Becoming an Attorney

Takes hard work and lots of dedication and there is no specific path to law school.  There are almost as many ways to go about it as there are lawyers.  Many successful attorneys focused their undergraduate studies in those subjects that are considered to be traditional paths to the law, such as, History, English, Philosophy, Political Science, Economics or Business.  Other successful attorneys majored in such areas as Art, Music, Computer Science, Engineering, Nursing, Agriculture, or Education. Over 800 students have graduated from this university and gone on to become attorneys.  (See the chart showing what majors were taken by 648 of them who graduated between 1938 and 2002.)

There are, however, important skills and values, and significant areas of knowledge that can be acquired during undergraduate school that will provide an excellent base upon which to build.

These pages attempt to bring these ideas into focus. The first, "Pre-Law Program" is a link the University's generic pre-law page.  The second, the "Pre-Law Primer", written by Dr. Alice Bartee, a long-time advisor of pre-law students, is an excellent place to start

The third, "Is Law for Me?" and the fourth,  "Preparation for Legal Education", reside on the Southern Methodist University Pre-Law Services website and are linked with permission. 
The fifth link, "Money Matters," also is on the SMU website. All three are required reading for the student seriously considering a career in the law.

The last link is to the Pre-Law Fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta, an organization that brings pre-law students together "to educate and inform students about the scope and limits of a legal career, and it is open to those interested in related fields."  It is a wonderful opportunity for per-law students to learn together. 

The printable version of the "Pre-Law Primer" included in these pages require the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.  If you have difficulty opening it, please go to http://www.Missouri State University.edu/plugins/acrobatreader.htm to download the plug-in.

The Pre-Law Committee, sponsored by the Political Science Department guides pre-law students.