Pre-Law

SUNY Oneonta pre-law faculty advisers provide advisement and events relevant to students considering law school or graduate programs related to law. Department administrative staff and the Office of Academic Advisement can assist students with declaring a pre-law concentration and assigning an adviser (currently in Political Science, Business, and English departments). Pre-law advisers can recommend courses to help students explore legal analysis and prepare for success on the LSAT and in law school. There are no course requirements, and the Pre-law concentration is not limited to particular majors. Students are admitted to law school from almost every academic discipline. The American Bar Association (ABA) does not recommend specific undergraduate majors or courses to prepare for legal education. The basic requirements for law school admission are a high academic average and a good score on the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). The LSAT has three scored sections --- logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, and reading comprehension --- and a writing sample. Some schools are accepting the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) instead of the LSAT. Visit the Law School Admission Council at www.lsac.org for information on law school programs, admissions advice, and LSAT test preparation and testing dates. In preparation for law school, students should develop basic academic skills in critical reading, text-based analysis and writing, listening and oral communication, scholarly research, and time management. Knowledge of American history and politics, economic theory, moral philosophy & ethics, human and social behavior, and social justice movements are useful foundations for legal studies. Courses in these areas can be taken as part of a student's General Education requirements, with early academic advisement and planning.