The Pre-Law Advising office is here to help Haverford students think intelligently about law school; whether or not you should attend, and the schools you should consider.
If you’re interested in law school and becoming an attorney, please continue reading. If, however, you’re not interested in either path - then you may stop reading.
First things first. You can relax because you do not need to make a decision about law school now or in the immediate future. Haverford College does not have a pre-law curriculum. This means you do not need to pursue a particular course of study while here (or take any magical or special courses!) to prepare you for law school or to improve your odds of gaining admission. Any course of rigorous study -- and any major -- will prepare you well for the study of law. Law schools, by the way, welcome any and all majors: the social sciences; the hard sciences; languages; and the classics.
Law schools look for applicants who can write well (with grace and style); think cogently (and marshal the facts to support an argument); and who can handle extensive reading assignments successfully and in a timely manner. If you take courses that develop and demonstrate these abilities -- you will be in good shape and law schools will be interested in you. Very interested! During your Haverford College stay I urge and encourage you to take at least one course each semester that has a major writing component in it where you must research and write a longish paper.
Finally, you should know that the average age of first-year law students is approximately 25. Most people do not go directly to law school, but spend one or two years doing something else. I commend this path to you as a “time-out” to think about what you really want to do; to ask yourself if you really want law school; and to explore other options.
The job of the Pre-Law Office is to help you think intelligently about law school; whether or not you should attend; and the schools you should consider. When the time comes for you to ask those questions and to make those decisions, I will help you. To contact me all you need to do is call or e-mail Cheryl Mathes. Cheryl is my assistant and a valuable and extremely knowledgeable resource. When she speaks I always listen and so should you. Her e-mail address is cmathes@haverford.edu and her phone number is (610) 896-1148.
But, and for now, relax; enjoy your time at Haverford College; explore and expand your horizons - all of your horizons.
Tempus fugit.
A.L: Williams, Jr., Esquire