1
2 years ago
Admissions Advice

I'd like to get into NYU for law and philosophy, how can i add to my resume as a freshman?
Answered

So I'm a freshman right now at my local high school, I really like law and philosophy so I've been focusing on keeping my grades up while juggling extracurriculars for my sophomore year when I'll hopefully have more time. My problem is that no matter how much I try, NYU (one of my dream colleges) doesn't seem to care much about extracurriculars and focuses a lot more on my GPA and SAT scores. Of course those two are self-explanatory but I'm still looking for extracurriculars and ways to make my senior and junior year easier on me by loading up during 9th and 10th grade, here are my current plans:

- took honors world studies (ela and history combined) and honors french 2 this year (I'm failing french at the moment but hopefully I can fix that soon)

- planning on taking apush, honors ela, honors geometry and algebra 2, psychology, regular chemistry and regular french 3 next year + taking some college courses

- taking a bunch of more law and philo related classes junior and senior year with of course honors and ap classes wherever I can

and my extracurricular plans are pretty bleak right now:

- starting a philosophy club as the founder and president at my school

- on track to have a leadership position sometime possible next year at a public speaking class for children

- joining at least 2 honor societies (probably for ela and history + art maybe)

- tutoring children

- getting involved with my school's student council.

honestly, any help is appreciated even if its not something i asked for, my parents are immigrants and I'm the eldest sibling so i don't have anyone to ask for help with these things,

thanks a load, sam :)

9th-grade
extracurricularadvice
9th
NYU
1
5
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2 answers

4
Accepted Answer
2 years ago

A couple of things.

You can't apply to Law School as an undergraduate anywhere in the US. You can take courses that will prepare you for certain kinds of law like US Government and Politics, or the History of US Constitution, etc. but there is no Undergrad Law major at NYU. Philosophy yes, law no.

The 2nd thing is don't make assumptions that a highly selective university like NYU doesn't care about Extracurriculars because they certainly do. Like most elite colleges, it may not be that the forefront of importance like GPA, course rigor, and test scores but it's right up there.

If you are looking to do some interesting ECs with law, I would highly recommend getting involved with "We the People" which is an annual constitutional law competition that is held nationally. First at the city level, then state, and then national. Most US public high schools have access to this and many put multiple teams together.

https://www.civiced.org/we-the-people

Also, consider doing a "mock trial". Often these venues are an outgrowth out of AP US History or AP Government & Politics or some other honors Con Law elective.

Lastly, watch these College Vine Video Streams. They will give you a better idea of what to plan for when applying to NYU

https://www.collegevine.com/livestreams/school/new-york-university-nyu

Good Luck

4
0
2 years ago

Hi there @sammy_!

To answer your question, we can work backwards from your end goal. If your end goal is to attend law school, I can help you by giving some insight into optimizing your chances of doing that from where you currently are.

First, to get into a good law school, you need to complete an undergraduate degree and do well in college. Similar to the high school to undergraduate application process, you need to build up extracurriculars in college, take a standardized test (the LSAT), and craft essays for your law school application. You can worry about all of this later, as it'll probably be years down the line.

As for your undergraduate career, I would look into your prospective law school (in this case, NYU) and research what colleges they usually matriculate students from. A lot of law schools typically try to accept a good number of applicants who went to undergraduate at the same college. This definitely isn't the only way to get into a good law school, but it's an important consideration that can increase your chances.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there are a ton of 3+3 programs, where you can get both a bachelor's degree and a judicial doctorate (lawyer degree) at the end of the six-year program (similar to a BS/MD program for medical school). This is a good option if you're 100% sure you want to attend law school and want to accelerate your education - though most students do take a gap year or two between undergrad and law school, so no need to rush or put pressure on yourself. Some examples of colleges with 3+3 programs are the University of Iowa, DePaul University, and the University of Central Florida.

Next, you need to work backwards from your prospective colleges and find majors that appeal to you. So, if your goal is to get into NYU and eventually go to law school there, you should look into the following majors at the school (and at any other schools you're considering): Political Science, Philosophy - but don't stop there. While you might be tempted to only look at majors related to law, don't limit yourself to this!

Unlike medical school, law school has NO prerequisites in terms of courses you need to take - you could literally major in ANYTHING and become a law student! From chemistry, to French, to English, to Psychology - I've seen people from all academic backgrounds get into law school. The most important thing is that you choose a major that you'll thrive in (Undergraduate GPA is super important for law school) and develop relevant skills for law school in, like writing and critical reading.

Once you've picked out some prospective majors, you can start to focus your high school trajectory. Join extracurriculars that interest you and feed your passion for law, like Model U.N. or Junior State of America. You can also hone your writing skills through speech and debate, by starting your own blog, or by entering essay competitions!

As for the inclusions in your post, your course list seems like it's on the right track - just make sure to take the most rigorous courses possible at your school if you're aiming for competitive colleges like NYU. As long as you get more deeply involved in your current extracurriculars and form a spike (something that makes you stand out - i.e. being a star debater, or a decorated writer), you should be on the right track to crafting an amazing extracurricular profile.

Finally, you can submit your profile to one of the Live Profile Reviews we do on the Livestreams portion of our website. One of our experts will go over your (anonymized) profile for free and give you pointed advice based on your prospective colleges.

Hope this helps and best of luck!!

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