Do I need an honours degree?

April 22, 2009 9:15 AM

(Canadian) Law School Question: Will a bachelors degree with a high GPA qualify me for most law schools, or do I need to pursue an honours bachelors degree?

I'm considering applying for law school when I complete my degree (still a few years off). I'm working full time in finance and finishing my bachelors degree in English part time.

Will strong grades and a bachelors degree qualify me for most law schools if I also achieve a strong LSAT score?

Or do I really need to go after an Honours degree along with a strong LSAT score to get into law schools in Canada?

I don't doubt that an honours degree would help matters, but it's a significant investment of time and money.

posted by smitt to education (13 comments total)

I'm interested to know where you are doing your degree and what exactly constitutes an Honours degree. For example, I did my Hons. BA in English at U of T back in the day when they eventually eliminated the basic 3 year English BA because no one was really doing it anymore. The thought being that in order to go to grad school you had to have the 4 year Honours degree.
posted by meerkatty at 9:21 AM on April 22

I know one girl who went to school after doing a 3 year degree in English. I don't even think her LSAT scores were that great. She ended up going to Osgoode at York. The one issue is that now there may be more people applying for school since the economy is kind of a suck. So anyway, there is at least one person who did what you want to do.
posted by chunking express at 11:13 AM on April 22

I'm not sure if an Honours degree counts as a "significant" investment of time and money, considering that it's one more year of school.

I don't know how things work with law school, but I imagine that an Honours degree is well worth getting. Keep in mind that there are a (perhaps increasing) number of applicants for law school who are coming in with MAs, nevermind Bachelor's degrees.

4th-year courses in most depts. are geared towards getting you into grad school (i.e. the courses are seminar-based and such). I think you'd look pretty bad only having a 3-year degree.
posted by hiteleven at 11:24 AM on April 22

What hiteleven said... it's very competitive and there is a growing contingent of incoming students with MA's. There are really not a whole lot of law schools in Canada. But perhaps you are that one exceptional student, or your professional experience will look good on your app?
posted by scribbler at 11:50 AM on April 22

This is the admission page for the English common law degree at the University of Ottawa. They say 90 credits + great grades + personal statement [where you'd state that you work in finance].

Can you study in French? The admission rate for the French common law program is 80%.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 12:21 PM on April 22

An "honours" BA in Ontario is called a BA in every other province. You will never get into any grad program anywhere without a 4-year undergrad degree.

You asked about "Canada" and not Ontario specifically so I can say that chunking's anecdote would only apply (and apply very rarely) to Ontario schools.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 12:24 PM on April 22

The reason I asked is because at some schools, like UVic, an Honours BA is just a specialization in a subject but you still graduate with the same amount of credits as other forms of the BA. In this case, I don't think the Honours BA matters as much. But if in your case it is the difference between 3 or 4 years (and the associated amount of credits) it completely matters.

Anecdotal point: When I took a LSAT prep course in 2001, I thought I would be the only one sitting in that room with a MA. Nope, not even close. At least half the room did.
posted by meerkatty at 12:44 PM on April 22

If your marks are good and you have a strong LSAT, its not a problem. If you have been working for a while you may even qualify as a "mature student", which is another application category and it will be even easier to apply..

Ethnomethodologist is correct about the grad school thing, but law in Canada does not count as grad school (regardless of whether it is an LL.B or a J.D.) -- you can get into law school in Canada with only 2 years of university completed and no degree at all. I knew several people in my law school who did that (not recommending it, but it is possible). Anyway so the point is, that yeah, you can still get in with the degree you have, probably even now.

The key will be a solid LSAT score and a great personal statement -- you really need to separate yourself from the hordes.
posted by modernnomad at 1:06 PM on April 22

To sum up: Education is a provincial jurisdiction. Therefore, the structure of law programs varies from province to province; in fact, it can vary from school to school, in the same province. There just aren't that many law schools in Canada. Most of them will have a page or a FAQ about admissions. I suggest you research that for the law schools you see yourself attending.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 1:14 PM on April 22

When I was considering applying to law schools with only three years towards my BA instead of four, I learned that some schools will average out your GPA and drop off the worst classes (or the worst year of classes, I can't remember which). So, taking four years instead of three was helpful to me because it let me cherry-pick my best grades. If I had applied after only three years, those would have been the sum total of my considered GPA.
posted by Pomo at 1:22 PM on April 22

I'm not sure why you need to decide. In Ontario, applications are due end of October, I think. Admissions are usually finalized by March of the following year -- ie during the same academic year. Apply during the last year of the 3-year (equivalent) degree. Then if you don't get in, do your honours year, and apply again. Am I missing something?
posted by girlpublisher at 2:59 PM on April 22

Yeah there's nothing requiring a 4 year degree beyond minimum credit requirements and I'm pretty sure that a few schools will let you in with 2 years worth of undergraduate studies. If you'd be applying as a mature student you may be able to get in with even less.

Also, if you're planning on going to McGill you don't even need an LSAT (although if you do write the LSAT and you apply to McGill you have to let them know).
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:21 PM on April 22

I just want to remind some posters - the ones talking about getting in to law school after 2 years undergrad and such - that times have changed drastically over the past year or so in terms of university admissions. A lot of schools have seen their available funds drop like we cement because of bad investments, and admisions to most programs have tightened up accordingly.

Those programs that aren't suffering as much financially are being much more selective about who they take...looking for the "safest bets" and that sort of thing. So I don't think a 2nd year undergrad has any hope in this climate...a 3rd year I can't say for sure, but I'm willing to bet that it's MUCH harder to get into most law school programs than it was even a year ago, unless they're somehow bucking the trend that is affecting basically every other university school and faculty.

There was a lot of carnage during the admissions period at my school this year. Things have changed A LOT because of this economic downturn. Pessimsm and cynicism reign.
posted by hiteleven at 4:17 PM on April 22