Aspiring Lawyer

[vaccarus]

What is the name of your state? Illinois.

Hey there, I'm 17 years old, going into my senior year of high school, so the college talk is big now.

I was plannin on goin into Engineering, probably Electrical, but lately I read some more stuff about Law, and it really appealed to me, but I still want to make sure, so I figured I'd post here and see if I can get some first-hand input on what it's all about.

I wasn't sure what type of Law to go in to, but I think Patent (Intellectual Property) seems pretty interesting.

Can anyone in the field just tell me what it's like, and what to expect?
I have a good idea of what you do, but I'd like to hear some input, I've only started looking into it recently.

Also, I'm considering just getting my 4-year degree in Electrical Engineering, then going to law school afterwards, that way I could have something to fall back on. Would taking Pre-Law as a major help as much?

I got a 30 on my ACT, and I've got good GPA and Class Rank, and am in sports,etc.. so hopefully I can get into a good 4 year college, but I'm not sure exactly what to do to prepare.

Electrical Engineering is kind of fascinating, but not really up my ally. I've started lately to become more into Business and Law, but I'm not sure right now.

Any input would be great, im just tryin to get info on all my options now before its too late!

Thanks!

Reid

 

[divgradcurl]

Hi Vaccarus,

It's always a good thing to think ahead! Here's a couple of tips that maybe can help you with your decision making process:

1. First off, you are very young, and, even though you are really interested in law right now, that may change as you get older -- you may decide you like something else better. Don't take pre-law because you think you might like to be a lawyer someday, take something that you are interested in.

2. More on point 1 -- there is no specific requirement for major when you apply to law school -- any major can go on to law school -- physics, economics, political science, history, it doesn't matter. So take something you will like.

3. More on point 2. If you finally do decide to go to law school after all, your grades will matter more than your major (in general) -- and since you will probably get better grades studying something you enjoy, pick a major you will enjoy.

4. Finally, there is one exception to everything I just said -- if you want to do patent law, you should really consider a science or engineering degree. A science or engineering background is required to become licensed to practice in front of the Patent and Trademark Office.

Summary -- Pick a major you think you will like. Don't choose engineering or science just because you think that you might someday want to become a patent lawyer. If you like science or engineering, by all means go for -- it will give you many options down the road -- but a science or engineering major can be a long, hard road if you don't enjoy it.

Good luck, study hard, and don't forget to have fun in college.