WGU vs UMPI for law school

[TONY SOPRANOxPEPPER ANNE]

The Law School Admissions Counsel (LSAC) states that in order to have an undergrad GPA, you need to have 60 graded credits from a regionally accredited institution.

The only issue with UMPI is that I'm a bit more than a year from their minimum age requirement.

WGU is on a pass/fail system, meaning my GPA would be null.

With UMPI, I could get 60 ungraded courses from Sophia, then (hopefully) Ace the remaining 20 courses at the university.

Thoughts/opinions? 

Also, If I go to UMPI is there anyway to prepare besides taking more ACE credits for the next year?

I would also dedicate 40-50 hours per week for either school, would it be possible to finish 60 credits in one of the
non-technical (businessadmin/liberal arts) programs in 6 months?

[karehiro]

Seems to me that WGU would be the worst possible accredited school for law school since you'd have to explain in GPA addendum why you would pursue a degree without a GPA, and you'd also have to have an outstanding LSAT relative to other applicants to justify why they'd accept you. Even if you don't have 60 regional credits, its far easier for law schools to justify a TESU or UMPI (for example) graduate because at least they could see graded transcripts of the classes you do take at those institutions, unlike WGU's pass/fail model.

I think you should ask yourself what target law schools you're aiming for: T-14? T-20? T-50? A good regional school? I'd assume that you'd want a reasonable scholarship as well since law school can be incredibly expensive. Personally, I'd go for only schools giving graded credits (like UMPI - though in UMPI's case probably not so much since you'd have to delay - or TESU) if you're attempting to get into any T-20 or strong regional schools, and go for WGU if the ranking of the law school doesn't matter, or you have an incredibly strong LSAT.

[HogwartsSchool]

The Law School Admissions Counsel (LSAC) states that in order to have an undergrad GPA, you need to have 60 graded credits from a regionally accredited institution.

The only issue with UMPI is that I'm a bit more than a year from their minimum age requirement.

WGU is on a pass/fail system, meaning my GPA would be null.

With UMPI, I could get 60 ungraded courses from Sophia, then (hopefully) Ace the remaining 20 courses at the university.

Thoughts/opinions? 

Also, If I go to UMPI is there anyway to prepare besides taking more ACE credits for the next year?

I would also dedicate 40-50 hours per week for either school, would it be possible to finish 60 credits in one of the
non-technical (businessadmin/liberal arts) programs in 6 months?

While you wait a year, Do all the prep for getting into law school (like practice LSAT exams), write your personal statements, etc, then start UMPI for law school because you need the GPA and WGU doesn't provide a standard GPA. note: a GPA alone is only part of the picture because a big portion of the students will be submitting high GPA, you need high LSAT, really strong motivation and personal statement (per law school), references, lots of research into each law school, etc. You should Target T-14 if you can get high enough score on your LSAT. Then, focus on T-20.

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great intro post but it doesn't have anything in regards to the addendum and template. In addition to what advice was mentioned, you really need to provide more details on what you bring to the table, a well rounded application, it doesn't have to be the best, but need to be 'enough' to get past admissions...

It's great asking questions, but you're not giving people the entire picture of your scenario, without most of the details, it's like asking for a coffee but not telling people what you want in the coffee, how do you expect people to order for you? Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

Here's a short read in regards to LSAC, you can review this and other threads by doing a search: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ouncil-GPA

[LevelUP]

I would suggest gathering up credits for UMPI, then spending around 2-3 months studying and taking the LSAT.  That should take around a year.

UMPI would be the best choice over WGU because of

• graded credits
  
• liberal arts subjects available
  
• fairly cheap and quick to earn 60 credits
  

I would also suggest maxing out the 3 minors at UMPI to go with your major.

Picking a minor can be just as important as picking a major. Minors can enhance your degree in a variety of ways. Here are some of the things that a minor could do for you:

• Allow you to explore a new topic in a higher education setting
  
• Expand on your major and increase your knowledge in that subject area
  
• Provide new content to make you a more marketable professional
  

While minors are not a requirement, they are an exciting option for undergraduate students. By choosing one of UMPI's minors, you can provide yourself with new knowledge, skills, and experiences. Not only can a minor add value to your education — it can also enrich your life.

List of liberal arts minors at UMPI:

Criminal Justice
English
History
International Studies
Philosophy
Political Science
Pre-Law
Professional Communication
Psychology

http://catalog.umpi.edu/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=225

Also, check out the tips for getting into law school thread:
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Law-School

[ss20ts]

List of liberal arts minors at UMPI:

Criminal Justice
English
History
International Studies
Philosophy
Political Science
Pre-Law
Professional Communication
Psychology

Just a note that all of these minors cannot be completed in YourPace. In some of these, all of the courses are taught on campus and not in YourPace. You will need to do your research and figure out where you can take the required courses. Also, for the first minor (if you're completing the BLS), you need to complete at least 9 of the 18 credits at UMPI. If you're looking at UMPI seriously, joining the Discord is a great way to get the info on which courses you will need to take elsewhere and where to take them. You would have to take the courses from Sophia or Study most likely.

[HogwartsSchool]

I have mentioned this before in another thread but I will repeat incase you missed it:

The applicant's personal/motivational statement should not be a last-minute thought. It is the moment to separate from everyone else with similar scores, grades, and undergrad degrees. And in fact, many law schools use the personal statement to learn more about the person. The applicant needs to research EACH law school's mission, values, and other characteristics important to the law school. Then, describe how those characteristics apply to the candidate in the personal statement. Reading a brief Wikipedia article about law school is not research.

I can't emphasize enough how important the motivation and personal statements are with law school applications. You could easily spend months preparing the motivation and personal statements. Many potential law applicants just focus on the GPA and just a GPA might get you into a unranked law school but if you have any dream/desire/motivation to attend a T-14 law school, than focus on the full package.

[TONY SOPRANOxPEPPER ANNE]

I have mentioned this before in another thread but I will repeat incase you missed it:

The applicant's personal/motivational statement should not be a last-minute thought. It is the moment to separate from everyone else with similar scores, grades, and undergrad degrees. And in fact, many law schools use the personal statement to learn more about the person. The applicant needs to research EACH law school's mission, values, and other characteristics important to the law school. Then, describe how those characteristics apply to the candidate in the personal statement. Reading a brief Wikipedia article about law school is not research.

I can't emphasize enough how important the motivation and personal statements are with law school applications. You could easily spend months preparing the motivation and personal statements. Many potential law applicants just focus on the GPA and just a GPA might get you into a unranked law school but if you have any dream/desire/motivation to attend a T-14 law school, than focus on the full package.

My birthday isn't until late July next year, so I'd have to cram 60 credits/20 classes in 16 weeks between the Fall 1&2 sessions, to apply in time for a 2026 start.
Has anyone on the forum done something similar to this?
Also I have no responsibilities outside of work, and my dad's fine with me quitting to pursue school, so theoretically I could give 10+ hours a day for this

[HogwartsSchool]

I have mentioned this before in another thread but I will repeat incase you missed it:

The applicant's personal/motivational statement should not be a last-minute thought. It is the moment to separate from everyone else with similar scores, grades, and undergrad degrees. And in fact, many law schools use the personal statement to learn more about the person. The applicant needs to research EACH law school's mission, values, and other characteristics important to the law school. Then, describe how those characteristics apply to the candidate in the personal statement. Reading a brief Wikipedia article about law school is not research.

I can't emphasize enough how important the motivation and personal statements are with law school applications. You could easily spend months preparing the motivation and personal statements. Many potential law applicants just focus on the GPA and just a GPA might get you into a unranked law school but if you have any dream/desire/motivation to attend a T-14 law school, than focus on the full package.

My birthday isn't until late July next year, so I'd have to cram 60 credits/20 classes in 16 weeks between the Fall 1&2 sessions, to apply in time for a 2026 start.
Has anyone on the forum done something similar to this?

While its possible, I'm afraid you are missing the bigger picture when it comes to your application to law school. What makes you as a potential candidate standout from everyone else?? That's the things you need to be working on.

[TONY SOPRANOxPEPPER ANNE]

I know there are other things to a good application besides just LSAT/GPA, and that's what I would work on in the meantime. I only put so much focus on the school aspect of it because with UMPI I would be on a time crunch of 2 maybe 3 sessions between my birthday and the march application deadlines.

---

I have mentioned this before in another thread but I will repeat incase you missed it:

The applicant's personal/motivational statement should not be a last-minute thought. It is the moment to separate from everyone else with similar scores, grades, and undergrad degrees. And in fact, many law schools use the personal statement to learn more about the person. The applicant needs to research EACH law school's mission, values, and other characteristics important to the law school. Then, describe how those characteristics apply to the candidate in the personal statement. Reading a brief Wikipedia article about law school is not research.

I can't emphasize enough how important the motivation and personal statements are with law school applications. You could easily spend months preparing the motivation and personal statements. Many potential law applicants just focus on the GPA and just a GPA might get you into a unranked law school but if you have any dream/desire/motivation to attend a T-14 law school, than focus on the full package.

My birthday isn't until late July next year, so I'd have to cram 60 credits/20 classes in 16 weeks between the Fall 1&2 sessions, to apply in time for a 2026 start.
Has anyone on the forum done something similar to this?

While its possible, I'm afraid you are missing the bigger picture when it comes to your application to law school. What makes you as a potential candidate standout from everyone else?? That's the things you need to be working on.

I know there are other things to a good application besides just LSAT/GPA, and that's what I would work on in the meantime. I only put so much focus on the school aspect of it because with UMPI I would be on a time crunch of 2 maybe 3 sessions between my birthday and the march application deadlines.