Law has turned into a fascinating and favored field when it comes to opting for a degree. Many students tend to pursue law as a career and the first question that springs up is “how many years for law school?” down below we will answer various questions related to the degree of law.
Other than the question regarding the duration, there are also lots of other things that one should be aware of as they are about to start the process of getting into a law school. Some of the really basic aspects to be aware of include law school requirements, how long is law school part-time, and everybody feels like finding out the answer to how hard is law school.
The Time Duration For Law School
The time duration for a law school degree can vary due to various aspects but the official duration for the completion of the degree is said to be around 3 years. Law colleges have a mandatory time set in which the students have to complete their degrees. It is not like other degrees in which the time duration can be extended at one’s own will.
The varying element in the duration of the completion of the degree is the amount of time taken to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Obtaining a bachelor’s degree can take as long as 4 years if a student chooses to go on track with the syllabus and course outline and does not extend it any further. Once the bachelor’s degree is attained, the next step is LSATs.
This is a type of test meant specifically for students who want to get into a law school. LSATs can be quite challenging and time-consuming when it comes to preparing for them. This is why the entire process of preparing and giving the LSATs can take up as much as a year. To save time, it is advised to students to start this process when they are in the last year of the undergraduate program.
Once LSATs are done, the next step is the duration for law school. As stated above for the question of how many years are for law school, it’s 3. With the four years of bachelor, including the year for LSAT preparation in the last year, and three years of law school, one should be able to get their law degree completed in about 7 years minimum.
How Long Is Law School Part-time
There is an option for part-time law school too since a lot of students have various other responsibilities to oversee as well while they are studying. Overseeing tasks like looking after a family or keeping up with a 9-5 job and studying full time can be quite impossible. For people in such scenarios, part-time law school tends to the hero.
To answer the question of how long is law school part-time, well, it can take a maximum of 4 years for one to complete their law school degree while they are studying part-time. Most colleges only ask their part-time students to come in on the weekends and attend their respective classes on the days of the week when they don’t have to sign in to work and are free from any other chores.
There is also the option to opt for hybrid classes where some of the course is covered on campus while some part of it is covered through online and digital learning. There are also lots of other facilities such as including assignments, etc in the course to make up for the hours.
Like full-time college, part-time students also get summer and winter breaks. If one wishes to complete their degree before four years, they can simply take up courses in the vacations to speed up the process.
Part-time Online Law School
To make obtaining degrees easier, there is also an option for a part-time online law school. This is for the individuals who can’t be on campus. There can be a multitude of reasons why one must go through this situation, the main one being having a job. A lot of jobs just give their employees an off on Sundays.
In such cases, a part-time degree with even the weekend classes won’t be possible. This is where part-time online law schools come in., You have to sign up for a program and are guaranteed an official degree at the completion. The time duration will be the same as part-timers with on-campus classes.
The only downside is that there are very few part-time online law school programs that are accredited by the ABA (American Bar Association). It is crucial to make sure that whichever one you sign up for is credible or you’ll be just wasting a lot of time and money.
Law School Requirements
Getting into a law school can be a challenging task. There are lots of things that have to be kept in consideration before one applies for law school. Down below we’ve made a list of law school requirements to help you through the process.
1. Bachelor’s Degree
First and foremost, all law schools ask that students have a four-year bachelor’s degree in any field they like. First and foremost, there is no specific degree that students have to choose their bachelor’s to get into a law school. Though, it is better if students have a degree in the fields of criminology, political science, philosophy, and history, etc. The reason for this is because most of these degrees cover bases for a lot of things that one would study in a law school.
2. LSATs
LSATs are a huge part of getting ready for law school without which the process cannot be completed. These are a type of exam and to attend it, one has to pay a certain amount. This amount can vary from one institution to the other so it is best to do some research for this one. The preparation for LSATs can be done in several ways. Once can join tuitions, sign up for study programs or self-study.
LSATs score is an essential component and plays a huge role in whether you will be granted admission to the university or not. Since this is a field of extreme demand, there is also a lot of competition so the higher your score is, the more chances you have of getting in.
3. Documentation
It is also very important to have all the right documentation in the correct order before applying for law school. This process is extremely crucial as even with a great LSATs score, you can be rejected admission if you do not have all your documents in order. These include your previous documents and transcripts, etc.
Visit your previous educational institutes and make sure you have all the certificates and degrees you need. Some documents might even need attestation from authorities so make sure that all of that is done before the process of applying starts.
4. Personal Statement
A personal statement can be the last step to ensure your place in a law school. A personal statement is usually a page long and is used to give the institute an idea about who you are and why you want to be a part of their institute. It usually starts with an introduction, past degrees, and then should outline your goals and ambitions.
It is a great way to express yourself and show them why you are different from all the other applicants.
5. Letters Of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are asked by the law school in the list of required documents. The good thing is that there usually are no regulations as to who writes these letters. Just make sure that it is written by someone in authority. You can ask an employee of your professors from your undergraduate degree to write you a letter of recommendation.
You can also meet and let them know what you want in your letter to make the university accept you.
6. Research
Lastly, once you have all your documents and test scores with you, you need to research thoroughly. This research can be conducted in various ways. You just need to look at multiple universities and choose one which works best for you. You can ask relatives, seniors in the same field, and read up on reviews to see what you should opt for. There are also campus visits to help you gauge the environment.
Keep your finances, your convenience, and the ranking of the university in mind and you’ll be good to go.
Final Words
Law can be quite intimidating but that is no reason to back out. Students often have one question: how hard is law school. This can depend from person to person. Consistency is the key to life. Whether you apply to Harvard law school or whether you are working in some other field, consistency and hard work can be the key to your success.