College of Arts and Sciences
BGSU offers a pre-law interdisciplinary advising program that seeks to assist students in developing abilities in three broad areas considered by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) to be basic to prelegal study. These areas are comprehension and expression in written and oral language, the critical understanding of human institutions and values, and the ability to think clearly, carefully and independently.
Pre-law students select a major and minor discipline depending on individual interests. Advisors assist students in course selection to develop the range of skills needed for the study of law. This pre-law advising process is designed to develop self-reliance and decision-making skills as a part of the student’s undergraduate education.
BGSU graduates have an excellent tradition of earning law degrees and have attended every law school in Ohio including Ohio State, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Capital University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Akron, University of Dayton, Ohio Northern University and Cleveland State University. Other graduates have attended Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Syracuse.
Law is central to both the ideals and the practicalities of American life. It represents a goal of due process and justice for all citizens that has grown over centuries of American history and remains critical to modern democracy. It is a means to achieve orderly resolution of conflict.
Law is one of the basic tools which society can use to adjust to change and harmonize complexity without destroying traditional values of individual liberty, political stability and social justice.
Lawyers perform many roles including advocate, mediator and social planner. Similarly, lawyers act in many different settings: offices, courtrooms, administrative agencies, legislatures, corporations and community organizations. The reason for this variety of roles and arenas is simple: law touches all of us in many aspects of our lives. This has been true in the past and it will continue to hold true in the future.
Traditionally, few educational programs have offered the career opportunities and flexibility of undergraduate pre-law study and professional training in law school. Prospective law students need to be aware that competition for law school admission and professional employment is intense.
General practice of law remains an important part of the profession. However, lawyers will increasingly limit their practice to specific areas of law.
There is no typical or recommended pre-law program. Pre-law students major and minor in a wide range of disciplines including the social sciences, communication, the humanities, the natural sciences, journalism, education, business and criminal justice.
At the undergraduate level, skills are developed to ensure a wide range of career alternatives. Pre-law study focuses on problem solving. Students must learn to read, write, speak and think at high levels of competence. These abilities are the practical basis for many careers in modern society, especially in business, education and government.
The pre-law advising program also reflects the nature of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). This standardized test is required of all law school applicants and may be the single most important factor in law school admission. The LSAT does not test specific areas of factual knowledge. It evaluates abilities to think logically, deal with analogies, assumptions and inferences, write standard English clearly, and perform basic mathematical calculations.
Completing the requirements for high school graduation is necessary for admission to BGSU, but only finishing the minimum coursework will leave you unprepared for college. Consider taking four years of mathematics instead of the three that are required. Two, three or even four years of the same foreign language is excellent preparation for college. You will also benefit from competency in computer use. Courses that provide exposure to or training in the visual and performing arts are excellent choices.
BGSU's website for future students contains University highlights, admissions procedures, financial aid information and many department profiles. It can be accessed at www.bgsu.edu.
Bowling Green State University is a vibrant university that engages, challenges and prepares students for meaningful futures. At BGSU, students enjoy an education that integrates personal growth, academic excellence and an environment that expands their thinking and potential. A mid-size residential university, BGSU has an enrollment of approximately 20,000 and a full-time faculty of more than 900 on its main campus. More than 200 undergraduate majors and programs are offered as well as master's and doctoral level programs.
NOTE: Information in this guide is subject to change without notice. To learn more about the official program of study for Pre-Law Advising, please check the undergraduate catalog online at www.bgsu.edu/catalog/A_S/A_S22.html.
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