DL Law School: NWCU vs Concord

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by ecwinch, Oct 16, 2009.

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  1. ecwinch

    ecwinch New Member

    Trying to decide between these two DL law programs. Would like to hear some first hand experiences of grads, drop-outs, or transfer students.

    In particular:

    What was your opinion of the quality of the instruction you received?
    Did you feel your program offered sufficient instructor support for the program?
    What were your experiences in terms of interaction with your fellow students?
    How difficult did you feel the program was?
    How would you characterize the overall educational experience?

    I would be especially interested in hearing from anyone that transferred between these two programs.

    TIA
     
  2. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    No experience, but opinion. I would go with RA school.
     
  3. joel66

    joel66 New Member

    Not sure you can really compare which is better because it depends on your learning preference. Both are setup completely different.

    Pricing: Northwestern California University is 2,850/yr plus books and Concord is 9,600/yr plus books.

    Learning: Northwestern California University is correspondence and Concord is classroom-based online at set times.

    It really depends on how you want to learn. For me, if I wanted to go to law school in Sacramento and not spend the kind of money for ABA school, it would be hard to go with the 9,600 tuition when Lincoln Law is accredited with the California Bar Examination and is 8,800 per year.
     
  4. joel66

    joel66 New Member

    RA does not hold much weight in the law field. In California, the schools are either unaccredited, accredited with the California Bar Examination, or ABA. If you have a school close by that is accredited with the California Bar Examination that would be your best bet if you want to save money and increase your chances of getting into law field.

    I have two former coworkers that went to DL law schools and had extensive claims background. Once they graduated from law school and pass the bar, they were surprised by the lack of responses when trying to get interviews with law firms. End result, both are making a lot more money handling medical malpractice and professional liability claims.

    Having a DL law degree will not open many doors working directly in law firms, but it will open doors on other jobs where having legal knowledge is important. Especially if someone has claims background and wants to get into medical malpractice or professional liability claims. Of if you already have connections with attorneys or open your own firm.
     
  5. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member


    I am a Concord drop out because I did not have the time to commit to the program. You will need to commit lots and lots and lots of time to make progress and learn the material. The courses are very organized and I found my law advisor and professor to be responsive to my emails, etc. You have one professor for all of your first year courses. The course platform was easy to use and gauge progress. They include a lot of pre-recorded video lectures which are very good. They do foster a Concord community and I believe they really want you to succeed. If you finish and pass the bar, that is good advertisement for the program too, of course.

    The con is that it does not appear that they update the video lectures very often so I found-in some cases-the lecture and the books were not in sync; but not a deal breaker.

    Otherwise, for the 9,600, I think it is a good deal especially since they are RA now. Although, the RA will not help you in the ABA vs non-ABA argument it may open doors for teaching or pursuing an LLM or other advanced degree.

    I know a couple people who graduated from Concord and work for our County District Attorney. They paid around $40K for thier law degree and make about 75-80K while other ABA grads are in debt up to 100-150K.

    If you want to use the degree to be in private practice or work in local government you will find a good utility. Otherwise, mileage may vary depending on who you want to work for and other education and experience you might possess. If I ever have the time to commit to a law program, I will not hesitate to return to Concord.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 16, 2009
  6. ecwinch

    ecwinch New Member

    Jay - thanks for sharing that insight.

    In general and without turning this into a discussion on PA, lets just assume that these two options are my only choices and I am interested in only choosing between these two programs. I have evaluated ABA programs, and they are not an option for me at this time for a variety of reasons that would be a separate discussion.

    I am strictly trying to evaluate the differences in the educational experience between these two programs. So keep it coming. :D
     
  7. ecwinch

    ecwinch New Member

    Jay - thanks for that insight. If you do not mind sharing a little bit more:

    What the admissions counselor told me was that the lectures are webcasted once a week, and recorded for later viewing. Did I mis-understand that point?

    Or are you referring to supplemental video lectures outside the regularly scheduled weekly classes?

    Did you have any problem obtaining a refund from Concord when you dropped out?

    Did you find the on-line community features received significant student partipication?

    Thanks again for the insight.
     
  8. Pilot

    Pilot Member

    I am asking myself the same question
    I think it will be a lot cheaper to start the first year at Northwestern California University for several reasons:
    First: You can find out if law school is really for you without having to pay 9600$
    Second: If you are sucessfull and can pass the baby bar you will be able to transfer as a second year law student at concord without any problem if you choose to do so
    Third: if you are enjoying yourself but can't pass the baby bar you can continue as a second year law student and get a bachelor of science in law.
    The legal education might open some new opportunities depending on the your current field of expertise; Insurance, IT, HR, Corporate etc...
    Fourth: I haven't check this one but It would be nice to be able to transfer as a third year law student at concord and get The executive JD.
    What do you guys think?
     
  9. ecwinch

    ecwinch New Member

    Joel, thanks for that insight.

    I am trying to gather more information about the educational experience at the two programs to give me a better frame of reference. From what I have been told, while Concord is DL, it is possible (though not encouraged) to work independently like you would in a correspondence format. Also, while NWCU is correspondence, it also uses distance learning technology (Blackboard and Video lectures). If that is not true, then I would like to hear that.
     
  10. mbaonline

    mbaonline New Member

    Jay, just out of curiousity ... how many hours a week do you think one would need to devote to Concord? How does it compare to the masters' progam that you're in?

    I know I did 35-35 per week for my MBA but I have students who like to spend 10-15 for their masters. Not sure that works very well.
     
  11. ecwinch

    ecwinch New Member

    My thinking is along the same lines - especially 1-3. However, I have a different take on the first year portion of your logic. So to some degree one of the underlying questions is what is going to better train me to think like a lawyer and give me the foundation to tackle the baby bar. If the educational experiences are very similar, then NWCU is clearly the low risk option. And NWCU will accept Concord transfers.

    That Concord will accept NWCU 1L transfers is a little more unclear. I have "heard" that is only possible if you pass the baby-bar on the first try and within a certain period after completing the first year. But the cost savings would clearly fund a nice baby bar prep course.

    So if Concord provides a better educational environment for learning the law and how to think like a lawyer, my thinking is Concord for the first year, and then NWCU for the remaining years. Or just staying at Concord.
     
  12. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    At Concord, I spent about 20 hours per week just reading and listening to the lectures. It took about another 8-10 hours per week to study supplemental material, create outlines/notes to try and digest the material.

    Currently, I spend about an average of 15 hrs per week on my masters some classes longer. However, I have been a leader of a large organization for many years so in most classes I am very familiar with the material; law school was far different.

    I really enjoyed Concord but working 50-55 hours per week, I could not keep up with the coursework. I am struggling through my master's program right now.
     
  13. sideman

    sideman Well Known Member

    The average of 2 1/2 hrs. daily study for 864 hrs. yearly is vastly understated. That is just the tip of the iceberg.
     
  14. mbaonline

    mbaonline New Member

    Thanks Jay.
     
  15. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Good points Joel. I used to be in insurance, and I could see how a JD would be good in that environment.

    Abner
     

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