Political Science or Economics for real estate law?

[david_p]

I am attending Yale in the fall, and plan on going to Law school after my undergrad. I would like to enter real estate law. I can get a better GPA with PoliSci & enjoy it more, but I hear the business aspect/practicality of econ is more useful in the real estate world. Which should be prioritized?

I hear that polisci prepares you for more general skills-including bits of economics-so I am leaning towards this, but am not quite sure.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mass_Shyster]

I am attending Yale in the fall, and plan on going to Law school after my undergrad. I would like to enter real estate law. I can get a better GPA with PoliSci & enjoy it more, but I hear the business aspect/practicality of econ is more useful in the real estate world. Which should be prioritized?

I hear that polisci prepares you for more general skills-including bits of economics-so I am leaning towards this, but am not quite sure.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Your undergrad degree has no real meaning in the legal profession. (Neither does your law degree, but that's another story).

If you're set on law school, go for the high GPA.

 

[NC Aggie]

I am attending Yale in the fall, and plan on going to Law school after my undergrad. I would like to enter real estate law. I can get a better GPA with PoliSci & enjoy it more, but I hear the business aspect/practicality of econ is more useful in the real estate world. Which should be prioritized?

I hear that polisci prepares you for more general skills-including bits of economics-so I am leaning towards this, but am not quite sure.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

I don't know if this is the best forum to get advice on educational/career pathways, but I would recommend the major that's least restrictive or most flexible to pursue variable options. The reason being is that very rarely have first year college students narrowed down an area of concentration within a particular field before completing advanced coursework, interning or even working within the field. Additionally, as the other response eluded to, your undergraduate degree and coursework will play a much lesser role in preparation for law practice so focus on which prepares you most to be accepted into a law school.

 

[Just Blue]

I don't know if this is the best forum to get advice on educational/career pathways, but I would recommend the major that's least restrictive or most flexible to pursue variable options. The reason being is that very rarely have first year college students narrowed down an area of concentration within a particular field before completing advanced coursework, interning or even working within the field. Additionally, as the other response eluded to, your undergraduate degree and coursework will play a much lesser role in preparation for law practice so focus on which prepares you most to be accepted into a law school.

Gobbleygook...^

OP read what Steve said...The attorney.

 

[quincy]

Gobbleygook...^

OP read what Steve said...The attorney.

NC Aggie pretty much said what Stevef said - s/he just used more words.

And I sort of disagree with what both of them said.

Law schools find themselves swamped with applicants who have undergraduate degrees in political science. The law school applicant with a degree in, for example, the dramatic arts or the biological sciences sets himself apart from the others. The application and its applicant can be more attractive for that reason.

 

[NC Aggie]

NC Aggie pretty much said what Stevef said - s/he just used more words.

And I sort of disagree with what both of them said.

Law schools find themselves swamped with applicants who have undergraduate degrees in political science. The law school applicant with a degree in, for example, the dramatic arts or the biological sciences sets himself apart from the others. The application and its applicant can be more attractive for that reason.

There's certainly some validity in setting yourself apart, but from what I've ascertained from friends/colleagues that have been accepted into law school, your specific major in itself will likely not accomplish that. From what I've heard, your undergraduate and/or graduate GPA and LSAT scores are still the biggest criteria that law schools take into consideration.

The reason why I would advise this gentleman to pick a major that offers the most flexibility in career options is because confining yourself to a concentrated area of practice at this point in your college career wouldn't be advantageous. Additionally, though I doubt this is likely the case for the OP having been accepted into Yale, there are a lot of people that apply for law school and don't get accepted, get accepted but don't finish or graduate from law school and don't practice law, so I think it's a good idea to have an undergraduate degree in an area of interest to fall back on.

 

[NIV]

From what I've heard, your undergraduate and/or graduate GPA and LSAT scores are still the biggest criteria that law schools take into consideration.

LSAT is starting to be used less.
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2017/03/harvard-is-second-law-school-to-admit-1ls-based-on-gre-rather-than-lsat.html
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2017/02/proposed-aba-accreditation-rule-sets-process-to-determine-validity-of-gre-other-lsat-alternatives-in.html

 

[Mass_Shyster]

The only time I know of an undergrad degree meaning anything to an attorney is for purposes of the Patent Bar - you need an engineering degree or something similar.

Law school admission (at least the top tier schools) is an extremely competitive process. Admission is based on GPA and LSAT scores. That is why I suggest the higher GPA. I'm not convinced a high school senior is really in a position to predict what course of study will result in a higher GPA, but since that was the only parameter given, I ran with it.

For reference, my undergrad degree is in Math with a concentration in Computer Science. My mentor majored in art.