Arts and Sciences Advising Center:

Pre-Law Advising

Some Quick Facts:

• There is no “Pre-law Major,” nor is any single major the “BEST” prep for law school.

• Law schools look for breadth of study and good GPA
• According to the LSAT Preparation Materials, "The best way to prepare for the LSAT is to get a good education."

The basic skills that ARE important to students considering law school include: 

• how to think critically;
• how to read intelligently; and
• how to express oneself clearly (written and oral). 

Regardless of what major a Pre-Law Student ultimately chooses, he or she should select electives that develop these skills.

The College of Arts and Sciences has Pre-Law Advisors distributed throughout various departments in Arts & Sciences;

Here are some:

Robert Prendiville	College or Arts & Sciences Advising Center	Robert.Prendiville@fiu.edu	ECS488	University Park	305 348-0146
Kenneth Henley	Philosophy	henleyk@fiu.edu	DM344B	University Park	305- 348-3346
Kenneth Rogerson	Philosophy	Kenneth.Rogerson@fiu.edu	AC1 318	Biscayne Bay	305- 919-5972
Brian Peterson	History	Brian.Peterson@fiu.edu	DM 396	University Park	305-348-2343
Paul Mullen*	Political Science	Paul.Mullen@fiu.edu	DM 482A	University Park	305-348-3293*
Rebecca Salokar*	Political Science	Rebecca.Salokar@fiu.edu	DM487B	University Park	305- 348-3301*
John F. Stack, Jr.*	Political Science	John.Stack@fiu.edu	LC 220	University Park	305- 348-2977*
Kenton Harris	A&S Dean’s Office/ Philosophy	Kenton.Harris@fiu.edu	ECS411	University Park	305- 348-2978
*the advisors in the Department of Political Science restrict themselves primarily to advising majors in Political Science.

Note: The Department of Political Science has prepared a Pre-Law Manual, available at their website, which answers many of the questions which students who plan on going to law school have. They advise that all pre-law students read the Pre-law Manual before consulting a Pre-law Advisor.

• You may wish to consider our interdisciplinary certificate program:

“Law, Ethics and Society”

in addition to whatever major you select. There is no prescribed prerequisite curriculum for Law School, but these courses, by there very nature, are geared at developing reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Additionally the theme of the program should be of interest to anyone considering law as a career.

Law School Admissions Test: LSAT

· Information about the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is available in the Political Science Department Office (DM 480 or AC1 325) or from Student Affairs (GC 340).  Remember that deadlines for professional school applications are often 6 to 9 months prior to the date of admission. 

· If you are seeking admission for Fall, for example, you should generally complete your applications by the preceding January.  Since the LSAT is given only a few times a year, students must plan carefully to meet deadlines.

· It is recommended that students take the LSAT in June of their junior year and submit applications early in order to take advantage of the “rolling admissions” offered by many law schools.

Click here for more general Pre-Law Advising Information.

Students might also want to visit the Law School Admissions Council Website (LSAC) which is a good resource for information.

Arts & Sciences Advising Center

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