Maryville University has a long and impressive record of helping its students find placement in some of the country’s finest law schools. Many Maryville graduates go on to one of the St. Louis region’s fine law schools, including Washington University, Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri at Columbia. Increasingly in recent years, Maryville students are also being accepted into renowned national institutions, including the Harvard School of Law, Columbia University, Pepperdine University, the University of Illinois, and the University of Chicago. Law school admissions officers at these institutions have found that Maryville students are able to prosper as students of the law and go on to represent their law schools with distinction in corporations, government, higher education and private practice. Today Maryville alumni are partners in great national law firms, prosecutors, litigators, and government officials.
What many undergraduate students do not understand is that there is no one, single undergraduate major that is created specifically for students who want to go on to law school. Law schools accept students from a wide variety of majors, including those in the liberal arts, business, healthcare and dozens of other fields. Since most lawyers spend much of their time writing, undergraduate courses which enhance written communication skills are always good choices for prospective lawyers. Some lawyers eventually go into business or tax law. Backgrounds in accounting and mathematics are helpful to these practitioners. Patent law attracts students with undergraduate majors in applied sciences. In recent years, Maryville graduates in Legal Studies, Political Science, Philosophy, Business, Actuarial Science, History and English, to name but a few, have gone on to law school.
The American Bar Association advises that “in general, a prelaw student should take a broadly based program that includes training in analytical reasoning and provides some understanding of the forces that have shaped our human experience.”1 The individual courses recommended include analytical writing, English language and literature, political science, legal studies, government, economics, American history, philosophy, logic, scientific method, mathematics, public speaking, and languages. Students obtaining a high gradepoint average in Maryville University’s courses will likely have a respectable Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) score. Maryville also offers coursework specifically designed to prepare students for the LSAT as part of their education. The LSAT score, coupled with positive evaluations from professors with reputations for sending only the best to law school, will help you begin your graduate career in law.
Distinctive features of Maryville University’s pre-law program include the following:
- A pre-law adviser to provide the best possible preparation for successful entry into law school and an adviser in the student’s major field of study (i.e., political science, legal studies, history, English).
- Pre-law students may participate in an internship program for credit designed specifically for pre-law students. The internship with a local court, law firm, or government agency will help students explore careers in law and gain valuable experience before attempting admission to law school. Such internships may also lead to excellent recommendations for admission to law school.
- A specific course is offered to help prepare students for the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT).
- Pre-law students may participate in the Maryville University Legal Association (MULA), which offers further exposure to the area’s legal field including speakers such as practicing attorneys, judges, and law school admissions counselors.
1 Law as a Career, American Bar Association, Public Education Division, 1987, p. 7.
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