Can Community College Prepare You for a Degree in Law?

by Chad Agrawal

Prepare For A Degree In LawPerhaps the very best reason to attend community college is to improve your chances of attaining a degree down the line.

For the most part you can't expect to receive a bachelor's degree by attending community college, although some schools are beginning to offer them.

And you certainly won't have the option to shoot for a master's or a PhD.

Generally speaking, you may only work towards an associate's degree or some kind of certification during your time in community college, then transfer to Ivy League universities.

But aside from getting the general education credits needed to transfer to your 4-year college or university of your choice, how can community college prepare you earn a degree in law?

There are actually several ways.

Preparing For A Law Degree

I already wrote a post about going from community college all the way through law school in the post: Community College to Law School: 5 Awesome Admission Secrets Exposed.

However this post will focus more on the nitty-gritty details.

Let's be clear about one thing from the beginning: you are not likely to find law courses offered at the typical community college education. However, you can find some classes that will help to lay the groundwork for your legal degree and your professional pursuits.

Although 2 year community colleges tend to focus on general education requirements, you will likely have a slew of options that qualify.

You might take beginner courses in economics, government, the constitution, and U.S. history, for starters. These will almost certainly meet some kind of GE requirement while giving you prerequisites you'll likely need for entrance into law school (not to mention valuable information that will lay the foundations for your academic development).

Depending on what type of law or legal position you're interested in, you may also find all kinds of related classes and even clubs that can help to prepare you for a legal degree.

For example, suppose you are keen on becoming a litigator; you might want to take a speech-and-debate class or even join the forensics team if your community college has one.

Or if you're interested in environmental law you could take courses in environmental science or computer technology (which plays a huge role in the advancement of eco-industry). You might take social studies classes if your goal is to work as a public defender, or TV and film courses in you want to enter the field of entertainment law.

The point is that you can do a lot to further your education and prepare for law school during your time in community college by thinking outside the box a bit and finding courses that meet requirements for transfer from a community college while delivering something extra towards your eventual degree program.

Of course, going to community college for 2 years prepares you to earn a degree in other ways, as well.

It allows you to boost grades that may have been somewhat lackluster in high school, a must if you want to get into a good law school. And you can also save some money to put towards tuition later on (law school is expensive!).

Plus, you'll have the extra time you need check out different subjects and see what appeals to you before you commit to a targeted course of study in the legal arena.

So whether you're looking to become a motorcycle accident lawyer Atlanta or work at a top New York firm that handles corporate tax law, your time in community college could lay the foundations for your degree program and help you set a course for success in all of your academic and professional pursuits.

This post was written by Chad Agrawal

Chad Agrawal is the founder of CCTS, helping students transfer from community college to Ivy League, tier 1 or anywhere else by following this community college guide.

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Abatiatty October 26, 2012 at 11:36 pm

A degree in law is intense.

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