Penn State Gearing Up For Two Law Schools

Community college student

From Community College To Law School—Yes, It Can Happen

 
It is tough to get into law school. Acceptance rates at most schools worth attending hover anywhere from 10% to 35%. And that is for students who largely are four-year university grads with above-average GPAs and LSAT scores. What if you went to a two-year school? California has a program for you.
It is called Community Colleges Pathway to Law School and includes 24 California community colleges and six law schools and was highlighted in May on Tipping the Scales. The Partnership helps students from challenging backgrounds who are serious about law realize their attorney dreams. It is also supposed to help law schools increase student diversity.
So, how does it work? Community college students wishing to participate in the program have to complete seven required courses and be accepted to the undergraduate schools they want to attend for law school. And why is it coming up in the news again? The focus now is the likelihood of community college students to get into law school and then the likelihood of getting a job afterwards.
Sure, the beauty of the program is obvious. There is a needed increase in the diversity of law students, and giving opportunity to a population underserved in the law school admissions process is great. But as an LA Times article states, it takes half of community college students in California four years to graduate with an associate’s degree. This is because some 75% have to take remedial courses before taking courses for credit. Law recruiters do not keep track of how many of their students come from community colleges, but it is probably minute.
While the intentions are inspiring, as this program continues to develop over the years, the results and output will need to be monitored.
Source: LA Times

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