Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Paralegals And Legal Assistants
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Atlanta Metropolitan, Gainesville State, Clayton State, and Valdosta State.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Clayton State, Gainesville State, and Valdosta State.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Brenau.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Atlanta Metropolitan, Dekalb, Clayton State, and Savannah Technical College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Dekalb, Brenau, Darton, and Griffin Technical College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Atlanta Metropolitan, Brenau, Clayton State, and Darton.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Valdosta State, Brenau, Clayton State, and Darton.
Excellence
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Brenau.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Valdosta State, Middle Georgia Technical College, Brenau, and Clayton State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Georgia • Athens, GA
Studying English (completion in 1988)
• 6/26/2011
"UGA offers a lot; it's just somewhat difficult to access because it is so damned big. Freshmen can have a hard time, but once you make it to junior or senior year, things get easier. By then you know your way around, classes are smaller, and professors more accessible."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I sort of backed into being a legal assistant with more on the job training than formal schooling as such. However, my English degree was good training for working with words, which is what the legal profession does, after all. In that sense, I feel that UGA prepared me well. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | English majors have lately fallen out of favor both nationally and statewide, but my perception is that UGA still has a decent reputation in that department. Honestly, the school is better know for its vet program these days. |
| Program Quality | 6 | UGA, back when I attended, had a decent English department, though not outstanding. I believe I got a good basic liberal arts education that allowed me to move into a number of areas. I later worked as Deputy Clerk of Court before becoming a legal assistant. |
| Instruction | 7 | As I said in my answer above, UGA's English faculty when I attended was solid, though probably not outstanding at a national level. I got a good solid grounding in the liberal arts which prepared me for a lifetime of learning. |
| How Difficult | 5 | It is difficult to compare my course of study with any other school since I only attended UGA. Still, based on what I have since seen, I would consider it to be of average difficulty. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I was an English major. Of course it was more books than anything else. This question really doesn't apply so much, I think. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | It has been years since I graduated, so I am no longer familiar with all the class offerings. My rating is based on the time I spent there. Here, the size of the campus is a detriment, with limited parking and large distances between class buildings, sometimes miles. I imagine that today it is even worse. I know little to nothing about online classes offered at UGA. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | UGA has enormous resources, no question about that. My teachers were always accessible, but I only know about the English department. Others may be different. |
| Social Life | 9 | Even with the bobbles and bad times, my overall impression is positive. I enjoyed my college years and would have gladly stayed a student longer if I could have afforded it. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I think the sheer size of UGA helps in job placement. Just putting down on job applications the fact that I has a UGA grad has sometimes been helpful. The actual placement office has been, in my limited experience, professionally run and competent. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I am not very involved in alumni activities, but I know they exist. I do get the occasional email newsletter, but I don't attend events. My assumption is that the network is about average for a school of this size. |
National Center For Paralegal Studies • Atlanta, GA
Studying General Legal Studies (completion in 1982)
• 6/28/2011
"I loved the school. I got a great education and a great job when I left."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | My school has closed no so I cannot recommend it. But at the time I would have definitely recommended it. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Legal firms from several states looked to my school for paralegals. They came to the school for interviews. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My school was good because it focused 100% on paralegals. The instructors were lawyers and interested in the welfare of their students. My school had a wonderful job placement program. Unfortunately, the school I attended is no longer in business. |
| Instruction | 9 | I felt very prepared for the actual job. I learned what I needed to know to assist the attorneys. I did not need a lot of training on the job. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The workload was fairly large as we covered a lot of information in the short amount of time we were there. The instructors gave very good feedback on assignments. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We did actual work on legal documents. We also took a field trip to a court. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The classes were offered at only one time of day. If you chose general legal studies you did not get much criminal instruction. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | There were no tutors but we did have study groups. The professors were accessible but the school was old. |
| Social Life | 9 | Most of the students lived in school provided housing, so that was great. We became great friends. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The school arranged for numerous firms to come for interviews. The firms were from all over the south. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The support while I was there was excellent. I do not think the school had an alumni network. |
University Of Georgia • Athens, GA
Studying Criminal Justice (completion in 1976)
• 7/2/2011
"I would've liked to have attended a more prestigious institution, as I did not feel I was challenged. However, it was a great place to spend four years."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on whether you plan on living in the South. If you are, I think it's a great place to go to school. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I don't keep up on these things. I do know that the school has improved over the years, particularly after the Hope Scholarship program in the state of Georgia. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I really enjoyed learning about the American criminal justice system. I did not find it very practical for the real world, however. |
| Instruction | 7 | My professors were great, but I would've liked more real world experience. After I graduated, I worked in a halfway house and quickly became disillusioned with criminal justice. |
| How Difficult | 2 | Compared to engineering and other disciplines, I did not feel I had to study as much. The classes tended to focus on 'softer' issues which I found easy to study for. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | At the time, instruction was heavily based on books. I would've liked some more field experience as I may have changed my major prior to graduation if I knew what the system was like in the real world. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I was a full-time student, so flexibility was not an issue. To my knowledge, there weren't any options at the time for students wishing to attend part-time or via correspondence, although I'm sure that has changed. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I think they were very good for the time. However, after visiting my son's college, I was blown away by the quality of the facilities at a modern university. |
| Social Life | 10 | Georgia was a beautiful campus and I loved the football, parties, and general social scene. It was a great place to spend four years. |
| Placement Services | 2 | I did not utilize career services while attending college. I would imagine this has improved markedly since the mid-1970's. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I have not, to date, utilized UGA's alumni network. I know that their alumni network is extremely strong in the South, particularly in the Atlanta area. It really depends on where you live. |
Emory University • Atlanta, GA
Studying Political Science (completion in 1988)
• 7/12/2011
"My school made me a better person. If given the opportunity I would do it all over again."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Emory is a world-class school. A diploma from Emory is something that will be of value to you for your entire life. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Political Science at Emory is nationally recognized. Professors publish articles and books worldwide. |
| Program Quality | 10 | It is a nationally ranked program. It prepares students very well for the job market. |
| Instruction | 10 | It is a top 20 school. Every employer has respect for it. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The program of study was very challenging, but rewarding. As I get older I appreciate my education more and more. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program at Emory was a mixture of hands-on and book learning oriented classes. Both methods provided valuable results and were each important in their own ways. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Class schedule flexibility was not an issue for me, as I was a full-time, live-in student. I took the classes that I needed when they were offered. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Academic facilities at Emory are top-notch, owing to their large endowment. The Coca-Cola Company has given the school tens of millions of dollars. |
| Social Life | 9 | My experiences at Emory were very good, mainly owing to the friends I made there. There were no real athletics when I went except for intramural sports, so school spirit was lacking. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I did not use Emory's job placement services. Friends that used them had a great deal of success, however. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | There are Emory alumni all over the world. Emory alumni are, on the whole, successful and are open to helping new graduates. |
Wesleyan College • Macon, GA
Studying History (completion in 2005)
• 10/23/2011
"Like all schools it has its good points and its bad. The small classes meant that you came to know your professors; but on the other hand the small class sizes meant that not all the classes were offered all the time."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | To become a paralegal, I still needed to obtain a certificate of paralegal studies. So even though I paid several 10s of thousands of dollars to obtain my BA, to get the certificate I had to pay more. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The school recently lost its permanent professors in the History department. So they are currently using adjunct professors. |
| Program Quality | 6 | The school I attended was very small, which I liked. However, it also presented problems when it came to classes. Classes were offered on a 2 year cycle and if you missed them you were not able to take the class until the next cycle. |
| Instruction | 8 | I learned a great deal about research and presentation of the research. I think that what I was taught really prepared me for my chosen field. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There was a great deal of reading and writing. Yet the level was not one that someone who truly enjoyed the field would have minded. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They were very discussion based. There were not a great deal of lectures but more of an opening of the conversation by the professor. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Due to the small size, the class schedule was pretty rigid. The classes cycled on a 2 year rotation. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The school's main focus was on the sciences, and that could be seen in the resources extended to the history department. The department specifically had maps that still showed the USSR existing. |
| Social Life | 6 | The small school allowed me to know my fellow students rather well. To be specific, we were not allowed to have sororities on campus which greatly reduced the number of cliques on campus. |
| Placement Services | 5 | While I was attending the college, I really did not use the career services department. The one thing I do remember is that they were not very helpful when I was looking for an internship. |
| Alumni Network | To be perfectly frank, I have not utilized the contacts in my alumni network so I would not be in a position to rate this accurately. |
Young Harris College • Young Harris, GA
Studying Biology (completion in 2008)
• 10/29/2011
"I feel I received a good education. I have fond memories of my school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | One wouldn't need to pursue an Associate's degree to seek a career like mine. There are faster and far more cost-effective methods to attain a certificate. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It isn't renown for its biology program. Nonetheless, I felt it was good. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I feel that I received a good education at Young Harris. The economy has simply made it difficult to find a job in my preferred field. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors at my school were wonderful. They would go above and beyond for their students. |
| How Difficult | 8 | While I enjoyed it, many of my courses were very challenging. I had to study quite a bit. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My professors, especially in the science department, would rely on our textbooks to explain the basics and follow through with an experiment in most cases. Lessons were usually in 2 parts. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | This is a very small school. It was not as flexible in regards to schedules as the larger ones may be. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | There was good access to labs and professors on weekends and after hours. Professors were very easy to reach and would help tutor any students that needed it. |
| Social Life | 3 | I was very introverted and did not take part in many school functions. There was good school spirit throughout the student body, though. |
| Placement Services | 3 | They tried to help me find a career, but to no avail. There was nothing available in the form of a paid position in state. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I do not take part in alumni events. They are largely useless. |
University Of Georgia • Athens, GA
Studying Legal Assistant (completion in 2008)
• 10/20/2011
"I love UGA. I would recommend it to anyone."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I was thoroughly educated in my field. Your experience in this campus will be helpful, friendly, intelligent, and welcoming. It is a wonderful school. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Everyone in GA knows UGA is the place to go for this area of study. It lets you know you are in great hands. |
| Program Quality | 10 | UGA is a spectacular school. The curriculum is exquisite. The staff is more than helpful. The campus is extraordinary. |
| Instruction | 10 | My professors were easy to follow and learn from. They were eager to help students struggling with certain concepts. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I have always been an above average student. Bookwork and concepts come easily to me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We took many trips to offices and worked hands on. We also had real documents to work on in class from books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Being a single mother, I needed flexible hours. This school worked a great deal with me to help me graduate on time. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The facilities were impeccable. Everything you could ever need was provided for you. |
| Social Life | 9 | Everyone going to this school was extremely social. It is the south and you can say "Hi" and be friendly to everyone. |
| Placement Services | 6 | They do not do job placement. My resume was more than enough to get a job. |
Brewton-Parker College • Mount Vernon, GA
Studying Music Education (completion in 2010)
• 1/13/2012
"I honestly wish I had received my education elsewhere. I think bigger schools have more resources."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | The music department is no longer there. Most of the great professors were fired. It's a terrible school. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | Barely anyone outside of Georgia knows BPC exists. The music program is what it's most known for. |
| Program Quality | 5 | My music education was a good program. My core classes were lacking. |
| Instruction | 5 | The music professors were very well qualified. The core class instructors were not good instructors. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The music program was very difficult. Some of my core classes were just too easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My music was hands on. The core classes were almost all book learning oriented. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The music department was not flexible. The education department made it easy for online classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | The library was very small. The music department was very lacking in resources. |
| Social Life | 3 | There aren't many social activities. It was a very boring place to live and not very fun. |
| Placement Services | 3 | They didn't help me find a job at all. If it wasn't for my professors' recommendations, I wouldn't have found a job. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I rarely get contacted for any alumni events. If it wasn't for Facebook, I wouldn't know they existed. |
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