Part Time vs. Full Time Forum

[Wactawshus]

Does anybody have an opinion on those students who start out pt and then switch to the ft program?

Since the switch requires taking summer classes, is this a major disadvantage going forward?

Possibly. It really depends on the specific school and program. Talk to your school about the following things:

1. When will you be allowed to participate in OCI? (You could entirely miss out on OCI by doing this)
2. What impact will this have on your eligibility for Law Review?
3. At what point in time will your career services allow you to change the anticipated graduation date on your resume?

Note: You may need to talk to different people at your school. I know this sounds weird, but admissions isn't always up-to-date on the rules that OCS operates by and OCS may not really understand exactly how Law Review is governed.

Search my post history to get an idea of the impact of this decision. I've addressed why making the "switch" can be a really bad decision at my school for students at the top of the class.

Thank you so incredibly much!

[nygrrrl]

For those that have offered their 2 cents, how were you guys able to juggle school and work?

Luckily, I freelance so for the most part, I can call my own shots/work after hours/etc. That said, I just learned how to be ridiculously organized. MANY times, something for work would come up, last-minute: I had to get my school work done ASAP, just in case.

Did you do most of your reading on weekends?

Yes. 1E year I did about 5-7 hours of reading Mon.-Thurs (after class). I would then do roughly 20-25 hours on the weekend.[/quote]
THIS. Exactly this.

Still have a social life?

Hm. Sort of. I have a family so, much like nouse, I chilled on Friday nights and spent most of what time I had, with them. That said, I almost always made time to go out for Bar Review, even if it was just for a quick beer - the bonding done on those nights was invaluable and it's where I really got to know some of my now-closest friends, in school.
Also, I made time for an extra-curricular that ate up some evening/weekend time: it was well-worth it and I would recommend it if at all possible.

[howell]

For those that have offered their 2 cents, how were you guys able to juggle school and work? Did you do most of your reading on weekends?

I tried to do nearly all of my reading on the weekends. My plan was to spend an entire day studying and have the other one off, but it normally didn't quite work out that way. The weekends before a memo/brief is due will be completely shot.

After my first year of going part-time, I got a better feel for what I needed to do to prepare for each class, and so it got a little easier to manage my time. Second year was pretty nice. Third year blew chunks. Enter extracurriculars. Job + school + law review + moot court + whatever. FML. Made 1L look like a breeze. Got summer employment and will be quitting my day job, so fourth year will be full-time. Should be a frickin' breeze.

Taking vacation time at exam time is nearly a must. Finding out your exam schedule will be huge. With only 2 or 3 exams, they could all be a week apart. Much different than facing 4 exams in 1 week or something similar.

Still have a social life?

lol

Seriously, kinda. I kept up with lifting and running for the most part, and I made social appearances once or twice a week.

[EstboundNDwn]

This is all great info.

At face value, it always seemed like your social life is gone with this route. Hearing that it's possible to squeeze one or two nights a week out of your schedule makes this PT school/FT job situation seem bearable.

[nouseforaname123]

After my first year of going part-time, I got a better feel for what I needed to do to prepare for each class, and so it got a little easier to manage my time. Second year was pretty nice. Third year blew chunks. Enter extracurriculars. Job + school + law review + moot court + whatever. FML. Made 1L look like a breeze. Got summer employment and will be quitting my day job, so fourth year will be full-time. Should be a frickin' breeze.

Taking vacation time at exam time is nearly a must. Finding out your exam schedule will be huge. With only 2 or 3 exams, they could all be a week apart. Much different than facing 4 exams in 1 week or something similar.

I have some questions for you:

1. Description of day job - legal/non-legal? PT/FT? Strict schedule?
2. School rank?
3. Your class rank?
4. Type of job you have this summer? How did you land the position (OCI/mass mailing/networking)?
5. What did you do for the summer after your second year (last summer)?

[nygrrrl]

This is all great info.

At face value, it always seemed like your social life is gone with this route. Hearing that it's possible to squeeze one or two nights a week out of your schedule makes this PT school/FT job situation seem bearable.

Also, keep in mind that keeping the FT job = keeping the paycheck. When I get crabby about my lack of free time, I remind myself of the additional debt I am NOT incurring.

[CurbYourEnthusiasm]

Out of curiosity how many courses did you take per semester? Some schools I see 2 courses, others 3 for their PT programs. Just thinking 5-7 hours during the week and 20-25 on weekends seems like a lot if your only taking 2 courses.

[nouseforaname123]

Out of curiosity how many courses did you take per semester? Some schools I see 2 courses, others 3 for their PT programs. Just thinking 5-7 hours during the week and 20-25 on weekends seems like a lot if your only taking 2 courses.

4 classes per semester. Same classes first and second semester so it works out to 4 classes over the first year.

At first your reading will be very inefficient. By second semester you should be more efficient; however, at my school, professors picked up the pace second semester. One professor specifically noted that he covered 33% more material per credit hour second semester.

[howell]

Out of curiosity how many courses did you take per semester? Some schools I see 2 courses, others 3 for their PT programs. Just thinking 5-7 hours during the week and 20-25 on weekends seems like a lot if your only taking 2 courses.

Generally 3 or 4, but not all classes are weighted equally, so keep that in mind. During our 1L-P year, we took 9 hours in the fall and 10 in the spring. This is not as tough as some schools that essentially have you in class 3 hours a night, 4 nights a week. I would guess that most part-time students at my school take 3 classes a semester, but that will vary a bit, especially once students starting adding in seminars and stuff like law review and moot court that give you credits too.

20-25 hours of studying is ridiculous. The only time you should work that much is when you have a brief/memo due. I have only known one person who I think legitimately worked his/her way to great grades, and that person essentially went part-time, had no other obligations, and studied all frickin' day. So perhaps one success story. You do need to study "enough," and that is an individual amount, but 20+ hours of actual studying is unrealistic and unnecessary most weeks.

[Iconoclast]

Out of curiosity how many courses did you take per semester? Some schools I see 2 courses, others 3 for their PT programs. Just thinking 5-7 hours during the week and 20-25 on weekends seems like a lot if your only taking 2 courses.

My 1E year was 4 classes each semester. 11 credit hours in the first semester, and 10 in the second. 30-35 hours of time outside of class per week to do the assigned reading, legal writing crap, and to study/exam prep was about average... with additional hours added on once finals got close.

And all of what nouseforaname123 has posted is credited. At least, it matches my experience.

[Bronx Bum]

d

[howell]

Besides if you work, remember a good # of the As are scooped up by kids who don't work.

What percentage of students in your PT class would you guess didn't work? And what was your school ranked (approximately)? I saw very little of this at my T2. My guess would be that there are more students without jobs at higher ranked schools.

[nouseforaname123]

Honestly, reading is overrated. I don't think anyone else in the top 20% (and I'm being conservative based on the last couple of years percentiles) did less work than me. Never participated. Sold all of my books brand new because I didn't read one page. I looked like an idiot when I was called on. All I did was find a good old outline and memorize it throughout the semester at my own pace... Nothing lower than a B+ and I even got an A. People come home from an 8-10 hour work day, go to class for 2 hours and then read for 3-5 hours. WTF? I don't have it in me to do that. 20 hours a week of reading to memorize the stuff that is in an outline someone already made? I thinwho wants a solid gpa and solid WE. A good balance

You probably would have done better if you had read.

Besides if you work, remember a good # of the As are scooped up by kids who don't work.

Not necessarily.

What percentage of students in your PT class would you guess didn't work? And what was your school ranked (approximately)? I saw very little of this at my T2. My guess would be that there are more students without jobs at higher ranked schools.

Excluding parents who stayed home with kids during the day, I think half of the PT students at my school started without jobs.

[Bronx Bum]

g

[Bronx Bum]

3. I agree 100%.

[whatusername]

Some questions's - How does OCI work for PT students? Are PT students at a disadvantage compared to FT students during OCI?

Also, how are PT students ranked?

Thanks.

[jarofsoup]

I have been offered a part time position at a law school. I am a certified paralegal and have some legal work experience. However, I am not sure that I want to start working my first semester and just give my self some time to kind of learn how to be a law student. Especially since I will living in a new city.

But would work subsequent semesters...does this seem like a ok plan?

[Iconoclast]

Some questions's - How does OCI work for PT students? Are PT students at a disadvantage compared to FT students during OCI?

Also, how are PT students ranked?

Thanks.

It probably varies by school, but at my school it works like this.

At the end of the second year, evening students get ranked with the full-time class that just finished their first year. However, only the "first year classes" are included in the evening students' GPS for the purposes of this ranking.

(Explanation in case that wasn't clear - After my 2E year, I will have taken all the classes that 1Ls take, plus a few electives. The grades from my electives will not be used in the ranking - therefore the 2Es and the 1Ls will all be ranked based on the same classes (Civ Pro, Crim, Property, Torts, Con Law I, Contracts, and Legal Writing).

We participate in OCI along with the full-time class that graduates the same year we do - so it's the class that entered the year after we did - the same ones we are ranked against.

There is no systemic disadvantage for evening students and OCI - but some employers may have biases (either for or against).