In order to develop the background and skills necessary for success in the field of law, students are encouraged to choose a major that will be challenging for them. Students should also develop an educational program that is both broad and liberal in the classic sense. For this reason, there is no specific pre-law major at Saint Michael's College, nor do law schools recommend any one major as a prerequisite for law. Students interested in pursing law should select college courses geared to the development of a broad cultural background and habits of thoroughness, intellectual curiosity, and scholarship. In the past, Saint Michael’s students have found that a major in English, history, philosophy, or political science works well with the pre-law program.
Course Selection
Courses in literature, language, speech, composition, logic, and semantics are all important to the pre-law student in that they each cultivate skills that are necessary for success in a law program. Pre-law students should consider taking courses that offer a variety of reading assignments and a large volume of well-directed class discussions. They should also seek courses that will allow them to have ample opportunity to prepare and criticize written and oral reports.
Guidance for the Pre-law Student
Students may obtain advice on law as a career and the law school admission process by meeting with a career counselor in the Student Resource Center and/or a member of the faculty Pre-law Advising Committee. Counselors are available by appointment to assist students in making career decisions and in securing needed information.
Pre-law students are also encouraged to make use of the career literature, law school catalogues, and pre-law references that are available to them in the Student Resource Center.
Informational meetings are held in the fall for pre-law students featuring local attorneys and alumni who are now in law school. These lawyers volunteer their time to describe their law school experiences to our pre-law students and to answer questions.
Finally, pre-law students are encouraged to participate in an internship at a local law firm, the State Attorney’s Office, or the State Governor’s Office in order to gain practical experience in the field of law.
For More Information:
Dr. William Wilson
Associate Professor, Political Science
(802) 654-2466, wwilson@smcvt.edu
Christine Clary
Associate Director, Career Development
(802) 654-2548, cclary@smcvt.edu
Schools where SMC applicants were recently accepted:
Boston College
Boston University
Brooklyn Law School
Depaul University School
Franklin Pierce Law Center
Hofstra University
John Marshall Law School – Chicago
Louisiana State University
Loyola University – Chicago
Loyola University – New Orleans
McGeorge School of Law
New England School of Law
New York Law School
Nova Southeastern University
Pace University
Quinnipiac University School of Law
Santa Clara University
Suffolk University
Syracuse University Law School
University of California - Davis
University of Connecticut
University of San Francisco
Vermont Law School
Villanova University
Washington University - Missouri
Western New England College of Law
Schools where SMC applicants matriculated:
Boston University
Brooklyn Law School
Franklin Pierce Law Center
Hofstra University
Loyola University – New Orleans
New York Law School
Suffolk University Law School
Syracuse University College of Law
Vermont Law School