17-year-old youngest to pass California's bar

17-year-old law clerk becomes the youngest to pass California's bar exam
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/12/08/Tulare-County-California-bar-exam-youngest/4881702060397/

Law School: Northwestern California University School of Law
“Northwestern California University School of Law offers Offers a High Quality, California Accredited, 100% Online Law Program.”
https://nwculaw.edu/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_California_University_School_of_Law

 

Could be a new trend since diversity programs at top univerisities and med schools are really rigged against smart Asians.

 

I don't see how this follows at all.

 

This was just recently shared on our NWCU facebook forum. The "kid" is incredible. He did his regular high school studies from ages 13-17 and studied law concurrently. A modern day "Doogie Howser" in the field of law. Remarkably, he wants to become a prosecutor. And to that, all I can say is, "Go get 'em!"

 

I hope that he is successful. Unfortunately, there are more structural barriers to many professions than merely lacking the license. Hopefully they can overcome this.

 

I hope he gets there - soon. I'd like to see the face of a 45-50 year-old, seasoned crook, who gets put away by a teenager!

 

Other than Mr. Park's last name likely being of Korean origin, neither do I. I've never heard of this bias "against smart Asians." Maybe that's because I'm neither Asian nor smart. I dunno.

 

Indeed. Ironically starting with his age.

 

Why did he not attend a top-ranking national law school that might have a better future than Northwestern California University School of Law, a non-ABA-accredited law school?

 

I don't quite understand why anyone would have to ask this question, but here's an answer anyway.

(1) Because Northwestern Cal. is $3,900 a year and CalBar approved, probably.
(2) It got him where he wanted - and saved maybe $100K.
(3) And he finished about eight or nine years ahead of the pack.
(4) What ABA school, top- ranking or not, would have even THOUGHT about admitting a 13-year-old without a University degree?

 

Johann is probably right about his intentions. A couple of other thoughts:

1) If he was trying to be the youngest attorney in California’s history, a BA plus ABA-accredited JD wasn’t a viable option—would have taken too long.

2) There may be some pragmatism here regarding pay scales for prosecutors. Many are not that highly paid, so why take on the debt/expense of an ABA JD when it would have a sharply negative ROI compared to the Cal Bar JD that he acquired.

 

Sure. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

I'm also thinking - his parents almost certainly paid for this. Law school for a 13-year-old is quite a financial flyer to take, for Mom and Dad. It's not unlikely that they couldn't have managed the cost of an ABA program and searched, with their son, for something more affordable - a loss they could all withstand, if things didn't work out.

Even without regard to the family's financial circumstances, I think they - and their son - made the best choice. It got Peter to where he wanted to be -- at 17! Can't beat that. Awesome job, Peter. Great work, Mom and Dad.

 

I did not realize that Northwestern California University Law School does not require a College degree for admission.

 

I don't know if it's standard procedure with Northwestern Cal. or a one-off. I suspect it's the latter. All I knew is that Peter Park did not hold a college degree. He made his way through high school and law school, starting at 13 and finishing at 17. That's what the article said. No mention of college. Where would he have found time, anyway?

Some states (I have no idea where California stands on this) have a requirement of 60 credits, others a bachelor's degree. So, there's a possibility Peter might have knocked out a bunch of CLEPs, APs Modern States etc... Whatever he did or didn't do - he made it to LAWYER without a degree. A feat. I don't care about the details - I care about the accomplishment. Yay Peter Park! Go get 'em! Send 'em up!!

 

He might completed the CLEP exams, but this is something new. I looked at the admission before, it required an accredited undergraduate degree.
Reference: https://nwculaw.edu/school-information/admissions
Education Requirements
In accordance with the California Business and Professions Code and the regulations of the State Bar of California, students must meet one of the following education requirements for admission to law school:

Admission as a regular* student

1. Bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited or state-approved college or university;

2. Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree from a U.S. regionally-accredited or state-approved college or university;

3. At least 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits applicable toward a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally-accredited or state-approved college or university;

4. Evaluation of a foreign degree by an evaluation service approved by the State Bar of California which shows the degree is equivalent to options 1-3 above.

Admission as a special** student

1. Passing score on the College Composition CLEP exam, plus passing scores on:

(a) two additional CLEP exams each of which is recommended for at least 6 credits; or

(b) four additional CLEP exams each of which is recommended for at least 3 units; or

(c) three additional CLEP exams, one of which is of which is recommended for at least 6 units and two of which are recommended for at least 3 units.

*Regular students will be exempt from the Baby Bar requirement upon successful completion of the first year of studies.

**Special students are required to take the Baby Bar exam after they complete the first year of studies.


CLEP Exams
The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) is administered by The College Board, www.collegeboard.com. A passing score on CLEP exams is 50 or higher. The English Composition exam must not be the modular exam. The additional two to four exams may be for any of the following subjects: Composition and Literature (Humanities examination only), Foreign Language, History and Social Science, Science and Mathematics, and Business.

 

As I said - both are possibilities - his admission appears to be a one-off. Not important. LAWYER is the operative word, here. HE MADE IT - at 17!

 

Well, there's this, I suppose. ttps://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-uncomfortable-truth-about-affirmative-action-and-asian-americans

 

And this: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/magazine/where-does-affirmative-action-leave-asian-americans.html

This study says "Smart Asians" achieve more because of their work ethic. Nothing wrong with that... is there?
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1406402111

And this: https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2010/07/12/how_diversity_punishes_asians/

A really acidic article here: https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2022/12/26/can-asians-fake-their-way-into-harvard/

"I'm Beginning to See the Light"

"I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a popular song and jazz standard, with music written by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James and lyrics by Don George and published in 1944. - Wikipedia

 

From a different website - "At the age of 13 in 2019, Park began high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, CA. Simultaneously, Park enrolled in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law utilizing a state bar rule that allows students to apply to law school through the completion of College Level Proficiency Exams (CLEPS). After graduating high school in 2021 by taking the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE), Park focused on law school and graduated in 2023. Park became a law clerk with the Tulare County District Attorney that August."