High School Preparation- Office of Pre-Professional Advising

High School Preparation for a Career in Law

Thinking about a career in law? Law school will require three more years of education after college. It may seem a long way off, but there are things you can do in high school to prepare for that eventual journey.

To decide how to best prepare in high school for law school, its best to start thinking about the necessary factors needed to successfully complete law school. These factors include the ability to read and comprehend huge amounts of information, think critically and write objectively, yet persuasively.

How does this apply to you? You should challenge yourself academically. Choose difficult courses (like honors, AP, and IB). Read as much as you can. These will better prepare you not only for college, but for various standardized tests (SAT & LSAT), as well.

While academics are important, getting involved outside of the classroom is just as crucial. Law schools need to see passion. Get involved in student organization; join a community service project; volunteer at a local non-profit; or pursue a hobby. You are not just your grades. These activities will help you thrive not only in high school, but college as well.

Challenging yourself throughout high school and college is the best preparation for professional school. Opt for the honors course or shoot for the AP credit. Learn how to learn by tackling demanding coursework which requires you to develop critical thinking skill and perseverance. You will be better off in the long run, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

High School Preparation for the Health Professions

Thinking about a career in medicine? How about dentistry, optometry, or veterinary medicine? These professional schools each entail four years of education beyond your undergraduate degree. It may seem a long way off, but there are things you can do in high school to prepare for that eventual journey.

To decide how to best prepare in high school for a health care profession, it’s best to work backwards. In other words, start with the necessary factors needed to successfully complete medical school: the ability to conquer huge amounts of information in your courses, critical thinking skills, realistic expectations, drive and perseverance. To prepare for that in college, you must challenge yourself academically. Not only will you have to complete several demanding science courses during your undergraduate career, but you will need to demonstrate your ability to excel in difficult courses while also being involved in campus organizations, job shadowing, and community service.

So…going backwards again, how can you prepare for the trials of college in high school? Since college will be hard work, the more academically prepared you are, the better. That means you should take difficult high school courses (honors, AP, and IB), lots of math, and read as much as you can. These will better prepare you not only for college, but your standardized tests, as well. And, unfortunately, you will be taking standardized tests for many years!

Challenging yourself throughout high school and college is the best preparation for professional school. Opt for the honors course or shoot for the AP credit. Learn how to learn by tackling demanding coursework that requires you to develop critical thinking skills and perseverance. You will be better off in the long run, and isn’t that what it’s all about?