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Non-Traditional Students / Re: What exactly is a non-traditional student?
« on: December 01, 2008, 10:20:26 PM »
Hello. I feel I can add something here. I'm 40 years old, living in Los Angeles, and looking to start law in the fall of 09. Congrats on logging on LSD for help. A wise choice. She can be a sassy lady, but most on here are very helpful.
First CBE accredited schools. I believe these are what you are refering to. These schools cater to the non traditional students and offer part time programs at night for 4 yrs. This is a link to UWLA which has a campus in the west valley and one by LAX. http://www.uwla.edu/ This school I believe also has a FT day program for 3yrs as well. Another school I know is the University of Glendale College of Law.
The Good: You do not need to sit for the Baby-Bar. And yes, this is considered even harder than the actual bar. Most of these schools are on-line programs. The reason for the BB-Bar is that the LSAT is not required for these schools. Neither is a college degree for that matter.
Anyway, CBE schools do require the LSAT, but a 143 or above and you're in. You also don't neccessarily need a bachelors degree either, an AA or 60-80 CLEP credits suffices. They cost about 1/2 what the ABA charge and at UWLA if you score a 150 or above on the LSAT, they'll give you a 1/2 ride.
Now, THE BAD: No federal financial aid. All private loans and most schools, UWLA being the exception, offer no scholorships. The CA Bar passage rate is below 25%. What good is the degree if you can't practice. For five years, once licensed, you will only be able to practice in CA. After that, about 1/2 to 2/3 of the states will let you sit for their bar if you are in good standing. The career placement centers at these schools, if any, are nothing but glorified Craigslists. The networking of alumni that most students utilize at their schools is slim to say the least. UWLA touts the have 100 sitting judges in LA. A tiny drop in the bucket. Can anyone succeed. Yes. Some have made it work and work out well for themselves. But the numbers are miniscule. Your law degree will always be on your resume and for good or bad, the school you go to has a stigma attached. Let me put it another way. Look up on the various threads here what people say about a T4 school in Michigan, Cooley. Cooley would be considered the Yale/Harvard of the CBE world.
The more research I did, and yes, many here came to my rescue, the more I realized an ABA school is the only logical choice for me. I too have a family, and even though it will cost more, it's an investment I can't afford not to make. As a result, I am studying my ass off for the damm LSAT. Part-time ABA night programs are a little more forgiving on the GPA/LSAT scores, but not by a huge amount. I'm lucky in the fact I at least have my B.S. already. I do adimire your courage in finishing your degree. There just is too much money involved to make any poor decisions here.
Study hard, do some research, and good luck to you.
First CBE accredited schools. I believe these are what you are refering to. These schools cater to the non traditional students and offer part time programs at night for 4 yrs. This is a link to UWLA which has a campus in the west valley and one by LAX. http://www.uwla.edu/ This school I believe also has a FT day program for 3yrs as well. Another school I know is the University of Glendale College of Law.
The Good: You do not need to sit for the Baby-Bar. And yes, this is considered even harder than the actual bar. Most of these schools are on-line programs. The reason for the BB-Bar is that the LSAT is not required for these schools. Neither is a college degree for that matter.
Anyway, CBE schools do require the LSAT, but a 143 or above and you're in. You also don't neccessarily need a bachelors degree either, an AA or 60-80 CLEP credits suffices. They cost about 1/2 what the ABA charge and at UWLA if you score a 150 or above on the LSAT, they'll give you a 1/2 ride.
Now, THE BAD: No federal financial aid. All private loans and most schools, UWLA being the exception, offer no scholorships. The CA Bar passage rate is below 25%. What good is the degree if you can't practice. For five years, once licensed, you will only be able to practice in CA. After that, about 1/2 to 2/3 of the states will let you sit for their bar if you are in good standing. The career placement centers at these schools, if any, are nothing but glorified Craigslists. The networking of alumni that most students utilize at their schools is slim to say the least. UWLA touts the have 100 sitting judges in LA. A tiny drop in the bucket. Can anyone succeed. Yes. Some have made it work and work out well for themselves. But the numbers are miniscule. Your law degree will always be on your resume and for good or bad, the school you go to has a stigma attached. Let me put it another way. Look up on the various threads here what people say about a T4 school in Michigan, Cooley. Cooley would be considered the Yale/Harvard of the CBE world.
The more research I did, and yes, many here came to my rescue, the more I realized an ABA school is the only logical choice for me. I too have a family, and even though it will cost more, it's an investment I can't afford not to make. As a result, I am studying my ass off for the damm LSAT. Part-time ABA night programs are a little more forgiving on the GPA/LSAT scores, but not by a huge amount. I'm lucky in the fact I at least have my B.S. already. I do adimire your courage in finishing your degree. There just is too much money involved to make any poor decisions here.
Study hard, do some research, and good luck to you.
