Why are part-time programs easier to get into? Forum

[Donnis]

Graduated in June 2011, currently working for solo practitioner that does mostly PI. He gets about 10 new cases a month, and in my 3 months of being there, has settled over 1mill in cases. He is overwhelmed with the amount of cases and has already expressed interest in hiring me after law school.

I was interested in part-time, as I could continue to work at the firm I work for now and also my UGPA is not spectacular and it seems like part-time would offer me a better chance to get to the school I want.

[bk1]

Less demand.

[Donnis]

Less demand.

Is one extra year that much of a difference? Obviously one more year until you get a job and start practicing but for someone like me who is borderline, it's a wise decision, correct?

[tmon]

US News is calculating PT law students' numbers as though they were FT now, so it's quite possible that there's not as much of a boost as there used to be.

For instance:
http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/applic ... ,8&type=jd

Small sample size, but this doesn't look that surprising by full time standards for GULC.

[nygrrrl]

There are many reasons people choose a PT program. Where I'm in school, the top two reasons are 1) working students who need a PT/evening option, and 2) Students who were not accepted into the FT/day program and who plan to transfer, after the 1st year.

In recent years, the top PT programs have begun to tighten up their medians, bringing them increasingly into parity with the FT programs (this is in large part due to changes in the way USNWR ranks the schools with PT programs). In the past few years, both Fordham and GULC (2 of the best PT programs in the country) have reduced the size of their PT class by 50% and increased the GPA and LSAT medians.

If what you are looking for is a way to attend law school while still holding down your day job, then a PT program could work well for you.

[Jante05]

There are many reasons people choose a PT program. Where I'm in school, the top two reasons are 1) working students who need a PT/evening option, and 2) Students who were not accepted into the FT/day program and who plan to transfer, after the 1st year.

In recent years, the top PT programs have begun to tighten up their medians, bringing them increasingly into parity with the FT programs (this is in large part due to changes in the way USNWR ranks the schools with PT programs). In the past few years, both Fordham and GULC (2 of the best PT programs in the country) have reduced the size of their PT class by 50% and increased the GPA and LSAT medians.

If what you are looking for is a way to attend law school while still holding down your day job, then a PT program could work well for you.

thanks @ nygrrrl, for some of us who may decide to go w/ pt program because of work, how many hours max should we work?

[ben4847]

Gee, I'd like to go solo and settle a million every 3 months.

[nygrrrl]

thanks @ nygrrrl, for some of us who may decide to go w/ pt program because of work, how many hours max should we work?

I guess it depends on what you can handle. I have friends who are working 20 hrs/wk and feeling stressed and friends who are holding down 40 hrs/wk and doing well. Personally, I work about 30 hrs/wk but I have a couple of kids, so I think that adds another 10! I'm currently applying for an RA gig that would take 8-10 hrs; I think that's just barely manageable because my course load for the semester is on the light side.
(As far as I know, there are no PT programs that restrict the number of hours you can work outside of school but anything over 40 would, I think, be difficult.)

[nouseforaname123]

thanks @ nygrrrl, for some of us who may decide to go w/ pt program because of work, how many hours max should we work?

I guess it depends on what you can handle. I have friends who are working 20 hrs/wk and feeling stressed and friends who are holding down 40 hrs/wk and doing well. Personally, I work about 30 hrs/wk but I have a couple of kids, so I think that adds another 10! I'm currently applying for an RA gig that would take 8-10 hrs; I think that's just barely manageable because my course load for the semester is on the light side.
(As far as I know, there are no PT programs that restrict the number of hours you can work outside of school but anything over 40 would, I think, be difficult.)

+1.

You know your personality best. If you are a grinder and can get by on less than ideal amounts of sleep, 40 hours a week can be managed. If you are somebody that values down time and needs rest and recovery, I would suggest limiting work to about 25 hours a week. The difference of 15 hours doesn't sound much, but, in a PT program, every hour makes a difference.

[neimanmarxist]

thanks @ nygrrrl, for some of us who may decide to go w/ pt program because of work, how many hours max should we work?

I guess it depends on what you can handle. I have friends who are working 20 hrs/wk and feeling stressed and friends who are holding down 40 hrs/wk and doing well. Personally, I work about 30 hrs/wk but I have a couple of kids, so I think that adds another 10! I'm currently applying for an RA gig that would take 8-10 hrs; I think that's just barely manageable because my course load for the semester is on the light side.
(As far as I know, there are no PT programs that restrict the number of hours you can work outside of school but anything over 40 would, I think, be difficult.)

ITT we discover nygrrrl does more on a tuesday morning than some of us do in a month.