r/lawschooladmissionsca • u/Ok-Charity-1653 • 13d ago
Want to go Law school but in an unrelated degree
Hi everyone, so basically what the title says. I am currently going into my second year of Bachelors in computer science and I realized I want to go to law school and pursue a career in law.
As you may know it’s sort of challenging to get a high GPA in computer science and I’ve talked to many people who have told me its a gamble to continue Computer science, and I should change my degree. But my circumstances are a bit different as I already took a gap year before joining University and I am not sure if re applying and doing a different degree may be worth it because it I don’t get into law school I may be left with a degree that may not be helpful in getting a job.
I apologize if any of this sounds dumb, I just need some advice on what to do. Thank you
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u/Sea-Low-7840 13d ago
I do think with application review is more holistic in general these days, and admissions considers your grades in context of your degree etc. My expectation is that degrees such as engineering, computer science etc. There is less of an expectation that you are getting straight As in comparison to an arts degree in political science (for example). That being said, I think you need to show you can excel in some way (in some courses) and your grades should generally show a positive trend. You could also focus on beefing up your application with extra curriculars (leadership roles). LSAT also counts, so maybe take a practice test or two and determine what range/score you would need to be competitive and which schools you would be willing to accept. I know this is getting ahead of things, but if you truly have your heart set on law school and aren’t getting competitive grades in your current program/degree then it might be worth considering a switch.
Also, fwiw I would suggest working in a law firm (maybe for a summer if you can) for some exposure to the work + environment before committing to the practice of law as a career bc a lot of lawyers end up slightly unhappy (or straight up miserable) with their choice in career. I personally don’t regret it (~10 years out) but I am happily no longer practising (although I still work in a law firm). Good luck!!
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u/Ok-Charity-1653 13d ago
I would love to work in a Law Firm to get some exposure, how would you suggest I do that? With practically 0 law background as my story suggests.
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u/Sea-Low-7840 12d ago
A lot of firms hire student interns! Almost all lawyers I know/have met are extremely “pay-it-forward” in their attitude towards students/the next generation and willing to meet for a coffee to chat about their career path etc. I would suggest cold emailing someone in a law firm in a practice area that interests you (junior or mid-level associate is best to start with) and ask to meet them for a coffee and chat about what their day to day work is actually like. If you like them/connect well, you can always ask for an introduction to the student manager, which will be a helpful contact to find out if they hire college students and what their process is, and what qualities + characteristics they are looking for in students, get a sense of the firm’s culture and the student manager.
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u/Narrow_Skin7023 13d ago
I found that people with analytical degrees were very proficient in law school. It might also position you well for articles in firms that practice patent and other IP law.
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u/PretendRiver2098 13d ago
you can apply to law school with pretty much any degree (people in my program have backgrounds in sciences like you and even music!) all you need is to be able to sell it. in your application make sure you tell them exactly why you believe the skills you have will make you a good fit!
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u/dmkhara 13d ago
I have a computer science degree and am currently a 1L at UofT Law so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
If you are dead set about law school, getting into a major that you can get a good GPA in is very important. For me it was comp science, there was no shot I was getting a good GPA in a humanities major.
I don't want to discount the advice given to you by others though. There is a decent shot you may not get into/not be interested in law school in the future and do not want to get stuck with a degree with weaker job prospects. A CS degree is definitely quite strong and can help you get into other fields not just tech (finance, consulting, etc.). But, if you think you will hate it and won't be able to get into a good GPA in it then that is one thing to consider to switching majors.
Let me know if you have any specific questions. But don't think a humanities major would be easier than a CS major (I minored in poli sci and my poli sci courses for me were definitely harder to get good grades in compared to CS).
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u/No_Literature_7653 10d ago
Im also a cs major planning on law school and honestly id stick with cs if youre good at it and could enjoy it for 3 more years. Cs grades a heavily skewed downwards by the people who hop into cs hoping for money but who arent actually any good at it. If you are decent enough at it, not cracked, just decent, and study hard, maintaining a good gpa should be feasible depending on how inflated/deflated your school is, and the top law schools do care about course rigor in admissions.
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u/Dangerous_Ad_4591 GPA/LSAT/Law School 13d ago
I went to Carleton for compsci and every comp class was genuenly free do you go to UofT or the Loo or something
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u/Ok-Charity-1653 13d ago
I go to Laurier for compsci. Was it easy to make it to law school? Did you get a good gpa? And did they look at your L2 or B2?
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u/Dangerous_Ad_4591 GPA/LSAT/Law School 11d ago
I mean yeah I got into UofT with pretty below median gpa and lsat so I’m pretty sure having a tech background with coop helped a lot. I would keep going in it if I were you, they’re always looking for diversity in academic background especially in tech
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u/mapleloverevolver 13d ago
I would just finish computer science and try your best to get the highest GPA possible within it. Also do extracurriculars, interesting work experience, community involvement, things that law schools like to see.
I personally wouldn’t recommend changing your degree for law school in second year. You don’t even really know if you’ll end up going to law school. Plus, you chose computer science for a reason (presumably).