UDC David A Clarke Law School Questions Forum

[PierreB]

Can anyone comment on the time commitment/rigor of the part-time program at UDC DCSL. I see from their course schedules online that the classes are roughly 6:15 to 9pm Monday-Thursday.

What I want to know what is the attendance policy like? I would really like to be able to either watch class captured lectures online or study on my own from textbooks.

Also, because of a unique situation that I would rather not go into, I do not care what my grades or class rank is. I just need to end up with a JD to have a quality job waiting for me. For someone in that situation who has completed another unrelated rigorous graduate program, how much of a studying time commitment would I be looking at?

A little more about me:
I'm considering the UDC Law part-time program for next admission cycle. I qualify for in-state tuition so the tuition per year would be about $8,000, and I should have enough transfer credits to cut it down to three or three and half years rather than four so the whole thing would cost me about $30,000 to $34,000 in tuition, fees, and books. I will already be living in the area in DC for work and I have health insurance so those costs are already sunk.

Thanks for your help!

[sublime]

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[PierreB]

Yes, the University of DC. Sorry about the acronyms.

[FSK]

Don't go to UDC. Its the worst law school in a region with 7 law schools (Georgetown, GW, George Mason, American, UMD, Howard, Baltimore, UDC). You have such a little chance of ever using the degree.

[haus]

"Satisfactory attendance" in a course means attendance at a minimum of 85% of scheduled classes during the course of the semester. The percentage of absences is intended to account for the range of minor illnesses, family obligations, interviews, and unplanned events that occur. Inthe case of illness or the like that extends over a prolonged period of time necessitating absence for more thanfour consecutive sessions of a givencourse, special exceptions to the attendance requirements may be made by the Associate Dean of Students. Ordinarily, special exceptions will also be made for religious observances. Individual professors have the discretion to require a higher percentage of attendance by students by written notice to the students.

Source:
http://www.law.udc.edu/resource/collect ... I_2014.pdf

As a general rule every ABA law school, other than William Mitchell, will have required attendance for (almost?) all 1L courses, without any real alternatives.

As such, I do not think that UDC will give you what you want, unless your willing to sit in that classroom (nearly) every night.

ETA: I suspect it is unlikely that you will receive transfer credit towards your JD from other grad programs.

[PierreB]

Alright thanks. Looks like I'll have to be attending class.

Any current part-time UDC students that can confirm?

[PierreB]

And as far as being able to use the degree and UDC being a bad school, I have a unique situation that allows me to have a guaranteed quality position after graduation. Thanks for looking out for me though.

[pancakes3]

I don't mean to be snarky but can you elaborate on your job offer? I'm genuinely curious. A standing job offer 5 years out and has rock bottom legal requirements but makes it worth taking out what amounts to be a fair sized car loan.

[PierreB]

Sorry, but I'd really prefer not to elaborate. As you can imagine it involves a strong personal connection. I will not have to take out loans, because of the salary from my work. And of course I do not take 30 to 35 thousand dollars lightly.

[jumpingjack]

Sorry, but I'd really prefer not to elaborate. As you can imagine it involves a strong personal connection. I will not have to take out loans, because of the salary from my work. And of course I do not take 30 to 35 thousand dollars lightly.

Fascinating. Well, good luck to you. We could learn a lot more from your "strong personal connections" years out from graduating law school than you can from us describing a dumpster law school in one of the most glutted legal market in the United States.

[sublime]

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