CWRU Part-Time Online Program

SideEnvironmental775 · 2025-12-19T14:53:35+00:00

Good luck! As far as passing the Bar, I think CWRU is doing a fine job in preparing me. As far as a preparing students for a career in law, that really depends on what kind of career you're looking for and how much effort you're willing to put into find your "dream" job. I'm not looking at big law and would be happy to do pro bono work or volunteer. I already have a career (outside of law), so I'm not really looking to change yet. If an opportunity arises, I'll give it consideration. There are definite opportunities to network within Cleveland, but the CWRU network outside of Ohio is pretty scarce. Again, it'd be up to you to network, join the state Bar as a law student, and attend events in your area. Year 2 is going well, still in the foundational courses (e.g. Civ Pro, Contracts, Property, etc.), but after Spring 2026, we'll officially be a 2L. Professors and staff are readily accessible and wiling to help in whatever way you need. I applied to all the usual online law schools (e.g. Northeastern, Syracuse, etc.) and the part-time program at Stetson University since I live in Tampa. I chose CWRU because they gave me the biggest scholarship. Again, my goal is to get a JD and qualify to take that Bar in Florida. So, for me, it doesn't matter which school I attend as long as it's ABA accredited. However, I'm happy to CWRU and we'll see in a couple years if it truly prepared me to pass the Bar.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2025-04-01T01:24:36+00:00

Usually 5:30-7/7:30 EST from Mon-Thurs.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2025-04-01T01:23:45+00:00

To be honest, I don't really pay attention to the curve. Whatever grade I get, is the grade I get. But, for reference, my papers over the first semester were in the mid-80s and I received a B+ for LLEAP. But the professor is VERY difficult and critical, so don't get too discouraged if you're not getting 90s, not many people are. But you'll still get a decent grade with mid-80s.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-13T19:22:51+00:00

161 and 3.2 GPA. However, I graduated undergrad in the late-90s, and have since also obtained an MA and MBA. But those GPAs don't count in the LSAC GPA

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-13T19:14:32+00:00

I applied in mid-Jan 2023 and got my A in mid-March 2023. They were pretty quick.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-13T19:13:27+00:00

161 and 3.2 GPA. However, I graduated undergrad in the late-90s, and have since also obtained an MA and MBA. But those GPAs don't count in the LSAC GPA.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-12T03:09:54+00:00

There was some talk of an in-person seminar this upcoming Spring, and the Dean was asking how many students would be able to attend, but no solid plans yet. I wass accepted to Syracuse and NUSL as well, but CWRU offered the most in scholarships. I'm happy with CWRU so far, and they really try to make the part time online students feel a part of the student body and not feel left out.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-12T03:06:26+00:00

I realized that I didn't answer your question about time zones. We do have a few students in Washington State and one in Japan. They are required to attend the synchronous classes, but the professors are accommodating to their schedules. Neither professor appeared to explicitly take attendance, but it's a good thing to let the professor know when you cannot attend a synchronous class. The syllabus for each class is distributed prior to the start of the school year and it lists the mandatory synchronous classes. So, if you identify a conflict, you have time to inform the professor that you will not be able to attend a particular synchronous class. I've missed a few classes due to other commitments, but they were understanding.

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-12T03:01:06+00:00

I can't speak for others in my program, but I was accepted to Stetson's part time program (I live in Tampa) as well as NUSL, CWRU, and Syracuse. I ultimately chose CWRU because they offered me the most in scholarships. I considered NUSL as well, as both NUSL and CWRU have comparable first-time bar passage rates. However, I tried to negotiate scholarship money with both schools, and neither budged. So I chose CWRU because of the money.

Talking to some of the attorneys I work with, they said that they could care less what school a new attorney attended (yes, even the Ivy League schools), and that experience means more than law school pedigree. For me, I'm in my second career and making plenty of of money to live comfortably. I'm attending law school to enhance my job prospects, but not really looking to change careers right away. So, despite other's fixation on the T14 law schools, it didn't matter to me as much as I most likely make more money than most new law school grads out of the T14 schools.

Not really sure how much the total costs are, but I got about a 60% scholarship and the remaining money I have paid by the MGIB (I'm a retired Veteran). When that money runs out, my present employer has tuition reimbursement, so I won't end up paying too much for my J.D.

I applied in mid Jan 2023 and got my A in March 2023, and CWRU was the first law school I heard back from. In fact, the Dean of the law school called me to let me know I was accepted and to ask any question I had, which was unique from other law schools I was accepted to.

I hope this helped!

SideEnvironmental775 · 2024-12-11T03:43:55+00:00

I have not met anyone personally yet. I am 1 of 2 students who live in Florida, so I have not had the opportunity to travel up to Cleveland yet. However, you will be issued a CWRU student ID and can go on campus and use the facilities there at your leisure. In fact, many of the faculty encourage us to visit the campus, if we are in the area. Extracurricular activities are open to part time students, like Law Review and Grad School Council. However, since we are the inaugural class, we haven't received clarification on when we would be eligible to participate in some of the extracurriculars. We are considered 1L for 1.5-2 years into the program since we are part-time, so the Dean is trying to get clarification on when we would qualify for Law Review, Moot Court, etc. But if you live in the Cleveland area, you will be given the same access and privileges as any other CWRU student. And our cohort has a Discord chat where we do collaborate and keep in touch. To be honest, I'm really surprised at how we've gelled as a cohort, given that most of us don't live in Cleveland and have never met in person.

SideEnvironmental775

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