Eastern Michigan University is committed to helping students prepare to enter law school (law school rankings).  The Political Science faculty have been active in establishing a curriculum that has enabled its majors to be highly successful in being admitted to law school.  Our majors have been admitted to law schools such as University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Toledo, Wayne State University, The Ohio State University, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Indiana University, Ave Maria School of Law, George Washington University, University of Minnesota, Dayton University, and more.

A pre-law student, as stated in the American Bar Association's Official Pre-Law Handbook, should select a broad liberal arts education from such diverse areas as political science, history, mathematics, philosophy, English, and the physical sciences. The Handbook states that "what law schools seek in entering students is not accomplishment in memorization, but accomplishment in understanding, the capacity to think for themselves, and the ability to express their thoughts with clarity and force." This ability can best be developed by taking classes that require you to express thoughts and ideas both in writing and orally. Though majors that do not require term papers may seem appealing, they are not likely to prepare you for law school. The Department of Political Science offers general education courses, elective courses, and both the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science, Public Law and Government, Public Administration, Public Safety Administration and Nonprofit Management. Our degree programs are designed to meet the needs of students preparing for advanced work of law school. Within the Department of Political Science there are pre-law advisors, Dr. Barry Pyle, Dr. Bruce Carroll, and Mr. Mark Maironis JD, who help students plan their individual law programs. Among the specific criteria law schools consider, according to the Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools are:

• Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score
• Undergraduate grade point average (GPA)
• Undergraduate course of study; especially its difficulty and depth
• The quality of the college you attended
• Improvement in your grades and grade distribution
• College activities, both curricular and extracurricular
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal interviews and written essay
• Activities such as work experience
• Motivation and reasons for deciding to study law
• Any difficulties you may have had to overcome
• Other things that might distinguish you to the admissions committee

If you are interested in attending Law School, please set up an appointment with one of our Pre-Law Advisors:

Barry Pyle: barry.pyle@emich.edu

Bruce Carroll: bcarrol4@emich.edu

Mark Maironis: mmaironis@emich.edu