General Information
Western New England College has encouraged legal education for many years, and the Western New England College School of Law provides an excellent opportunity for those who wish to pursue the graduate professional degree in law.
Preparation for law school is not a matter of taking prescribed courses or majors. Law schools customarily do not encourage undergraduates to major in any particular subject. Students are generally successful in law school if they succeed in any major that develops skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking, and if they do well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
Prelaw students may choose any major, including the pre-law curriculum within Integrated Liberal Studies. Students considering a legal education should pursue their individual interests through those courses that are most likely to foster success in American law schools (courses that improve written and oral communication, provide readings about a wide range of human experience, and develop reasoning skills.)
3 + 3 Program
Qualified Western New England College students who want to attend Western New England College School of Law can earn their bachelor's and juris doctor's degrees in just six years instead of seven (3 + 3 Program). To qualify for this program students must have a grade point average of 3.3 and score at the 50th percentile on the LSAT (or at the median score for the previous year's matriculants, whichever is higher). Students who qualify will enter the Law School in the fall of their fourth undergraduate year and will receive their bachelor's degree at its end. They are eligible to obtain their juris doctor degree after two more years of study.
Transfer students must successfully complete at least 45 credits of undergraduate studies at Western New England College in order to apply for this program.
It is not possible, however, for all majors to qualify for the 3 + 3 program. Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Social Work and all engineering programs require too much sequential work in the discipline to allow completion in three years. Biology and Environmental Science would require some summer course work to finish.
Interested Business School students should see Dr. Marilyn Pelosi, Associate Dean in the School of Business, at 413-782-1231 or by email at mpelosi@wnec.edu
Prelaw Society
Students considering a career in law are eligible for membership in a prelaw society that provides cocurricular activities for prelaw students. Among the society's activities are workshops on selecting and applying to law schools; field trips to observe law classes; mock trials; and films, lectures, and discussions designed to clarify the responsibilities and privileges of the profession of law.
The office of the prelaw advisor maintains files of reference materials on law schools, the Law School Admissions Test, and other subjects of interest to prelaw students. Regardless of major, students thinking about attending law school should register with the prelaw advisor at the earliest opportunity.