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What are my chances at Loyola LA part time with a 158 and 3.3? Unfortunately, I applied late (a few days ago) bc I'm an idiot and overlooked this school.
Also, USD part time (also applied a few days ago)?

ihatethelsat wrote:What are my chances at Loyola LA part time with a 158 and 3.3? Unfortunately, I applied late (a few days ago) bc I'm an idiot and overlooked this school.
Also, USD part time (also applied a few days ago)?

I'd say your chances are somewhat less than 50% at Loyola. You should also apply to Southwestern if you want to be in LA. Do you have a job you want to keep through law school?

The reason why I am applying part time is due to a job. Well, less than 50% isn't too bad, I can still hope! Any thoughts about USD?

ihatethelsat wrote:The reason why I am applying part time is due to a job. Well, less than 50% isn't too bad, I can still hope! Any thoughts about USD?

How can you keep a job and consider both Loyola and USD part time? That doesn't make any sense. What is this job you have? Consider whether it is worth depriving yourself of the full time experience. Your chances at USD about the same as they are at Loyola.

Besides the obvious, what exactly is the difference between a part time and full time experience? It is my understanding that I will have the same opportunities as a full time student, and I can transfer after a year anyways. To answer your question, I wrote that incorrectly, I am applying part time because I would like to work and go to school.

Well for starters you probably won't be able to transfer after the first year in a part time program. It takes two years to get all the required first year courses out of the way. Second, you have to wait an additional year to participate in externships or law review. Third, part time students almost never hold leadership positions in honors programs like law review and moot court. Fourth, most of your classmates will have jobs, making it that much harder to network and make friends. Fifth, you will be off campus during the day, making it much more difficult to go to office hours and TA sessions.

Unless you have a job that pays very well and that is directly relevant to your post JD path, I don't think going part time is a good idea.

On most, if not all websites I have seen that it is possible to transfer after the first year. And I think I can handle the other hurdles, but thanks for your time and advice. I love how everyone is so optimistic on here!

1) I kind of think your chances are decent - they have lower numbers for PT, and your GPA is above median, LSAT in the range (think median or 75th is 160 for PT)

2) Above poster makes very good points which I have had made to me about the downside of PT vs. FT. I was mainly looking to do Loyola PT last year, but got advised against it. I have a very good paying job, but it also requires work. To then do LS 4 nights a week, 3 of the nights for 4 hours, the other for 2, and then have all the homework, etc, on top of work... can be done, and is tempting because of the $$$ advantage, but I decided not only would I miss LR, networking, but I wouldn't learn or perform anywhere near to my best ability. Also, I didn't see how it couldn't affect my health, having no time for activity. And, if I did PT for 4 years = no social life time/time for anything mainly.

But people do do it, it is just two semesters worth, you have summers off. Oh, I was also told point blank it doesn't have the same job prospects as the very same school's FT prog.

3) Yes, you can I believe transfer from Loyola's PT to FT after 1 year I think, but couldn't transfer to another school until after year 2, and double-check if it is after year 1 or 2 that you could do it within Loyola.

In the end, I kind of thought if I did PT I'd be burnt after a year and transfer to FT, but would still have three years worth left basically since you have to make up for only doing half of 1L, and I'd be off the cycle of 1L summer, etc., so I decided to work another year, save up $$$, and ideally do FT this year. Honestly though, I'm still watching the economy, and PT lingers as something tempting. To graduate LS with savings instead of debt might offset loss of initial career ops, etc. Maybe.

Good luck.

Thanks ruleser. From these posts I don't think I will be getting a serious job, probably something on the lines of bartending (I have a good amount of experience in bartending). My hope is to transfer after a year to decrease the chances of getting screwed over by lack of job prospects and networking.

Legal employers will not look favorably on a student who bartends while attending law school part time. It is not a professional position and has no bearing on what you'd be doing after you graduate.

Wow Danteshek, you are out to ruin all my dreams aren't you?

Look, if doesn't sound like you have much going for you right now. Bartending is fine and dandy but simply does not give you any experience or perspective that is valuable for an attorney. Now, if you were a paralegal at a big law firm, I'd tell you to stay there and go part time. But you aren't. You are a good candidate to go to law school full time.

Look, at the moment I am a product coordinator for a nursing college based out of the bay area. Since you don't know me at all, I think it would be polite to keep your mouth shut before you make random judgments about what I have going for me right now, but thanks for trying.

That's not a whole lot more relevant to law practice than bar tending.

you're cute.

BTW, totally got into USD PT . In any case, I am going to take your advice and go to Miami full time, especially after their 11 point bump in US News. Woot Woot.

If you want to spend 5-6 years in law school and not network and get the "perks" that full-time students get, than go part-time.

ihatethelsat wrote:Look, at the moment I am a product coordinator for a nursing college based out of the bay area. Since you don't know me at all, I think it would be polite to keep your mouth shut before you make random judgments about what I have going for me right now, but thanks for trying.

I think you should be thanking Dante for the good advice he has given you. If you want someone to sugar-coat all your plans and dreams, this isn't the best place to get that. You get the the truth for free.

SoCalStudent wrote:

ihatethelsat wrote:Look, at the moment I am a product coordinator for a nursing college based out of the bay area. Since you don't know me at all, I think it would be polite to keep your mouth shut before you make random judgments about what I have going for me right now, but thanks for trying.

I think you should be thanking Dante for the good advice he has given you. If you want someone to sugar-coat all your plans and dreams, this isn't the best place to get that. You get the the truth for free.

Agree with some of Dante's points, but he could have couched them a bit more softly. But he is right - at least for 1L. Just go FT, then you can bartend part-time for 2L, or maybe bartend 1 night a week while doing full-time. I couldn't see adding an extra year for that, unless the money is sick - also, PT LS is 4 nights a week for 4 hours, then you have the homework - I would assume bartending is at night. So that only leaves at most 3 nights, but you need time to do homework. So 4 years of not being free to work much as a bartender anyway? Just go FT and maybe keep Friday nights for some cash.

In my post I said I was going full time... at Miami. And if I did go part time I would transfer after my first year. But I'm not, so we don't have to discuss that anymore.
And thanks for the nicely put advice rulesar. I think I am going to stop bartending once I get to law school.