What Is the Best Peparation for Law School?

I think that the best preparation is a course of study that requires a lot of writing and teaches critical thinking and close analysis. The course of study should also broaden the student’s knowledge as well as the student’s appreciation of differing points of view.

 From this perspective, many college majors fit the bill. Lately, the liberal arts has been criticized as impractical and unrelated to the working world. This criticism is unfortunate and unfounded. In his book review of “Why Choose the Liberal Arts?, by Mark William Roche, Gregory Jusdanis  quotes from the book explaining the value of the liberal arts:

 1. They have intrinsic value in their own right. We learn something about history or philosophy. We can acquire foreign languages and read literary works in translation or in the original. We gain, in other words, a more engaged and meaningful understanding of the world.  

 2. The liberal arts cultivate those skills, such as critical thinking and writing, which are important for success after graduation. Students thus gain competence in thinking systematically and analytically, enhancing their facility to communicate with other people.   

 3. The third purpose represents a synthesis of the two. By engaging students with other cultures and other traditions, the liberal arts help instill in them a higher purpose and a sense of connection with the world around them. Becoming aware of their links to other people, societies, and institutions, students also recognize their responsibilities to this world.

 I agree. You can read the entire review here, from the Teachers College Record online.

(ljs)