University of Miami's Pre-law program?

[jgraha17]

Is the pre-law program at the University of Miami worth going to the school?

[marcus-aurelius]

As someone who is not yet in law school, but has done my research, asked questions, etc, here is what I can tell you:

Undergrad will not prepare you for law school.  Law school is different from undergrad.  While in undergrad, keep your GPA as high as possible.  SO major in something you will enjoy and do well in.  That is half the equation.  The other half is your LSAT.

By prepping correctly for the LSAT, you can increase your score as high as your mind can take you.  Some will say that hard science majors tend to do better on the LSAT.  That is true, but I believe it occurs because of self-selection.  You don't have many slakcers majoring in chemistry.  So take a major you enjoy, get a 3.9, and then worry about the LSAT

[jgraha17]

Thank you for that information. Are you aware of the quality of a pre-law program at U/Miami?

[marcus-aurelius]

That I do not know.  But historically, pre-law does not fair well on the LSAT

http://www.phil.ufl.edu/ugrad/whatis/LSATtable.html

[Thane Messinger]

Is the pre-law program at the University of Miami worth going to the school?

The author of Law School Fast Track, Derrick Hibbard, is from UM.  I'll send him a note and perhaps he can respond.

Thane.

[derrick.hibbard]

Is the pre-law program at the University of Miami worth going to the school?

This is Derrick Hibbard, the author of Law School Fast Track and a student of the University of Miami School of Law.  I recently had the opportunity to speak on a panel for a pre-law group at UM and it was a good experience--it seemed like the students were being well prepared.  UM as a whole is a very good school and the pre-law program follows suit.

That said, here is my opinion:
Do not choose to go to a school based on their pre-law program--although some might be better than others, a pre-law program is only really beneficial in that it helps you in the application process and maybe (MAYBE) helps familiarize you with a few basic principles that you will cover in much more depth in your first year.  A pre-law program will NOT help you get into a school--it might even hurt you, as many law schools are looking for people with diverse backgrounds.  I took some classes with the pre-law program and while it was interesting, it did not help at all. 

The best thing you can do, as marcus-aurelius said, is get good grades and do well on the LSAT.  Take an LSAT prep course and really study hard to get good grades.  For better or for worse, law schools really place a lot of weight on that.

[BikePilot]

imho pre-law is a waste of time.  You'll get enough law in law school, spend undergrad learning something else - almost everything is complementary to legal studies.  Pick something you like and will do well in.