Disadvantages of Part Time Program?? Forum

[alltheway]

What are the disadvantages of doing a part time program rather than a full time? Are their graduates less competitive on the job market? Get paid less? No opportunity for law review and other journals?
Thanks in advance

[OperaSoprano]

What are the disadvantages of doing a part time program rather than a full time? Are their graduates less competitive on the job market? Get paid less? No opportunity for law review and other journals?
Thanks in advance

I'm a part time student and I love it. We have the same law review and journal opportunities as the day students, and we use the same OCI. As with all other students, employers care about your grades. There is one thing that some would call a serious drawback, though it doesn't effect me at all. If you plan on transferring up, you will find that many schools bar PT transfers because they have too few credits after the first year. There are notable exceptions, like GULC and UVA.

In addition, most schools let you switch to the day program with very little hassle.

[beef wellington]

I'm interested in this question too.

Do you work, OS? What % of people in Fordham's PT work? I've been wondering about doing GULC PT without working, then transfer to FT; wouldn't I be able to devote more attention to my studies this way? I'm failing to see any drawbacks to this plan...

[Lomax]

One disadvantage that you might consider if you are younger/fresh out of undergrad is that you will likely be taking evening classes with students who are older than you, while the students your own age are going through the full time program in the morning and afternoon. I do not suppose that it would eliminate your chances of socializing and networking with those students attending classes earlier in the day, but I imagine that it could make things more difficult. Of course, there are probably plenty of younger people in part time programs, too - just not, proportionally, as many.

[beef wellington]

One disadvantage that you might consider if you are younger/fresh out of undergrad is that you will likely be taking evening classes with students who are older than you, while the students your own age are going through the full time program in the morning and afternoon. I do not suppose that it would eliminate your chances of socializing and networking with those students attending classes earlier in the day, but I imagine that it could make things more difficult. Of course, there are probably plenty of younger people in part time programs, too - just not, proportionally, as many.

I'm 29, so this would actually be another benefit.

[im_blue]

Need to take summer classes if you're planning to switch to FT and graduate in 3 years.
As OS mentioned, many law schools don't accept PT transfers.
Might be restricted to night classes as a PT student
Scorn and ridicule from FT students (?)

[beef wellington]

Need to take summer classes if you're planning to switch to FT and graduate in 3 years.
As OS mentioned, many law schools don't accept PT transfers.

Yep, but GULC is my top choice and I would have no desire to transfer and give up that LRAP. The summer classes I wonder about...I wonder if it feels like you're in school for basically two years straight. Then again, 1L is supposedly so much harder than 2L or 3L that it makes sense to me to spread it out, then transfer to FT once the workload has mellowed a bit.

[D. H2Oman]

Question for OS or other knowledgeable poster:

loans for tuition + Col....any differences between full time and part time.

[OperaSoprano]

Need to take summer classes if you're planning to switch to FT and graduate in 3 years.
As OS mentioned, many law schools don't accept PT transfers.
Might be restricted to night classes as a PT student
Scorn and ridicule from FT students (?)

1. Yes, but only two classes, and you can take them abroad
2. Yes
3. Yes here, until transferring over, but it varies.
4. Is that a serious question? No. My roommate is in the day program, and I'm friends with tons of day students. I have honestly never seen that.

To answer beefwellington, our summer classes don't last all summer, and they are in the evening, so students can work, intern, travel, etc, and still graduate in three years. There are no more summer classes (required ones, anyway) after that.

I'm really happy with the system, adore my classmates, and might not even switch over except to save my fourth year COL. (I would keep interning, but nonprofits rarely pay interns.)

Dwaterman- If you switch over, same price. If you stay PT, you'll have to pay COL for the fourth year, which might not be a problem if you are earning money.

[D. H2Oman]

You can borrow the same amount for cost of living as full time students? Correct?

[beef wellington]

Thanks OS. And the same financial aid is available for summer classes?

[OperaSoprano]

Yes, you can borrow the same amount, and I'm working on finaid stuff for summer right now, actually.

[D. H2Oman]

Yes, you can borrow the same amount, and I'm working on finaid stuff for summer right now, actually.

Thank you

[OperaSoprano]

To address a few more questions: I was pretty surprised by how young most of my classmates were. There is virtually no one here who looks over 35, though I know for a fact that some people are. I adore my classmates, and if I had to guess, I would say most people are in their mid twenties. People haven't been out of college that long, and there are some who do come straight from UG, usually with higher numbers.

If you don't work, you can also take part in daytime activities, like club meetings, and hang out with day students.

Like many others, I was working when I applied. My job was eliminated, but the truth is I'm glad of it, because it frees up time to study, volunteer, and have a part time legal internship.

[beef wellington]

Seems like the removed ability to transfer is the main disadvantage. I feel like I'm missing something here...why don't more people do PT for 1L/more schools offer it?

[vanwinkle]

Seems like the removed ability to transfer is the main disadvantage. I feel like I'm missing something here...why don't more people do PT for 1L/more schools offer it?

I think there's a general conception that it's meant for people who are working full-time and want to keep working while they go to school, so people probably only apply to PT programs in their local area. I think a lot of people aren't aware that PT is a way to get into a school and move to the FT program, or that they don't have to be working full-time somewhere to go to it.

It's amazing how much people's behavior in general is based on assumptions that may not be true.

[OperaSoprano]

Seems like the removed ability to transfer is the main disadvantage. I feel like I'm missing something here...why don't more people do PT for 1L/more schools offer it?

At many schools, it's a money thing. Here at Fordham, ~60% of students pay sticker anyway (I wish we had more money!), so paying sticker to go PT is no great loss, as compared with paying to go FT. However, at schools like Cardozo, most FT students get $$$, and PT students do get significantly less. This varies greatly by school.

Now that USNews ranks PT programs, schools that offer them get penalized if they admit students with lower entering numbers but more life experience. It's a crappy situation that has already caused some schools to cut their PT programs, and there is a great deal of controversy over it.

If you are someone who, like me, was prepared to pay sticker for your first choice school, the former consideration may not apply at all.

Also, Vanwinkle knows what he is talking about. I had to do a good amount of research on this myself, but Fordham knew I would attend 3:00 am classes to go here, if I had to.

[nematoad]

I was pretty surprised by how young most of my classmates were.

are their a decent amount in their early 20s?

[jkh]

Curious which top schools don't accept PT transfers, anybody know ?

[OperaSoprano]

I was pretty surprised by how young most of my classmates were.

are their a decent amount in their early 20s?

Yeah. I'm 25, and I have several friends younger than I am. Honestly, the biggest surprise was how young my classmates were on average.

Re: transferring: every school has its own policy, and they change, so it's best just to contact the schools you are looking at.

[alltheway]

Would you have a better chance at getting into part time after having worked for at least a year rather than go into it straight from undergrad? I know the stats are lower for part time programs, but is that because people with work experience are preferred?