Law as a Life Choice

So you have decided that you want to be a lawyer. The decision to do so should be made neither in haste nor by default. The law can provide a wonderful and fulfilling career if chosen wisely, if entered for reasons which are sound.

As any career, law requires preparation. Unlike many careers, a career in law demands perseverance, postponement of income, significant debt, and dedication. Contrary to popular conceptions, law is not the gateway to the good life, but a discipline and a professional way of of life unlike that in any other field. For these reasons, the decision to attend law school should be made after investigation, planning and commitment.

The Department of Legal Studies provides comprehensive aid to students who intend to become lawyers. The Pre-Law Curriculum provides a comprehensive disciplinary preparation which helps students to prepare for the Law School Admissions Test, to succeed in the study of law, and to enter the practice of law with an ethical foundation born of an understanding of law as a primary source of social guidance.

Applying to Law School

Before you can decide to enter law school, you must take and perform well on the Law School Admissions Test. The test is a service of the Law School Admissions Service. The test is given several times a year. You can find out when it is given by clicking on the following "dates administered" box. Once you have taken the test, you can pick various law schools to which you can send applications by using the Boston College Law School Locator.

Many of our department's students have become lawyers. Many of our students are in law school. Our lawyers are distributed across the nation. Our students have attended and are attending many prestigious law schools throughout the nation.

The Department's goal has always been to guide students to law schools which best suit their needs. Rather than concentrating on placing students only in law schools which are nationally known, although our students are attending ivy league schools, we prepare our students to shape their goals in ways which are consistent with their abilities, their interests, and their desires, instilling in them an understanding that they will become threads in a great fabric of law which is part of the tapestry of western civilization.

Please join us in exploring your educational goals, your preconceptions about law, and your investigation of possible career paths in the legal field.