From Art School to Law School

[Katya285]

I will be attending the Academy of Art College in San Francisco this fall, majoring in graphic design. I would like to go to law school upon graduation, but was wondering how difficult that would be, since I am majoring in graphic design, not pre-law, English, history, etc. Is it going to be difficult to get into law school w/ a creative arta background? Or will that be looked upon as "well-rounded"? I'm kinda freakin out b/c my friends are saying that if I know that I want to go into law, I should pursue a more "practical" major for my bachelor's. Any feedback would be great. Thanks!

[MikieP4121]

Your Major is fine. Law schools look first at your LSAT score and what grades you have in school. If you do not get in based on that they might look at how rigorous you undergraduate study was if your LSAT/Grades are not enough. I would not worry about what your major is except if you want to go into Patent/intellectual property.  For that you have to have a science background.  At my law school some people have wierd degrees and they still got in.  Do something you like. i was board getting my business degree.

[pinktinker]

Intellectual property law is certainly not limited to tech and science.  Art/music/entertainment law falls into the intellectual property law category -- e.g. Napster, which is part-tech, part-music copyright.

[Findedeux]

I would have to disagree with the other posters. Majors such as Pre-law, criminal justice, Art, etc are considered hokey by most Admissions committees. It seems this is the case b/c these programs are generally considered weak across the board (though it would be hard to quantify the negative effect this has on your chances). It would be similar to someone majoring in Physical education, though not quite as bad as that. Majors that are considered law-friendly are history, economics, philosophy, english, etc. While majoring in art might help you in patent law, it is unlikely (given that your odds of entering any area of law are equal) that you will do so. I think a general problem with majors like Art, Physical education,etc, is that your ability to think/write rationally is not exercised to the extent that other liberal arts programs (like philosophy) provide. If you were going to a general liberal arts college instead of an Art Academy I would suggest a double major, but I suppose that is not possible in your case. Fortunately, the LSAT is by far the most important factor for getting into law school. If you can pull off a good LSAT score and a good GPA, the people evaluating your file will likely give your art program the benefit of the doubt.

[xrayspec]

My undergrad degree is in studio art.

It wasn't a problem for UCLA law, where I'm going this fall.

[AV8R]

Most admissions committees really don't care what your major is in...just as long as your GPA is where it needs to be.  Law school admissions is largely a numbers game. 

[dgatl]

I wonder if anyone with a BS in Video Gaming has gone on to LS?

[jacy85]

You're major is fine.  My suggestion, however, is that if at all possible, you should take some more rigorous classes that will hone your writing skills.  A graphic design major, or any "artistic" major may raise eyebrows concerning writing ability, and if your transcript shows you've branched out in this respect, it could help a bit.

I don't know that personal statements are good for this anymore, as so many people get "coaching" from professionasl, like essayedge.

[AV8R]

I wonder if anyone with a BS in Video Gaming has gone on to LS?

It wouldn't surprise me if such a major eventually develops somewhere.  There's a small liberal arts college near my home that offers some offbeat majors including a BA in dance, culinary arts, and equine studies (horse studies, that is).

[Verbosity]

Closest I can think of is a small college where video game designing is all that happens. If video games eventually become a fully respectable art form, I'd not be suprised if a BA or BS in playing them is eventually given by some undergraduate somewhere.