PS Prelaw

Prelaw Information

What follows is a brief introduction to what is offered to our students who are interested in preparing as undergraduates for entry into law school.

The heart of the Colorado State Prelaw program is individual counseling offered to each student from the time interest is shown in legal studies, until the student has been accepted into law school. To commence this personalized advising, students-- including those in high school--should contact the University's Prelaw Adviser to discuss selection of an appropriate undergraduate major, general preparation for taking the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), financial planning for a legal education, and the specific law schools to which applications will eventually be made.

Mr. Blane Harding serves as the Prelaw Advisor. You can reach him by e-mail at Blane.Harding@colostate.edu; by University's phone at (970) 491-5421; by regular mail at the College of Liberal Arts, Office of the Dean, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. 80523; or in person at room C-138, Clark Building, Colorado State University campus.

Students interested in attending law school should keep the following points in mind:

Law school admission committees typically use three criteria in admitting students. One is the grade point average. To be competitive at the more selective law schools a 3.5 or higher is generally required. The second criterion is the score on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Last, schools also frequently evaluate whether the applicant is an "interesting person." That term refers to a student's extra-curricular activities, which can run the gamut from working in a fast food establishment to partially pay for college expenses, playing first violin in the local orchestra, to performing various types of volunteer work, and participating in NCAA athletics.
A sound way to prepare for the LSAT is to take difficult courses. While this practice may lower the grade point average somewhat, a higher LSAT score may compensate.
Law school admission committees like a college transcript showing classes taken outside the major. This suggests the student is intellectually inquisitive, and willing to take risks in pursuing knowledge.
Since the practice of the law consists of reading English, writing in English, or speaking English, English classes should be added to a student's program in order to sharpen those types of skills. Similarly, courses in public speaking and debate could prove useful in courtroom situations.
Logic and critical thinking classes offered by the Philosophy Department are particularly useful in preparing to take the LSAT.
Students from all academic majors are accepted by law schools. However in selecting an undergraduate major a student should seek an area in which the classes will provide knowledge and skills that will be useful later as a practicing attorney. For example one interested in environmental law would normally consider majors in the biological sciences, while a student interested in politics or government should consider majoring in political science, history, or economics.