Support for those considering online programs

[jemimah20]

Am hoping to start thread for those of us for whom on-line makes sense...

who are you?  what's your story?  why does on-line look good?  do you know anyone who's done it & where are they now?  what do you think the future of online education is?  are we crazy or are we on a new frontier?

what do you want to do with your degree?

me: 41, new spouse in lucrative career demanding moves (domestic & overseas) whom I will not separate from, manage/negotiate commercial contracts.

traditional programs to me are all about numbers and not about law: LSAT number, school ranking, class ranking, financial aid packages, competition to place in top-10 firms, competition for clerkships & externships.

I just want to practice law, dude.  stay in commercial contracts, get more corporate experience, understand the UCC, etc.

without taking the LSATs, I've gotten lots of encouragement from lawyers I've worked/negotiated with to get the JD although most think I'm nuts not to go accredited. 

hope to hear from others in like situation.  cheers.

[legalkitty]

Am hoping to start thread for those of us for whom on-line makes sense...

who are you?  what's your story?  why does on-line look good?  do you know anyone who's done it & where are they now?  what do you think the future of online education is?  are we crazy or are we on a new frontier?

what do you want to do with your degree?

me: 41, new spouse in lucrative career demanding moves (domestic & overseas) whom I will not separate from, manage/negotiate commercial contracts.

traditional programs to me are all about numbers and not about law: LSAT number, school ranking, class ranking, financial aid packages, competition to place in top-10 firms, competition for clerkships & externships.

I just want to practice law, dude.  stay in commercial contracts, get more corporate experience, understand the UCC, etc.

without taking the LSATs, I've gotten lots of encouragement from lawyers I've worked/negotiated with to get the JD although most think I'm nuts not to go accredited. 

hope to hear from others in like situation.  cheers.

I briefly looked into the on-line thing when I was first applying, because I did not exactly excel on the LSAT, and I too, have a job I love that I will not give up. But here is the conclusion I came to: on-line is fine if you just want to learn about the law, or maybe if you live in California and already have it worked out with where you want to work that upon completion they will let you practice (after the bar, of course), but other than those situations it doesn't really seem like a worthy option.

So I am applying part-time to anywhere I can conceivably drive to after work each day. It may make for a rough four years, but it is, after all, only four years, and I will gain so much at the end of it all.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

[NHLFan26]

Am hoping to start thread for those of us for whom on-line makes sense...

who are you?  what's your story?  why does on-line look good?  do you know anyone who's done it & where are they now?  what do you think the future of online education is?  are we crazy or are we on a new frontier?

what do you want to do with your degree?

me: 41, new spouse in lucrative career demanding moves (domestic & overseas) whom I will not separate from, manage/negotiate commercial contracts.

traditional programs to me are all about numbers and not about law: LSAT number, school ranking, class ranking, financial aid packages, competition to place in top-10 firms, competition for clerkships & externships.

I just want to practice law, dude.  stay in commercial contracts, get more corporate experience, understand the UCC, etc.

without taking the LSATs, I've gotten lots of encouragement from lawyers I've worked/negotiated with to get the JD although most think I'm nuts not to go accredited. 

hope to hear from others in like situation.  cheers.

I briefly looked into the on-line thing when I was first applying, because I did not exactly excel on the LSAT, and I too, have a job I love that I will not give up. But here is the conclusion I came to: on-line is fine if you just want to learn about the law, or maybe if you live in California and already have it worked out with where you want to work that upon completion they will let you practice (after the bar, of course), but other than those situations it doesn't really seem like a worthy option.

So I am applying part-time to anywhere I can conceivably drive to after work each day. It may make for a rough four years, but it is, after all, only four years, and I will gain so much at the end of it all.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

I live in the Philly area (NE Philly) and considering the same things as you.  I'm almost 25, work full time, need to keep health insurance, and I want to go to law school part time.  From what I've researched, only Temple, Rutgers-Camden, and Widener (DE) are feasible.  My dream is to get into Temple because it's cheap and has a great tax law prgram.  I'm an undergrad Accounting major with a 3.04 UGPA.  Hvae yet to take LSATs because I'm still contemplating whether it's worth it or not. 

[jemimah20]

I live in the Philly area (NE Philly) and considering the same things as you.  I'm almost 25, work full time, need to keep health insurance, and I want to go to law school part time.  From what I've researched, only Temple, Rutgers-Camden, and Widener (DE) are feasible.  My dream is to get into Temple because it's cheap and has a great tax law prgram.  I'm an undergrad Accounting major with a 3.04 UGPA.  Hvae yet to take LSATs because I'm still contemplating whether it's worth it or not. 

Which online programs would you consider?  Let me know how it goes!  Good luck to you.

[NHLFan26]

I live in the Philly area (NE Philly) and considering the same things as you.  I'm almost 25, work full time, need to keep health insurance, and I want to go to law school part time.  From what I've researched, only Temple, Rutgers-Camden, and Widener (DE) are feasible.  My dream is to get into Temple because it's cheap and has a great tax law prgram.  I'm an undergrad Accounting major with a 3.04 UGPA.  Hvae yet to take LSATs because I'm still contemplating whether it's worth it or not. 

Which online programs would you consider?  Let me know how it goes!  Good luck to you.

Here's the thing... I would consider an online program, but how legit are they?  Do you know of nay I should look at (U of Phoenix, etc.)?  I forgot to mention in my rambling that I may consider online.

[jemimah20]

Right now Concord looks the most legit to me, although I've heard Taft is ok, too.  Concord's the one that's run by Kaplan (owned by Washington Post Co.).

It's kind of like getting recruited to buy something on QVC: do ya have the $$$ is the big factor (the "admissions counselors" are more like sales agents but then that's how they have to be at this stage of the game for online courses).  But the supporting material looked good, the prof list looks good, and I've taken college courses online before and they do seem to have the format down.  My concern at this point would be # students to prof, but they say they're keeping that low even with very aggressive recruiting.

Worst case, I figure I try it out for a year and if it tanks for me, I'll go the traditional route. 

I'm sure I'd get in at one of the p/t programs in DC and my job is already about what a junior atty in this area would make, so it wouldn't kill me to stay here for 4 years, but it would be hard if my S.O. got transferred.  I'd love to keep open the option to go to Europe, you know?

anyway...

[WOMBAT]

I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I strongly suggest all of you try an online course before you sign up for an online J.D.

Because of work, and as a requirement of a teaching program, I am taking an online biology class...
I have to tell you that it is the worst educational experience I have ever had. And I am pretty agreeable to just about any situation, but I just can't stand it. It has nothing to do with the teacher or the material - it's a 100% sucky format.

You may love it, or even find it bearable, but I am not learning anything and it is very tedious in a way that is not fun.

[legalkitty]

I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I strongly suggest all of you try an online course before you sign up for an online J.D.

Because of work, and as a requirement of a teaching program, I am taking an online biology class...
I have to tell you that it is the worst educational experience I have ever had. And I am pretty agreeable to just about any situation, but I just can't stand it. It has nothing to do with the teacher or the material - it's a 100% sucky format.

You may love it, or even find it bearable, but I am not learning anything and it is very tedious in a way that is not fun.

That seems to be the general concensus. On-line classes are typically very difficult and you are basically teaching yourself. I think that with a JD in particular, classroom interaction is very important. Maybe a class or two on-line, but I can't imagine getting an entire degree that way.

[jemimah20]

Regarding taking online courses -

I already have taken online courses, and two in biology.  In one, the prof was great and I scored 110% (extra credit) on the final -- highest for anyone taking the class, including the students who "went to" class.  It had way more to do with the prof for me.

I agree that being familiar with the online classroom experience would be a HUGELY important factor before taking an entire degree this way.  If distance learning is done right, I, personally prefer it.  Then again, written communication is a strength of mine -- I organize thoughts and present much better on paper than I think that I do face-to-face.

What school are you taking the online course from?  I took my online courses from University of Maryland University College. 

Anyway, we'll see if 1) I get accepted to Concord; and 2) if I think they can teach.  I hope so.  I really do.  It's the only way I can afford to go without making severe sacrifices in my life...  at 41, I've already made enough of them... 

[geni]

I would have loved to go the online route for LS if it wasn't for the lack of accredidation. 

I am getting my undergrad degree from AIU-Online and I don't mind the online format.  You really do have to learn the material yourself - but I haven't had a problem with that.  In all the online courses I've taken over the last couple years, I've managed a 4.0 GPA (my cumulative GPA is lower because of low grades at a traditional university 15 years ago).

Anyway, I'm curious why the lack of accredidation isn't a concern to those of you considering online LS... it seems to make the J.D. fairly useless as far as I can tell.