With law school in mind, Excelsior or TESU?

[Jitzman94]

I am finishing up my final semester at my local community college. I currently have a 3.7 GPA.  I am not 100% certain, but I am strongly considering a future in law, and ultimately going to law school.

With that being said, what would be the best option for finishing up my bachelors?  undergrad GPA is arguably the largest determining factor in law school admission, a long with LSAT scores.

If I hypothetically went to TESU to finish my bachelors and I tested out of the majority of the requirements, wouldnt I not receive a GPA on my transcripts?  same thing at excelsior?

is law school even a possibility when attending one of the big 3 online for undergrad? (if you hope to test out of a majority of things via CLEP/study.com etc)

[davewill]

I don't think there's a difference between the two in terms of moving on to law school. You are required to take at least a capstone course (as well as a cornerstone at TESU) so you will have a GPA, it just won't consist of many courses. Your current CC GPA will count as well. You will send in both transcripts and your overall GPA will be calculated from them.

[dfrecore]

I would work backwards on this one. First, figure out a number of law schools you would like to attend, and then find out what their admission requirements are. Then, figure out how to meet those requirements. If you need 30 or 60 graded credits, you may already have that through your CC. If they want specific prerequisite courses with grades, then make sure you take those somewhere that you'll get a grade for.

As davewill said, you will have a GPA at either school you're considering, but it will be based on 1-2 courses.

[Jitzman94]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm digging into specific admission requirements now.

[mysonx3]

I've never heard of a law school with specific pre-requisite courses. Most law schools receive applications through LSAC, which means that, in order to have a GPA on your application for those schools, you will need a total of 60 graded semester hours or more. This can be from your CC, from TESU/EC/COSC, or from classes you take elsewhere. All will be included in your GPA.

The main things you need to worry about are:

1. Get to 60 graded credits across the various schools you attend
2. Keep the GPA high over those credits
3. Nail the LSAT

[Jitzman94]

^^ this is awesome to know.

I already have 60 graded credits via community college. I should be able to test out of the max amount of courses at either excelsior or TESU then.

[mysonx3]

^^ this is awesome to know.

I already have 60 graded credits via community college. I should be able to test out of the max amount of courses at either excelsior or TESU then.

Make sure that these 60 graded credits are on the SEMESTER system (not quarter system). If your school was on the quarter system, these 60 graded credits will only count for approximately 40.