If you’re thinking about becoming a lawyer or working in the legal field after college, Colorado State University’s pre-law advising might be right for you. CSU offers pre-law advising throughout your undergraduate studies to help you take classes both within and out of your major that will help prepare you for your law school entrance exam and law school itself. Still curious about what your time at CSU may look like as a pre-law student? We’ve got you covered.
What is pre-law advising?
The first thing (and maybe the best thing) you need to know about pre-law at CSU is that it’s not a major or a specific set of classes you sign up for. Pre-law is an advising program that anyone in any major can be a part of. Once you decide you want to be pre-law, you’ll meet with your advisor at least once a semester, and they’ll recommend both legal-focused classes and other rigorous courses to help you hone your skills in critical analysis, logical reasoning, and written and oral expression. We recommend you get in touch with CSU’s pre-law advisor within your first few months on campus.
What kinds of classes should I expect to take as a pre-law student?
While law schools do not discriminate among academic majors, they do look for students who pursue challenging academic experiences across a broad array of subjects. Classes that help develop your communication skills and classes that help you understand the world better are always a plus. CSU also offers many courses that are relevant to legal studies in a variety of subject matters, such as philosophy, anthropology, political science, sociology, human development and family studies, and journalism. Here are just a few classes the pre-law advisors recommend you consider as a pre-law student:
- Comparative Legal Systems (Anthropology)
- Law and Economics (Economics)
- Federal Indian Law and Policy (Ethnic Studies)
- Families in the Legal Environment (Human Development and Family Studies)
- Philosophy of Law (Philosophy)
- Freedom of Speech (Communications)
What other opportunities are available for pre-law students at CSU?
If you’re looking to get more involved (and get more opportunities and exposure to legal studies), check out CSU’s pre-law club. The club functions as a resource for students who are pursuing or thinking about pursuing a career in law. In the club, you’ll get opportunities to meet other pre-law students in a range of other majors, meet community members in the legal field, and more. Additionally, the club hosts various law professionals for presentations and meetups. They help students better understand different areas of law and expand knowledge on different types of law careers.
Some advice from our pre-law advisors
Our pre-law advisors have years and years of experience helping undergrads prepare for the rigors of law school. Here’s some tips they have for students aspiring to go to law school.
- Remember that you can major in anything while you are in the pre-law advising track. We do recommend that you find an academic area that is both rigorous and interesting to you. More often than not, your undergraduate experience will complement your graduate studies in law.
- Join the Pre-Law Club and take advantage of all the networking opportunities. You never know when a meet and greet can turn into a internship or a job offer.
- Don’t miss any advising sessions with your pre-law advisor. We are here to help you succeed and to help you prepare for the law school entrance exam.
- Try to get a good GPA your freshman year at CSU. It can be the most-difficult year because of the transition from high school to college, but if you can do well your first year, you’re likely to continue that into your following years.
Get started.
If you’re just starting to look into pre-law advising, reach out to your CSU Admissions counselor to get on track before you start your undergraduate studies. We’re here to help!
