Applying to Law school in USA with an Econ BS degree from another country My friend moved to Los Angeles a few months ago and she wants to go to law school in here. She got a Bachelor's degree in Economics from another country (she is a resident in USA). The university she studied in is one of the top in the country but is not known in the world. She is thinking of going maybe to UCLA or USC law schools.

I am trying to help her to see what will be the best for her. We are planning to talk to a school counselor hopefully next week, but doesn't hurt to ask the question here :)

What is better? 


If she goes to a community college, then transfers to a 4 year university and majors in something different (maybe engineering or something else), and then applies to Law School


OR


She takes some classes in a community college (she needs to improve her English so taking the classes will be helpful), then evaluates her BS degree in USA, then applies to law school? 


Another friend thinks that if she does the second option then she won't have a chance to be accepted the schools she wants to since the BS degree university is not a known university. 

What do you think she should do? 

Thanks a lot.
There is a lot more we could know to help give a better answer, but from what you've said about your friend's situation, I think that the second option would probably be better. If your friend already has a bachelor's degree, that would mean she completed the equivalent to an undergraduate program in the U.S. and can apply for a law school program. 

Since you mentioned her English skills needing to be improved, it would be advisable for her to go to a community college as either a transient student or for an English language course. You mentioned that she has residency in the U.S. but "residency" is different from "citizenship." If she is a Green Card holder and English is not her first language, she might have to take the TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language). Universities vary on TOEFL rules for Green Card holders, explained in this link here. 

Despite not having a name brand recognition, if the university your friend attended and received her BS from is truly one of the top schools in that country, that should not be much of a problem. Smaller universities may not have the same impact when mentioned like Yale or Virginia Tech, but it won't diminish its rankings or its graduates. What will effect your friend's admission chances however is her GPA (or more likely GPA equivalent). Obtaining a degree is no small feat, and is rewarding in itself. However, a law school like UCLA will most likely weed out applicants with lower GPAs. 

Going to a school counselor is the best thing that your friend can do. A counselor will know more about the ins and outs of the admissions process at UCLA or USC and might have experience in counseling students from similar situations and backgrounds. Again, of the choices you presented, the second one is the best option. She already has a baccalaureate and taking non-credit courses at a community college can not only improve her English skills, but acclimate her to how college classes in the U.S. are structured.