Overview
Wesley Renfro,* Chair, Political Science and Legal Studies
*On leave, Fall 2017
Pre Law at Fisher
The pre-law experience at St. John Fisher College includes participation in activities including mock trial and the Pre-Law Association, as well as personalized advising. While there is no single major that best prepares students for law school, students often choose to major in American studies, criminology, economics, English, history, legal studies, philosophy, political science, psychology, or sociology.
Legal Internship
All students interested in pre-law or legal studies should pursue relevant internships in those areas. Legal studies majors have a required internship component in their program of study. Students interested in pre-law who are not majoring in legal studies are encouraged to work with the chair of the Department of Political Science and Legal Studies, their academic advisors, or the College's pre-law advisor in the Career Center to develop legal internships compatible with their majors. Internships may be credit- or non-credit-bearing experiences.
Pre-Law Student Association
Students interested in pre-law are encouraged to join and be active in the Pre-Law Student Association. The association is a student-run organization dedicated to enhancing students’ pre-professional interest and understanding of law, and to provide students with a way to network and become acquainted with like-minded students. Among regular association activities are guest speaker presentations from a variety of legal occupations, trips to law schools, and legal movie night.
Mock Trial
Students interested in pre-law are encouraged to participate in the Pre-Law Student Association's mock trial team. The mock trial team is a member of the American Mock Trial Association. It competes in both AMTA-sanctioned and non-AMTA competitions.
3+3 Legal Education Admission Program (LEAP)
St. John Fisher College, in conjunction with Michigan State University Law School and Ohio Northern University Petit School of Law, offers the opportunity for a select number of qualified St. John Fisher College students to earn a bachelor of arts degree and a juris doctor degree over the course of approximately six years of full-time study. Eligible students must have:
- Participated in Fisher's First Year program (i.e. a freshman learning community and the research-based writing RW course)
- Completed a minimum of 91 credits at St. John Fisher College through residency, Advanced Placement, or transfer credits including 90 credits of liberal arts
- Completed the St. John Fisher College Core Curriculum requirements
- Completed all course requirements of the department(s) or program(s) in which the student is majoring and minoring, with the exception of those department(s) or program(s) that have an agreement in writing to accept courses taken at the law school(s) of their choosing as satisfying major requirements
- A 3.5 GPA at the time of applying to the law school of their choosing and the minimal LSAT score specified by that law school
Other eligibility requirements also apply.
St. John Fisher College will accept credits in transfer from the first year of the law program(s) applicable to the bachelor's degree for coursework in which the student has earned a grade of C or above. For more information, students interested in LEAP should consult with the political science department chair, who is also the Fisher LEAP contact and advisor. This consultation should take place during the freshman or sophomore year to discuss and plan for the LEAP application process.