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 Atlantic Cape, Ocean County College, Bergen Community College, and Brookdale Community College.
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 Berkeley and Montclair State.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Camden County College, Mercer County Community College, Essex County College, and Union County College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Sussex County Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Montclair State and Berkeley.
Excellence
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Montclair State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Drew University • Madison, NJ
Studying English (completion in 2007)
• 5/4/2011
"I thought that Drew provided a very well-rounded education. I feel that my time was well-spent there and it helped me to easily adjust to an office work-environment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Although it doesn't offer any majors in criminal justice or other legal fields, I think Drew provides the type of education and thoughtfulness required of a paralegal. While I'm sure there may exist more cost-effective options, if an individual saw a paralegal career as a stepping stone into the world of law, Drew would be a smart choice. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | My understanding is that Drew University is known for its English and Dramatic Arts programs. The school offers a minor in writing with two separate focuses (Creative and Non-Fiction), helping to make it stand out. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I think an English major provides an individual with the ability to communicate effectively. It also provides an individual with the ability to problem solve. |
| Instruction | 8 | The quality of curriculum at Drew University was top notch and the professors were smart, and accessible, and experts in their fields. Career preparation, while available, was not a focus of the faculty nor of the administration. |
| How Difficult | 7 | If you like to write and you're good at it, you won't think that the workload is too challenging. An English major is heavy on paper writing, and light on examinations. It's good for people who don't like to cram, or enjoy the craft of writing. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Speaking as an English major, it's difficult to imagine anything but "book learning." Nevertheless, Drew offered English courses in which students watched and studied film (including an entire class about the different movie productions of Shakespeare's plays). | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | As an undergraduate, I was provided with the opportunity to take evening courses. I'm not sure if Drew offers weekend classes, but I know that summer programs are available, and I believe that online courses are now available as well. In addition, Drew is affiliated with a nearby school, St. Elizabeth's, which offers an education major (not available at Drew), to provide what their student body wants. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Drew has an extensive library, a great internet network, and accessible professors. Drew hosted tutoring programs and paper laboratories. The Drew Library was also a member of a book sharing program with a number of other schools to help expand its collection. |
| Social Life | 6 | Drew University is known as a "suitcase school." Much of the student body lives in and around the area and goes home often on the weekends. With that being said, Drew does it's best to offer events and places for its students to interact during the week and weekends. Unfortunately, the town of Madison, despite being home to three schools (Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson, and St. Elizabeth's), does not see itself as a college town and does little to embrace college-aged students. |
| Placement Services | 5 | While available, the career services seemed small and not a focus of the faculty or administration. The alumni network doesn't seem to be as prevalent or dedicated as other schools in the area. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | While I've been invited to a number of alumni events sponsored by the school, there do not seem to be as many clubs and alumni organizations as other schools in the area. |
Rutgers • New Brunswick, NJ
Studying Political Science (completion in 2010)
• 7/12/2011
"For what I paid, I got a great deal. I enjoyed my time there and feel well prepared for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | There are a lot of NJ law firms that hire Rutgers graduates. One of the reasons I was hired was because of an alumni connection. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Rutgers gets a lot of credit for providing a good education cheaply. It doesn't have the "prestige" of other schools, but everyone recognizes that it is a good value. |
| Program Quality | 6 | I graduated feeling pretty comfortable with both the theoretical and the practical side of the field. I did everything from read Marx to taking political engagement surveys; I feel well prepared for a career in academia or law. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors were good lecturers and genuinely cared about helping students. Class size was large, but despite this, professors were available to answer questions. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Many of the classes were curved. I didn't have to do well on tests to get a good grade, I just had to do better than the other students. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Instruction was very hands on. I almost wish there was more theory taught. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They had all sorts of online and evening classes. I never had a problem with scheduling. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I was impressed by the libraries and online resources. I was never unable to access a book or article I needed. |
| Social Life | 8 | The social scene is aided by the fact that there are many locals. I felt like the student body did a good job planning events. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The staff was extremely competent and helpful. I felt very supported through every step of the job hunt. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | This depends on what state you're in. Within NJ, the network is very strong. |
Montclair State University • Montclair, NJ
Studying Justice Studies: Paralegal Concentration (completion in 2008)
• 7/16/2011
"Although I didn't get the full "college experience," I did enjoy attending college there. The teachers were great and the students were nice. There was plenty to do there between classes and many great places to relax or get work done."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's a great university. The education is excellent and there is a lot to do on and off campus. I'm sure anyone else who attended would say the same thing. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | When I was in college only a few universities around offered paralegal programs. I believe my college was the first in NJ to offer the program. I'm not really sure what their reputation is nationally, but I would guess it is positive in NJ. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school had concentration classes for those in the Justice Studies program who wanted to become paralegals. The classes were informative and helpful in preparing me for my future career path. |
| Instruction | 9 | Most of the professors were lawyers themselves so they better understood what we were going to need to learn to continue on this career path. We covered many relevant topics which not only helped me better understand law, but also prepared me for the future. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There was a lot of work and we needed to understand what we were doing. I think the difficulty would depend from person to person. I believe it was a challenge, but I didn't find it too difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Definitely mostly book learning. However, we were required to partake in an internship which was obviously hands-on because we got experience in working in the field. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | There were many classes we could take and they were all provided on different days and at different times. I worked in college and often took day and night classes which worked around my schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | We had a decent law library, which I used in a legal research class. We also had a computer lab for the computer applications in the legal environment class I took. The college was well suited to teach everything offered. |
| Social Life | 3 | I commuted to school and worked practically full-time while I attended college. Unfortunately I didn't have time for a social life at the college campus. |
| Placement Services | 7 | We had to complete internships before graduating. This is helpful in landing positions, as well as in networking. There also is a job posting board on the justice studies website. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | There are options available from the school's site which allow you to stay in touch w/ the community. Newsletters are also sent on probably a quarterly basis keeping students/alumni informed. |
Rutgers University • New Brunswick, NJ
Studying History (completion in 2009)
• 9/24/2011
"Socially, I had a great time at my school. Academically, I wish I went to a different school, most likely a private one. Rutgers is a state school so when the budgets were affected, my departments were greatly changed. I was accepted to many schools on the east coast and sometimes wished that I went somewhere else or transferred during the budget chaos."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Everyone has a different experience in college. If someone still wanted to go to Rutgers for the active social calendar, I would tell them to choose a different major, such as political science. The political science department had more classes and was less focused on research, so they were not cut as much as the history department. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | The professors in History are great academics but they are not necessarily great teachers. The books that they write are very informative and they are highly intelligent, but when you step into their classrooms, it is a different atmosphere. Rutgers was focused on research and not really on their students. |
| Program Quality | 7 | My school had a lot of budget cuts which greatly affected my department. Many of the classes that I would have taken were cut. |
| Instruction | 7 | Most of the professors cared more about writing their books than their lectures. There were a lot of visiting professors that were only adequate in English, which made taking the class that much more difficult. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Some professors were hard to understand which made taking their tests more difficult. Office hours were very limited and I also worked while going to school, so time management was essential. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My history courses were greatly mixed. Visiting professors were more hands-on while those working on their books focused on learning from the books. I preferred the classes with no group assignments since everyone usually had packed schedules. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | If I had a lab course, I would have to work my other classes around that time. There are few online courses that counted for actual credits and there were no weekend classes for my program. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The libraries were great. They also had a system with other college libraries where we would be able to take out books from those libraries and return them at our university library. The online website for the library was also extensive and user friendly. |
| Social Life | 10 | Football got really big while I was at Rutgers. I was also in a sorority which gave me an active social calendar. The clubs were better at hosting events than the school itself. |
| Placement Services | 2 | I found my job on my own through Craigslist. Rutgers does hold numerous job fairs but in this market, they mostly wanted people with experience. Therefore the job fairs were mostly for the community and graduate students and not necessarily the undergrads that highly populate the university. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school has a strong football team so the alumni network is based around football. If I were to try to network with their departments, it would not be as active. |
Rutgers University • New Brunswick, NJ
Studying History & Political Science (completion in 2007)
• 1/12/2012
"I had a great intellectual and social experience at Rutgers. I would not trade the time for anything."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The general liberal arts training did not train me to be a legal assistant directly, but provided a well-rounded background that I always carry with me. Studying History is not a prerequisite to work in the legal field, but often History majors move into the field. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I believe Rutgers has a good reputation for History. It is not as respected as the Philosophy department, but still has reputable professors. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The history department was well organized at Rutgers. They had a great partnership with the pre-law advisers for students interested in pursuing careers in law. |
| Instruction | 8 | The history lectures were not exactly on par with preparation for a career as a legal assistant. However, the topics covered made me want to pursue some career in law, and being an assistant was a great way to get a window into the practical aspects. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The program was intellectually challenging, but not very work intensive. There was a lot of reading, but not a terrible amount. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | For my program, it was very book oriented. Reading treatises, novels, and essays on history was the norm. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Rutgers is a very big school and has many options for classes. If something wasn't offered one semester, it would almost certainly be offered next semester. The Registrar and administrators were always attentive to student requests and in keeping a pulse on how students wanted to shape their education. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Many of the Rutgers buildings in New Brunswick are quite old, but are kept modern with connectivity, accessibility, and new furnishings. Tutors were readily available, professors were uniformly open to meeting with students and they were always willing to become advisors to students. |
| Social Life | 9 | The football games at Rutgers always draw a great crowd (and not just because the tickets are free for students). Despite a lackluster record, students always show support to the football team, and support the various other athletic teams at Rutgers. |
| Placement Services | 9 | Career services in New Brunswick was always very helpful for my class finding jobs. They helped me focus on looking for jobs in law offices after graduation. They eventually aided me in getting an interview and preparing me for it. Very attentive. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The alumni network is very strong in New Jersey. Just about everyone where I go, someone went to Rutgers. Because there is an attached law school, there are several lawyers who are also part of the network. |
Caldwell College • Caldwell, NJ
Studying Paralegal (completion in 1992)
• 3/22/2012
"I was very satisfied with the school. It was adequate for what I wanted to accomplish."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend the school. The program was informative, and the professors were very good. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | As far as I know, the school has a good reputation for this program. I never heard a bad thing about the school regarding this or any other program they offer. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I enjoyed the school very much. The professors were knowledgeable and easy to understand. |
| Instruction | 9 | The Professors were knowledgeable and easy to understand. They were all former or present attorneys who knew their subject matter. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I did not find the program difficult at all. This may be because I had spent over ten years working in the legal industry so it was familiar to me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | the professors did a good job of using hands-on and book learning for our topics. They also used videos which were helpful. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The schedule was flexible. I was able to take classes either in the evening or during the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The classroom space was adequate. I did not use any of their other facilities because this was a part-time program. |
| Social Life | 9 | The experience from this school was a positive one. They were very good and the program was sufficient. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I did not need job placement assistance. I already had a job so I really am not familiar with their placement services. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | The admissions and support people were very helpful. They were knowledgeable about the program. |
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