Careers in law continue to expand in scope and prominence. Whether you’d like to work as a private attorney, judge or prosecutor, or as legal counsel to professional athletes or a rock band, experts agree you’ll need a good, broad background in undergraduate course work. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), the best preparation for law school is a rigorous course of study under demanding professors — precisely the kind of program offered at North Central College — to demonstrate you have the academic skills and intelligence to pursue a legal education.
Program and Degree Options
North Central offers no specific pre-law track or curriculum. Instead, we agree with the ABA and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter who advised undergraduate students to choose majors and programs of study that interest them — whether it’s political science, music theory or education. A broad liberal arts background is best. Regardless of the path you choose, success in a legal career requires your
- ability to read carefully and argue effectively
- capacity to write, speak and listen well
- sense of justice and fairness
We recommend you seek advice from our pre-law advisors in North Central’s political science department.
You’ll have many opportunities to exercise and hone your skills for debating, speaking, writing and confronting issues of justice, freedom and equality.
Through extra-curricular involvement in organizations like Mock Trial, Model United Nations and Dispute Resolution, you can distinguish yourself by participating in competitions with students from other colleges and universities. Involvement in our College Scholars Honors Program and Annual Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research are further opportunities for research and presentation.