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Long story short, my GF got pregnant during my undergrad years. I opted to drop out at the time and work full time to maintain a family.
I am now in my late 20s, have been out of school for sometime and am strongly considering pursuing my dream of being an attorney.
An online degree from a regionally accredited non-profit institution seems like the most viable path towards completing my undergraduate degree right now.
Question is, how would law schools look at an online degree?
Any input would be great!
thank a bunch

What was your GPA from the undergrad that you dropped out of? LSAC will consider your GPA from all institutions, not just the degree granting institution, so you'll need to factor that into your decision.

As much as anyone says otherwise, an online degree will be met with some skepticism, although I believe it's sufficient to be admitted to law school, as long as it's accredited. You're considering devoting at least 5 years of your life, and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars toward a legal career. I can't say whether your dreaming of being attorney is worth it, but I know that the TLS community will look at this dream with scrutiny.

Consider the very real possibility of spending 5 years of your life in school, supporting a family, incurring lots of debt, and then graduating to get a job that pays $60,000, if you're lucky. I hate to be the pessimist, but unless you're aspiring for a Biglaw career, this will be your reality.

At a T14 and I have a friend who has an online undergrad degree. He got great grades, did well at OCI, and has a great family.

It's "yea"

malibustacy wrote:At a T14 and I have a friend who has an online undergrad degree. He got great grades, did well at OCI, and has a great family.

I have a friend who went to Yale and has an absolutely awful family, because that's completely relevant to the conversation.

OP: I think it won't technically count against you, but depending on the credibility of the institution (especially if it's for-profit), some adcomms may look askance at it.

Platopus wrote:What was your GPA from the undergrad that you dropped out of? LSAC will consider your GPA from all institutions, not just the degree granting institution, so you'll need to factor that into your decision.

As much as anyone says otherwise, an online degree will be met with some skepticism, although I believe it's sufficient to be admitted to law school, as long as it's accredited. You're considering devoting at least 5 years of your life, and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars toward a legal career. I can't say whether your dreaming of being attorney is worth it, but I know that the TLS community will look at this dream with scrutiny.

Consider the very real possibility of spending 5 years of your life in school, supporting a family, incurring lots of debt, and then graduating to get a job that pays $60,000, if you're lucky. I hate to be the pessimist, but unless you're aspiring for a Biglaw career, this will be your reality.

I am well aware of the risk factor of a career in law. I have talked with several people in the field, including a law professor from a T30 here, and have been warned. Nevertheless, it is a calculated risk I am willing to take given my current profession.
Thanks for the input

Will they know it's an online program? Most schools that offer online BA's don't distinguish between on campus and online...

Pomeranian wrote:Will they know it's an online program? Most schools that offer online BA's don't distinguish between on campus and online...

If you graduated from Arizona State while simultaneously working in New York, I think they'll be able to figure it out. That said, it shouldn't matter if it's from a reputable nonprofit and you have good grades. I finished up my last year online, and I don't think it hurt me.

Little late to the game here, but just wanted to let you know I was accepted to multiple T30 law schools with scholarships with an online degree from a regionally accredited non-profit (but by no means big name) school. ~3.8 Degree GPA, ~2.9 Cumulative (which LSAC calculates and is the one used by law schools). I did not apply to T14/13, so I can not speak to them, but I obtained the admissions results I wanted. I was also working full time and had a family.

Also, I know someone currently attending Harvard whom I asked the question you are asking - this person said that he had heard someone on the admissions committee remark "I don't know how people work, have a family, and are still able to take classes". His takeaway from that was that it could be a sign of your ability to handle the workload of law school, and therefore may be seen as a positive.

mojomeltdown wrote:Little late to the game here, but just wanted to let you know I was accepted to multiple T30 law schools with scholarships with an online degree from a regionally accredited non-profit (but by no means big name) school. ~3.8 Degree GPA, ~2.9 Cumulative (which LSAC calculates and is the one used by law schools). I did not apply to T14/13, so I can not speak to them, but I obtained the admissions results I wanted. I was also working full time and had a family.

Also, I know someone currently attending Harvard whom I asked the question you are asking - this person said that he had heard someone on the admissions committee remark "I don't know how people work, have a family, and are still able to take classes". His takeaway from that was that it could be a sign of your ability to handle the workload of law school, and therefore may be seen as a positive.

That is great to hear!
It is exactly the route I will be taking in the fall.
If you don't mind me asking, what was your LSAT?
How was the application process like?

https://columns.wlu.edu/career-paths-ch ... edium=news

There's a 3L who will be working for Kirkland & Ellis, and her undergrad degree is from a well known online school (University of Phoenix, a subsidiary of the Apollo Group).

ETA: Looks like she also spend time at Pillsbury.