History degree

[thinkingaboutlaw]

I was wondering if there is anyone here that is attending or plans on attending law school with a history degree. It seems most people go to law school with english, pol sci, or buisness degrees. How much will a history degree help me in law school?

[sck]

It doesn't matter what your major is at all. Honest. The law schools don't care, and the writing and reading you did will at least prepare you for the writing and reading load.

The majority of people going to law school have some sort of liberal arts degree.

[lawstudent3]

History is a very common major among those applying to law school (myself included).

[nordhabs]

First, I am a 2l with a poli sci undergrad.  Your degree doesn't matter too much.  FOr example, Crim majors sometimes suck at Crim law and Crim Pro.  But a social science or humanities degree (like history,etc.) can help you understand and better appreciate the material. If you study poli sci or history in college, you'll end up reading federalist no. 10 for the 20th time in Con law.  I think poli sci is the best, though.  My legislation class in law school was much easier because of it, and so was Con law back in 1L.

[lincolnsgrandson]

I was not a history major, but I guess ten years of reading made me more educated than many undergrads.  I found that my knowledge of American History helped me with Con Law, and some of my upper level classes.  Economics majors often don't seem to know FDR from JFK. 

One history major told me that his knowledge helped him with Torts.

  Any student will probably bring a little something that will help them establish a context in a particular class, from their education or work and life experience.  In the long run, everybody else might catch up, but it does make the first year a little more relaxed if you understand the material. 

[lincolnsgrandson]

Of couse not it won't make a difference in Contracts. At least, I can't think of how it would.  But understanding the political climate of this country over the last couple of centuries does help in Constitutional Law.  I wouldn't have thought that it would mattered in Torts, but a history major told me that understood developments in the law in the context of industrialization. 

[lincolnsgrandson]

Lily, curious -
I would think that if an economics background helped in any class in the first year, it would be Torts.  And maybe Property, depending on what the professor stresses. 

[Vannabunny]

I'm an American history/physcology/sociology High School Ed. Major, and can't see how those clasee could possible hurt me

[slacker]

They won't hurt you...it's just that they won't necessarily help you, either. I think the history for Constitutional Law is a good comment. Not sure how it helps with Torts, but ymmv.

Any experience dealing with high school students will help in the social environment of law school.

[Vannabunny]

I also figure that the all the Psych. and Soc. wull help deal with people (employers, profs, clients) better