能可以借鉴.

因为法学院入学考试和平均成绩很重要, 你应该专注于确保它们越高越好. 虽然LSAT准备课程很贵, 他们可以在提高你的分数方面发挥重要作用. 至少, you should get LSAT preparation books or software and spend several months working to raise your score.

申请法学院

申请法学院需要大量的提前计划. You will want to begin preparing at least six months prior to the date when you will submit your applications. The Law School Admission Council provides much of what you need to know about navigating this process.

The first step in the application process is to register with Law School Data 招生 Service (LSDAS), the service that will compile and submit your application packet for you. You will need to complete this registration process through the LSAC website at least six weeks before you plan to begin applying to law school.

LSAC网站也是你注册参加LSAT考试的地方. 该测试每年在2月份进行四次, 6月, September and December – and registration is four to six weeks prior to the exam (most applicants take the exam in September).

除了法学院入学考试, you will need to provide the LSDAS with transcripts and letters of recommendation, so it is never too early to begin cultivating relationships with professors and others who can attest to your qualifications for law school.

虽然申请法学院的过程似乎令人望而生畏, many RIC sociology and justice studies majors have been successful in gaining admission to law schools, 包括罗杰威廉姆斯大学, 新英格兰法学院, 威斯康星大学和路易斯安那州立大学.

法律职业

除了律师之外，还有很多法律职业. 这些人包括但不限于律师助理, 法律秘书, 法律翻译, 法院职员, 其他法院官员, 法庭辩护律师和其他各种各样的职业. 对于很多职位来说, a bachelor's degree with some legal training and an internship or job in a legal setting are the primary credentials you will need. Your course choices should emphasize those in which you gain skills in reading and working with legal documents as well as those that provide training in research and 写作 skills. 法律翻译, 当然, need fluency in the language(s) of the people they will be working with. 你可能会发现参加高级语言课程很有用, 尤其是那些注重翻译技巧的课程. 研究生学位课程翻译也可以.

While paralegal jobs do not require any education beyond a bachelor's degree, some students interested in paralegal careers opt to earn a certificate in paralegal studies after they complete their bachelor's degree. 这些证书大约需要一个学期才能完成. 罗杰·威廉姆斯大学提供一个, as do many online programs such as Boston University and UMass Lowell (online programs can be surprisingly affordable, 即使是私立大学).​

了解更多

如果你对法学院感兴趣, you should meet with a pre-law adviser early in your undergraduate career (or at least soon after you begin considering law school) to discuss your curricular choices and the law school application process.