Law School Strategy

I promised Josh in these comments that I would address his question about planning his undergraduate GPA with an eye to law school. The question is really whether one should keep an undergraduate major (to which one presumably is attached) and possibly get a lower grade, or change majors to one which is presumably easier and allows a better GPA.

This is a tough question because there are really a lot of things going on. First, there's the issue of whether law school is a dead certain educational goal. If there's no chance of changing to any other path, and you consider your undergraduate degree to be a mere stepping stone to your JD, then it really doesn't matter what your undergraduate degree is. In that case, go ahead and get the easier grades.

It comes at a price, though. One is the risk that you'll change your mind and prefer something else. If this happens, then having a bachelor's degree in a field you're not into will really suck. Also, there's the possibility that if you're in a field you don't like, your grades won't be all you would like, despite having relatively easy classes.

A second consideration is what kind of law you might be interested in practicing. If you're all about working in a huge firm and pulling down six figures, you're going to need to go to a "top-ranked" school. Really, that's about all the rankings are good for; see my rants here and here (the latter has some advice for picking a school).

The trade off to that plan is the work involved and the rather huge debt you'll incur. Personally, I don't think its worth it.

Here's the thing: most people only go to college once. You should do your best, of course, but life is not about your career. Also, in law school, I think it matters a lot more that you learn as much as you can while you're there than you go to a "top-ranked" school. Take a look at the school(s) you're interested in and see where their GPA has been the last few years for incoming students. That should give you a target.

Try to remember, though, that you should construct your career to suit your life, rather than constructing your life around your career. Personally, I would recommend that anyone take a few years to go out and work in the "real world" for a few years. It gives one perspective, and, FWIW, age is a the best predictor of success in any graduate school.

I hope that's helpful. Feel free to ask any more questions.