A select group of seniors at USC will be admitted this fall to the USC Gould School of Law in an effort to offer opportunities for the best and brightest undergraduates, according to a release from the school.
The program will be called 3+3 and it will allow students to finish their undergraduate and law school careers in six years. Students at USC will apply for law school as a junior and enroll the following year if they are accepted. Following one year of law school, the students will earn their bachelor’s degree and then their law degree after an additional two years at Gould. These students will not have to take the LSAT to gain admittance to Gould.
“The 3+3 program will enable the best USC undergraduates to stay at USC for law school and take advantage of being in Los Angeles, the country’s second-largest legal market,” said Chloe Reid, associate dean for admissions and financial aid at USC Gould. “It is a highly selective program for those students who can tackle the rigors of academic life at one of the country’s leading law schools. Students who are set on the legal profession will find these aspects very appealing.”
The program will be open to students from all majors, but they must have a GPA of 3.8 or better, strong recommendations from the faculty, an interview, a personal statement, writing samples and completed major coursework by their junior year in school. Students who want to be eligible for the program must have completed their major course requirements by their junior year.
“Of course, there will still be a significant number of USC undergraduates who apply to law schools in the usual manner, in their senior year,” Reid said. “However, for those students who know they want to pursue a legal career from early in their education, and who are ready for graduate-level work in their senior year, this program creates a unique opportunity.”
The dean of the law school, Robert K. Rasmussen, said the following in the press release from the school:
“Law schools know that they need to be creative and forward thinking when it comes to legal education. We are extremely excited to offer this program to Trojans who want to continue their academic careers here. USC is the most exciting and dynamic research university in the country. Our undergraduate students appreciate our academic strength and the unrivaled strength of the Trojan Family. This program is yet another way to add flexibility to those seeking a top-quality legal education.”