Did not get accepted to Concord Law School

[mychan24]

I did not get accepted to Concord Law School JD program, but they offered me a seat in their EJD. It's either I wait 6 months to retake it or start their EJD and retake the admission exam ( that's what the advisor told me). I really dont want to do their EJD because that is not my interest and it would be a waste of time if I do so.

I was just wondering what's a good alternative DL law school or any advice you guys can give me?

[Citylaw]

I think you should wait 6 months and reapply. You might want to reevaluate everything and possibly retake the LSAT. Law school is not going anywhere, and you might want to take a few months to really study for the LSAT to make sure you are ready for the rigors of law school.

Good luck.

[legalpractitioner]

IMO I also think EJD is a waste of time and money.  If you think you have the right stuff, try another online law school like Taft.  Although, getting rejected by Concord might give one pause for thought about the entire affair. 

[GovLaw]

I'm a big supporter of distance learning, but it's difficult not to see EJD as a waste of time and money in most instances.  I'd wait and retake, or maybe move on to Taft (which I think is pretty much comparable with Concord).

[Maintain FL 350]

In my opinion an EJD fails the cost/benefit analysis.

1) You can't practice law with it.
2) Does anyone take it seriously?
3) It's expensive.

If you simply want to learn something about the law without having to prepare for the bar exam, you can buy a few books on Amazon and save yourself thousands of dollars.

Lastly, you need to find out why you were rejected by Concord. Their admissions are pretty open, and this could indicate a major problem with your ability to study law. Figure this out before you drop thousands in tuition at another school, or Concord.

[Citylaw]

Yea I think an EJD overall is a bad I never heard of it and just looked it up. If you really want to work in the law and cannot get admitted to law school you would be much better served by obtaining a Paralegal Certificate.

I am almost always very open to anyone pursuing an education, but this EJD feels almost fraudulent. They are making it sound like a J.D, but it is not a J.D and will not entitle you to take the Bar Exam. It also does not appear that you will learn the skills of becoming a paralegal either.

If you want to go to law school attend a school that will allow you to take at least one state's bar exam.

Again, I encourage you to retake the LSAT or pursue a paralegal certificate. Good luck.

[legalpractitioner]

Since Concord unlike any other DL law School is actually a regionally accredited school same as any university through its affiliation with Kaplan, the EJD is similar to a MLS (Masters in Legal Studies).  The 2 year MLS which Kaplan offers is actually a more versatile degree and is useful in government and for advancement as a paralegal.  Neither one will qualify you to be a lawyer though. It is possible Concord filled its quota (though hard to believe) and had spaces in the EJD.  More likely your writing and academic skills were not up to snuff according to Concord and thus they thought you a poor candidate to get past the FYLSE.

[CA Law Dean]

I am familiar with Concord's EJD program and would agree with the advice here. Not because the program is faulty, it is not in my opinion. However, it does not appear to meet the OPs needs, which appear to be having a useful degree that will benefit their law career interests. I also agree that if the OP was rejected from Concord's JD program, they probably need to (prepare first) and retake the LSAT.

Now to actually answer the question about DL alternatives, I suggest looking at Cal Southern. www.calsouthern.edu/online-law-degrees.

Like all of the online programs, since Cal Southern has almost open enrollment, the bar pass rates are very very low. However, the curriculum is sound, you have to pass the baby bar to progress to second year, and if you are a serious student, you will be eligible to sit for the California Bar exam upon completion . . . something not available through the EJD program.  We use Cal Southern to resolve scheduling conflicts when our students end up with two required courses on the same night and need a DL alternative to avoid waiting an extra year to finish our JD program.

The following link is to all of the correspondence and distance law schools in California:
www.admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Education/LegalEducation/LawSchools.aspx

[mychan24]

I appreciate everyone's posts. I am currently obtaining my paralegal certificate at CSULA. I'll be done by the end of this summer. I am also working as an entry level at a law firm and my boss said "It doesn't matter where you graduate, just as long as you pass the Bar exam."

On Concord's admission test,  I did very well on portion A which was about contracts but when it came to portion B which is somewhat similar to the LSAT, I didn't do so well. The lady kept on persuading me to do their EJD.

I am looking into northwestern.

[legalpractitioner]

If you are already working in the legal field, I'd just ignore Concord and move on to another DL Law School.