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Minority Topics / Re: Disgusted and Depressed« on: August 24, 2012, 02:32:03 PM »
Have you thought about taking a prep class such as Test Masters or Kaplan? It costs a bit of monty, but might be worth it for you. If not, there are many other study aids and books out there. Don't be too hard on yourself - two months is not that long. Most people will tell you that a good 6 months is the minimum required to get a handle on the test. Keep going - it should get better.
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General Off-Topic Board / Re: The Sunk Cost Fallacy: Help me!« on: August 23, 2012, 10:58:28 PM »
I don't know where you live, but in my area, the LA County Bar Association has numerous networking events for attorneys in their specific practices throughout the city. If there is anything similar in your area, that may be a place to start to build additional contacts in real estate.
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Distance Education Law Schools / Re: Mid-Atlantic School of Law« on: August 22, 2012, 06:18:39 PM »
Tuoro law school does say, however, that graduates from other law schools may take non-matriculating courses that "may" qualify them to sit for the bar exam. http://www.tourolaw.edu/Admissions/?pageid=194 They also said acceptance is very selective.
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Distance Education Law Schools / Re: Mid-Atlantic School of Law« on: August 22, 2012, 02:21:32 PM »
I have to agree about being cuatious with this one. A google search of the phone number shows a link to a few different businesses including a fax number belonging to a chiropractor in NC.
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Distance Education Law Schools / Re: Mid-Atlantic School of Law« on: August 22, 2012, 01:07:29 PM »At least one measure of the legitimacy of a JD is whether it qualifies the degree holder to take the bar exam. As far as I can tell, the MASL JD, by itself, does not permit the holder to take any state's bar exam, with the possible exception of California (and I'm not even sure about that, since they're not registered with the state bar). How can that possibly qualify as a legitimate JD? I looked at the website and compared it to other online programs like Taft and Concord and MASL is not even registered with the DETC (Distance Education and Training Council) in addition to not being registered with any state bar. I'm not exactly sure how rule 46 works in DC, but will someone who completed a legal education through MASL even be accepted to an ABA approved-program for the 26 units required for the bar? Wouldn't they have to go to an ABA law school for those credits? I tried to google search ABA 26 unit schools, but couldn't find anything. A quick look at the calbar website indicates that not one person from this school has taken the California Bar Exam in the last five years even though their website states that California is one of the states in which they can take the bar. Yet every other correspondence or distance learning school is listed on that site even if only one person per school sat for the bar. http://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examinations/Statistics.aspx. There is also no alumni section or information on any of their graduates, which seems a bit odd. I only found one student in his third year that was working in VA under an attorney, and said he still needed to complete his 26 units, but doesn't say which school he was going to attend or which state he was going to take the bar. Anyway, I've heard of a few schools like this, but does anyone know which ABA schools admit these students? Are they only in DC maybe? 36
Non-Traditional Students / Re: Question from a dismissed law student of Western State College of Law at Argosy« on: August 16, 2012, 05:00:22 PM »You're right about Prof. Dellinger's class, which why most 1Ls are so stressed during their first year at Western State. Most students in every class, not just Prof. Dellinger's, do not receive a foundation point which is why the attrition rate is so high. Western State actually has "double attrition," meaning that students get dismissed after their first year for not having >2.0 and then even more students are dismissed after their third semester, midway through law school, for not receiving the required amount of "foundation points." The latter being the category that I fall in. I believe that the ABA only reports attrition rates of students after the first year, but I'm not 100% sure about that one.This is certainly an issue that many of us at WSU worry about. It's not only that you need these 4 foundation points (for part-timers it's 4 in two years), but you need a total of eight before you can receive your juris doctorate. If this becomes an issue for me, I'm going to transfer out to a CBE school if I cannot transfer to another ABA. From what I understand from a former WSU student who transferred to West LA law school, she said there are many students there who were dismissed for not getting their foundation points that were able to transfer their class credits where they earned a 2.0 or better. Just something for you to consider if you plan on practicing only in California. Most CBE's should realize that being dismissed for not having a certain amount of 2.5's is different than being academically dismissed for failure to keep your cum. gpa above a 2.0. BTW, in my first semester with Delinger, half the class failed the midterm. However, most were able to comeback and pass the class. The problem with WSU is that no one knows about the foundation point system until they start school. Since this is a system that has gone on for at least a couple of years and the ABA just came to evaluate the classes this past semester, I"m not sure it's even an issue for them. 37
Law School Applications / Re: 2.43 gap questions« on: August 06, 2012, 05:10:05 PM »
You should disclose your mental illness as the above posters stated. What you want to do in your addendum, however, is be sure it focuses more on how you've been able to persevere and overcome the obstacles your illness presented rather than use it as the excuse for your low gpa. Your first year of law school will be very stressful and admission committees want to know that you will be able to manage that stress during your first year.
My school makes testing accomodations for people with ADHD and may make accomodations for your disorder if it ever becomes unmanageable while in law school. Finally, if you do get accepted, find out if the law school has access to a psychologist or psychiatrist because little stressors can cause even the most mentally stable people to lose focus their first year. Good luck! 38
Reviews, Visits, and Rankings / Re: ABA versus Non-ABA; marathon LSAT-taker« on: August 05, 2012, 05:53:27 PM »
Another option would be to keep your job and attend the state accredited school in the evenings to save some money. As legend mentioned, you are not in a big city where you will be competing with many ABA grads. With a CBE degree, you won't have to sit for the baby bar, and the total cost of tuition is about half that or less than an ABA school.
However, if you are really on the fence about attending an ABA, see if you can get your LSAT a bit higher - at least 150 or above and apply to a 4th tier ABA. Many ABA schools also have night programs if you are worried about quitting your job. Just some other options for you to consider. As already stated, none of us can make that decision for you. Good luck with whatever you decide. 39
Distance Education Law Schools / Re: Reason for going online« on: August 05, 2012, 05:33:10 PM »If you graduate from a distance learning California law school, there is no petition possible until you pass the California bar. No other state will recognize the degree until you pass the California bar. There are no exceptions. I believe the same applies to all unaccredited Californua law schools regardless of whether they are distance or not. That is correct. I don't know of any other popular DL or online schools other than California - please correct me if I am wrong. You cannot petition any other state to sit for their Bar if you attend a non-ABA school unless/until you pass the California Bar. Even then, you have to practice for 3 - 5 years before you are allowed to petition in most states. This is true for even the California state bar approved schools. Before doing any DL or state-approved law school, you really need to do your homework. Check out the California Bar website - all the information you need is there. 40
Transferring / Re: Transfer Options?« on: August 05, 2012, 05:24:01 PM »I would also suggest taking a leave of absence. I am part-time evening and am getting federal student aid with just 9 credits. Are you currently under 9 credits? If that's the case and you have just a 2.0, you are better off taking a leave and re-organizing your time so you can do the minimum course load and get your aid. Find out from your school exactly how much time you can take, rework your schedule, then just stay where you are and try to build up your gpa. I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't think another ABA school is going to touch you with that gpa especially if you are unable to put in 9 credit hours. Good luck with whatever you decide. I do get living expenses, but try not to touch it and pay as much as I can on my own. I'm wondering now also, since the subsidized loans were cut by the federal government if that is also his/her issue. I barely received enough federal aid to cover my tuition, but could have taken out more money under a credit-based loan, which I didn't want to do. Although I get living expenses, I don't take it because I work full-time. As far as accreditation, I did just assume their school was accredited because ABA doesn't allow transfers from unaccredited schools. Some ABAs may take credits from a state accredited school, but there are very few of them and one generally needs a gpa higher than 2.0 for transfers - at least in California. I can't speak for any other state. |
