Learning Law and Pursuing Passions in 2026: High Schooler Edition!

Despite knowing that law school means late night studying, hundreds of pages of textbook reading, LSAT and Bar Exam prep, and the infamous Socratic method, young people are clearly not deterred from applying. According to the Law School Admissions Council, in the 2025-2026 testing year, there were 202,437 individuals registered to take the LSAT. This number of registered LSAT-takers has been rapidly rising for a long time.

Law school is unique because it brings together a very diverse range of people from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Unlike medical school, there is no required "pre-law" major needed to apply. There is a need for law in practically any field you can think of. You could find yourself as a math major applying to law school if that is what you want!

If you are currently in high school and are interested in pursuing law, you can start education today! However, instead of being in the rigorous law school setting, you will find yourself gaining more valuable "legal" education from experience. A lot of students struggle with finding law-related experience, but from my perspective, I believe that a little research can go a long way. Whether it is through local programs, reaching out to local law firms for internship opportunities, or even just talking to a lawyer, you can gain a lot of interesting information. But don't underestimate the power of getting involved in political campaigns. 2026 is a midterm election year, which means a lot of politicians might be needing interns to help out on their campaign. For you, the best opportunities might come from simply sending an email to a local official and asking to get involved, or you might have to do a little more work by attending community events and networking. Either way, getting involved in politics allows you to learn more about the government and backbone of our legal institutions, which is useful information to know before entering law school.

While you may be eager to learn more about law itself, it is good to hone in on other interests as well. As I said earlier, law school does not require a "pre-law" major. In an age of demanding college applications and high academic pressure, it is important to make room for hobbies and remember that you are not restricted to one niche. You might hear people saying that you need a "spike" for college admissions. By hearing that, it can be easy to box yourself into the mindset that you should only pursue law-related activities. And it is completely okay to involve yourself in law-related activities, but don't let that mindset take away from your underlying interest in the legal field and beyond. If you want to explore the arts, go for it! If you want to learn more about medicine, try it out. By simply knowing what your interests are at such a young age, you are already way ahead of the game.

There is a common misconception that being good at debate is the most important skill for being a lawyer. But every time I have asked a lawyer about what skills are the most important, debate was not mentioned. In fact, the two skills that are even more important are reading and WRITING! Writing is extremely important because legal professionals have to construct lengthy documents in short time frames which requires a strong ability to put thoughts down on paper in an organized fashion. If you have ever taken an advanced English class in high school, such as AP English Language, you know the importance of writing in a time frame. AP Lang teaches you to form a nuanced opinion and build an argument very fast, rewarding students who can bring in relevant outside evidence. When I am writing argumentative essays, I find myself most successful when I write about a topic I am very passionate about. The reason I point this out is because good writing takes practice, and better writing comes from discussing issues you are most knowledgeable on. So why not sharpen your already existing interests? You can easily do this by staying involved with the news, reading articles, joining clubs, and of course, by taking classes.

I myself am really looking forward to attending law school in the future. But I am also interested in a multitude of other various subjects. Now, I am not here to put you down if law is your niche. It is great to go on YouTube and have access to millions of videos that educate you on this mature topic. However, as a teenager, make room to pursue other passions as well. Some adults will tell you to study hard and prepare for college, while other adults tell you to enjoy your teens. These two perspectives seem like such a big contrast. How do I have fun and study? The key is to study what you enjoy. Take classes you are interested in. Get involved outside the classroom. And whatever you do, don't box yourself into one passion.

References

Law School Admission Council | Test Registrants and Test Takers. (n.d.). Report.lsac.org. https://report.lsac.org/TestTakers.aspx?Format=PDF