Newcomer Degree Planning Advice

[dfrecore]

As everybody knows, when you are moving to North America, you are starting from 0. So, I am looking for possible options for getting into online JD starting from 0. 

Current Regional Accredited Credits: I don't have anything, I will show you my previous history, which is more likely not to be evaluated and invaluable here in North America due to some factors:

2014-2018 - Bachelor of Law in local Private University
2021-2023 - 2-year Postgraduate Diploma in Law in local Postgrad school

I don't think "everybody knows" this to be true at all.  When you're an international student, and you have a bachelor's degree from another country, you are not starting at 0 at all - you have a bachelor's degree.

I personally think you should find out if your bachelor's degree is considered "legal" (or maybe another term might be better) in Canada, and then you don't have to spend any time/money getting ANOTHER bachelor's degree.  I honestly don't see why you'd want to do this if you don't have to.

If you want to go to NCU, just go there and get your JD.

If you really think you have to get a bachelor's, you can always just get a BLS at UMPI.  Most US law schools don't require a specific degree to get in.  Literally anything will work.  If you really think a different degree would be better, the most common choices are History, PoliSci or English from UMPI.  Those will all get you an RA bachelor's degree with graded credits, which is all you need.

First of all, I want to have some basic knowledge, and that's why I want a US degree. My bachelor's is from a totally different law system, and I believe it's worthless here with a bunch of non-necessary subjects which are still there from the Soviet Union. 

Second - that's also the marketing part, in case of successful graduation and CA bar exam approval, I do prefer my background to have a US Bachelor's Degree, than Kazakhstan, for example. 

So, I really want to get a US Degree, and then move forward to the JD.

Regarding UMPI, I see they have a Criminal Justice program. Could you please tell me, if you know, do they accept any transfer credit from providers like LawShelf, Sophia, Study?

So, at US schools, they place a lot of emphasis on diversity - a degree from Kazakhstan would be WAY more beneficial to you than a degree from the US.  WAY more.  1000x more.

Second, bachelor's degrees have very little info on the law.  So, a degree in criminal justice is going to place way more emphasis on the "justice" part of things, how the justice system works against minorities and whatnot, then going into laws and such.  I don't think it will teach you as much about the law as you might hope.  Very few people with majors in CJ that go to law school - a lot more people with degrees in PoliSci, History, and English do so.  If you look up top 10 degrees to get to go to law school, CJ isn't even on most lists.  The most important thing you can do when trying to get into law school is to write a lot (hence those 3 degrees, which normally require a lot of writing).

You might want to do a lot more research before choosing CJ.

[Nemfis]

I 100% agree, but it's 2 years, not 4, and it's still way cheaper and no LSAT.

2 years not 3. A Canadian JD to enter the profession of law is 3 academic years, and usually 3 calendar years FT.

One possible choke point in the plan: You know it's hard to get a seat in a Canadian law school JD program. They strictly review LSAT and academic and professional histories, and many impressive applicants fail to get a seat.

Could you similarly be unable to get a seat in a Canadian law school post-graduate program for foreign-trained candidates? Could your prospective Canadian law school say sure, the NCA and provincial law society permit Calbar-only schools, but our university policies consider them non-accredited. Or, because we have many more applicants than seats we elect to cut candidates from consideration based on standing of their foreign law school.

There are some 4-years programs for working specialists, partially online and partially offline. 

Who knows? Maybe, but some examples show me that people are getting accepted even with Central Asian and Eastern European degrees for 3 years program as NCA allowing them to sit for that courses. And at the end of the day - getting licensed in Canada is my last priority, not first. I don't think Canadian law schools would mind getting an additional couple of grand bucks to let someone sit for specific courses and the admission process is different than for freshmen, I believe. So, in case I will decide to continue my process in Canada - there are always options available.

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As everybody knows, when you are moving to North America, you are starting from 0. So, I am looking for possible options for getting into online JD starting from 0. 

Current Regional Accredited Credits: I don't have anything, I will show you my previous history, which is more likely not to be evaluated and invaluable here in North America due to some factors:

2014-2018 - Bachelor of Law in local Private University
2021-2023 - 2-year Postgraduate Diploma in Law in local Postgrad school

I don't think "everybody knows" this to be true at all.  When you're an international student, and you have a bachelor's degree from another country, you are not starting at 0 at all - you have a bachelor's degree.

I personally think you should find out if your bachelor's degree is considered "legal" (or maybe another term might be better) in Canada, and then you don't have to spend any time/money getting ANOTHER bachelor's degree.  I honestly don't see why you'd want to do this if you don't have to.

If you want to go to NCU, just go there and get your JD.

If you really think you have to get a bachelor's, you can always just get a BLS at UMPI.  Most US law schools don't require a specific degree to get in.  Literally anything will work.  If you really think a different degree would be better, the most common choices are History, PoliSci or English from UMPI.  Those will all get you an RA bachelor's degree with graded credits, which is all you need.

First of all, I want to have some basic knowledge, and that's why I want a US degree. My bachelor's is from a totally different law system, and I believe it's worthless here with a bunch of non-necessary subjects which are still there from the Soviet Union. 

Second - that's also the marketing part, in case of successful graduation and CA bar exam approval, I do prefer my background to have a US Bachelor's Degree, than Kazakhstan, for example. 

So, I really want to get a US Degree, and then move forward to the JD.

Regarding UMPI, I see they have a Criminal Justice program. Could you please tell me, if you know, do they accept any transfer credit from providers like LawShelf, Sophia, Study?

So, at US schools, they place a lot of emphasis on diversity - a degree from Kazakhstan would be WAY more beneficial to you than a degree from the US.  WAY more.  1000x more.

Second, bachelor's degrees have very little info on the law.  So, a degree in criminal justice is going to place way more emphasis on the "justice" part of things, how the justice system works against minorities and whatnot, then going into laws and such.  I don't think it will teach you as much about the law as you might hope.  Very few people with majors in CJ that go to law school - a lot more people with degrees in PoliSci, History, and English do so.  If you look up top 10 degrees to get to go to law school, CJ isn't even on most lists.  The most important thing you can do when trying to get into law school is to write a lot (hence those 3 degrees, which normally require a lot of writing).

You might want to do a lot more research before choosing CJ.

Thanks for your advice. I will definitely look at that more deeply. As previously mentioned, I am totally new to this world, and I've been told by parents what to do and where to go and study. Now I'm starting everything from 0 for myself and have so many questions, that... head is exploding.

[bjcheung77]

Which province are you in? You're trying to do a few things all at once and that will be a little bit harder to complete... Since you already have a Bachelors and a post grad diploma, I would get it evaluated and sent to NWCU and start on the JD promptly instead. There is no need for the secondary bachelors unless it's in a different field, a BLS (Liberal Studies) doesn't add to any of your future goals... You're spending time on something that isn't required, I would focus on other things, or things that will add to your Citizenship application.

[fmsoa]

Hi there! Thanks to the creators of this forum, I was spending a few days here, and I regret I didn't find it previously, so much valuable information, and so many providers I didn't know before (Study, Sophia, LawShelf). First, I was thinking of PMing such experienced users as ashkir or bjcheung77 and asking for a private commercial consultation, but I finally found this thread, so long story short. (But if ashkir or cheung are able to do so - I would highly appreciate it lol  )

If you can get a grant with 0% interest, I would suggest going for Master of Laws (LLM). It is like a transitional program designed for foreign law-degree holders just like you. Almost all colleges in US with a law program have such an offering, a lot of them entirely online, from Ivy League, to flagship state universities, to lesser known public and private colleges (again with a law program). Usually you can finish it in as little as 1 year. After that you would have your US academic credentials (which is what you're working for) to apply for JD programs down the road

[Nemfis]

Which province are you in?  You're trying to do a few things all at once and that will be a little bit harder to complete...  Since you already have a Bachelors and a post grad diploma, I would get it evaluated and sent to NWCU and start on the JD promptly instead.  There is no need for the secondary bachelors unless it's in a different field, a BLS (Liberal Studies) doesn't add to any of your future goals...  You're spending time on something that isn't required, I would focus on other things, or things that will add to your Citizenship application.

I'm in Alberta. 

Nothing will add to my Citizenship application as for now. I just have to spend 3 years (1 is almost done) and then undergo all the necessary checks. 

My uni was closed a few months after I graduated. This problem is known in our country, but WES or ECE doesn't care, they won't accept for evaluation without a transcript from the institution or the Ministry of Education, while the Ministry says that uni hasn't submitted an archive of the last three semesters and they are not able to issue the full transcript. Only a postgrad diploma is not enough to apply and start on the JD promptly. So this is a long story, and I want to close this page of my life with ENEB and start a new one.

---

Hi there! Thanks to the creators of this forum, I was spending a few days here, and I regret I didn't find it previously, so much valuable information, and so many providers I didn't know before (Study, Sophia, LawShelf). First, I was thinking of PMing such experienced users as ashkir or bjcheung77 and asking for a private commercial consultation, but I finally found this thread, so long story short. (But if ashkir or cheung are able to do so - I would highly appreciate it lol  )

If you can get a grant with 0% interest, I would suggest going for Master of Laws (LLM). It is like a transitional program designed for foreign law-degree holders just like you. Almost all colleges in US with a law program have such an offering, a lot of them entirely online, from Ivy League, to flagship state universities, to lesser known public and private colleges (again with a law program). Usually you can finish it in as little as 1 year. After that you would have your US academic credentials to apply for JD programs down the road

Wow. Great idea! Is it really possible? Apply for JD with a Master's?

I saw on the admission page (https://nwculaw.edu/school-information/admissions) that "Applicants with a masters or doctoral degrees who do not also meet one of the education requirements listed above are not eligible for admission", and listed above requirements are: "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".

CalBar-approved evaluators won't evaluate my bachelor, while they can do it for my postgrad, but it is still not enough for application.

[bjcheung77]

Alberta, eh? Cool, you in Calgary or Edmonton? What was wrong with ENEB? If you completed a degree from them, you could try to have it evaluated with NACES members by following the recommendations on the WIKI (or click my signature). You can skip the bachelor's and have it evaluated as equivalent to US Bachelors/Grad cert. I would decide which option is cheaper, easier, faster for you... I still recommend going directly to NWCU with the ENEB evaluation...

[fmsoa]

CalBar-approved evaluators won't evaluate my bachelor, while they can do it for my postgrad, but it is still not enough for application.

Guess that won't work for your situation then

[Nemfis]

Alberta, eh?  Cool, you in Calgary or Edmonton?  What was wrong with ENEB?  If you completed a degree from them, you could try to have it evaluated with NACES members by following the recommendations on the WIKI (or click my signature).  You can skip the bachelor's and have it evaluated as equivalent to US Bachelors/Grad cert.  I would decide which option is cheaper, easier, faster for you... I still recommend going directly to NWCU with the ENEB evaluation...

Alberta, eh   Edmonton.  

Thanks for that! I was thinking of trying to evaluate it as WIKI says. But IDK whether it would be accepted by NWCU. As I remember, it will show the amount of credit on the evaluation report which can show it's less than 90. 

I want to ask NWCU directly, whether they would accept only the last evaluation report or if they would ask for all previous degrees and diplomas with transcripts to be evaluated.

If it would work with ENEB - why not then?

[bjcheung77]

Report back with your evaluation and findings, I know NWCU would take international credits after an evaluation has been completed as that's what shows on their webpage, you just need ENEB to be evaluated by a NACES member and indicate it's either a Bachelors or Grad Cert...

Admissions Link: https://nwculaw.edu/school-information/admissions
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.