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 Northern Virginia Community College, Tidewater Community College, Lord Fairfax Community College, and J Sargeant Reynolds 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 Marymount and Virginia Intermont College.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Hollins, Centura College, and Centura College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Hampton, Northern Virginia Community College, Marymount, and Thomas Nelson Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Southwest Virginia Community College, Patrick Henry Community College, Central Virginia Community College, and Virginia Western Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Centura College, University of Richmond, Hampton, and Hollins.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of University of Richmond, Virginia Intermont College, Hollins, and Hampton.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Richmond.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at University of Richmond.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Richmond, Virginia Intermont College, Hollins, and Hampton.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight Virginia Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Alexandria, Arlington, Ashburn, Chesapeake, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, Manassas, Midlothian, Newport News, Virginia Beach, Woodbridge
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
- Locations: Chantilly, Norfolk, Richmond, Salem, Springfield
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate
- Locations: Vienna
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
See these schools on a map
Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: 6 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Master
Keiser University eCampus Online
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Locations: Chantilly, Norfolk, Richmond, Salem, Springfield
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Virginia • Charlottesville, VA
Studying Political Science (completion in 2009)
• 5/5/2011
"UVA was a great school and I enjoyed it very much. Obviously, not everything was perfect, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UVA allows you to make a ton of great connections. Also, our law school is top rated. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | With a top notch faculty, our program is well-known. It's always cool to see your former professors on TV! |
| Program Quality | 8 | I made great connections. These will hopefully prove beneficial to my future. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors helped me broaden my horizons. It wasn't about what was on the syllabus. It was about the lessons I learned from talking to them. |
| How Difficult | 9 | It's a challenging school. However, the challenges have helped me grow. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It all depends on the classes you choose. Some are very much about lectures and others are very much about discussions in seminars. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | There were no online options. Everything else was great. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | UVA has great new facilities, but some are obviously older and in need of renovations. Overall though, it is pretty good. |
| Social Life | 9 | UVA students work hard and play hard. The fraternities tend to dominate the social scene, though. |
| Placement Services | 6 | Some of my friends got jobs through these services. I did not. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | There are alumni all over the world. They are very helpful and excited to help. |
Virginia Western Community College • Roanoke, VA
Studying Paralegal Studies (completion in 2004)
• 6/28/2011
"Overall I believe my school provided me with the education I needed to excel in my career. They also made it easy to be a full time worker and a full time college student at the same time. They were flexible and provided an abundance of resources."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would always recommend a four year college experience first. But if this was not possible, then my college is a great two year college! |
| Program Reputation | 5 | This is just a community college. Some people use this as a transition school between high school and a four year college. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school had great professors. They also offered a variety of tutors and extra help when needed. |
| Instruction | 7 | I felt my professors provided me with all the resources I needed to become successful. Some even took us on "field trips" if you will... Giving us a first hand views of the profession. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I didn't find the material overly challenging. It was easy to understand and learn. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | As previously stated, some professors took us on "field trips." They wanted us to experience things first hand. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They provided day and evening classes. There were several times during the day and evening offered. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I always had access to libraries, tutors, etc. They had great resources with which to assist students. |
| Social Life | 4 | This was a community college so socialization was a little lower. We did not have kids living on campus. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I wasn't really given a job placement opportunity. My school had a waiting list at the time to even talk with the counselor who was in charge of job placement. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have not heard from my school except for receiving a catalog of upcoming classes and courses being offered. I did receive a personal note of congratulations from a professor after graduation. |
George Mason • Fairfax, VA
Studying Business (completion in 2011)
• 7/15/2011
"I am satisfied very much by how the school sets its procedures and rules, rules that help create a mature and organized environment to learn and be successful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend the school to anyone pursuing a successful and professional career, and is expecting the best academic experience. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Many people who choose this program go on to join reputable organizations in the government. They are recognized by employers. |
| Program Quality | 9 | It is a very comprehensive program that is offered. It teaches the fundamentals and then moves to advanced skills. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors are there to help you when you feel confused. It is straightforward as long as you keep up with the work. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It is fairly difficult only if you do not pay attention or come to class. Studying at least 2 hours a day is integral to pass, but as long as you do that you will do fine. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The requirements are still traditionally more based on using books to learn and study from. The main time when you can use computers are when you have free time away from class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The schedules that students are able to create are very malleable in terms of the students work and home requirements. They can choose night classes, for example, if they have work in the afternoons. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school's academic facilities are held to the highest of standards. The money spent to update, maintain, and develop these facilities require ample investment. The students can go to the libraries and computer. rooms to research and study to prepare for major exams. Tutoring is available also to gain a better grasp of course work. |
| Social Life | 8 | The school spirit at the school is highly represented, and during athletic events, everyone comes out to show school pride. There are annual events meant to bring about more support from the community and to have them get involved. |
| Placement Services | 9 | At my school there is an office specifically for career services and job placement. It's where students may come and speak about what they want to do after school. Then they are provided tools to help them reach goals. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The alumni are all professional individuals who are always eager to lend a hand to students in the same program of study. They will mentor you if necessary. |
George Mason University • Fairfax, VA
Studying Administration Of Justice (completion in )
• 7/25/2011
"I was very satisfied with the experience of attending GMU's Administration of Justice program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would wholeheartedly recommend the Administration of Justice and law programs at George Mason University. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I think perhaps some schools have a higher rating for Legal Study programs or Administration of Justice programs. However, George Mason itself is a well respected public college in Virginia and also has a competitive law school with a growing reputation. Many of the teachers for GMU's law school are also faculty for the Administration of Justice program. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The program I enrolled in was Administration of Justice. I really enjoyed this program as I had the opportunity to learn about the legal and enforcement aspects of the criminal justice system. |
| Instruction | 6 | The instructors were very good and came from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some were current and former police officers, some worked for government agencies and some were working attorneys. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The workload for each class was really very demanding. However, it was good to have the challenge of memorization, homework assignments, and papers to write. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My curriculum offered a mixture of hands on knowledge and book knowledge. We completed a brief internship at the Fairfax County PD Victim Services Program to complement some of the courses. We also were able to participate in intern programs to assist law firms with legal research. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | GMU, as one of the largest public schools in Virginia, offered a variety of evening, online, and summer session courses to cater to traditional and non-traditional students. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | GMU has an amazing campus rich with resources. GMU offers two large libraries and many computer labs, as well as a law library. There are many classrooms equipped with state of the art media equipment for faculty and students. |
| Social Life | 6 | GMU offers a variety of clubs and on campus activities for students to become more involved with the campus community and the NOVA community. Although I participated with a few volunteering clubs, I worked while attending college so I was not very involved with the campus socially. |
| Placement Services | 5 | GMU offers a career website where any current students or alumni can post their resume for a nominal fee. This was helpful to me when I was looking for jobs in the NOVA area, but in my current city, it was not very helpful. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I was not very involved with GMU's alumni network myself, but several other students were able to get in touch with alums to mentor them in their career fields. |
The Braxton School Of Business • Richmond, VA
Studying Legal Assistant Certification (completion in 1995)
• 8/1/2011
"It was a small school and I feel they could have went into more depth with some subjects."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | The school is no longer operational. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The school is closed, but had a great rep when open. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The school was full time days for one year. Some of the subjects taught, such as Business Math, were very short in term. |
| Instruction | 7 | I enjoyed Legal Transcription and Accounting very much. The emphasis on typing was a little much for one who already knows how to type. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I graduated top of my class and enjoyed school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | When I went to school, most all subjects were hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I took the summer courses and enjoyed them. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | It was just average. Could have been a bigger school. |
| Social Life | 2 | There were many cliques, so I focused solely on my studies. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I was placed as a Legal Assistant with a Personal Injury attorney within 6 months. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | The school is no longer in operation and promised lifetime job placement which hasn't been fulfilled. |
Bryant & Stratton College: Virginia Beach • Virginia Beach, VA
Studying Paralegal Studies (completion in 2011)
• 11/16/2011
"I'd go there again in a heartbeat. I absolutely loved my experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The staff was amazing and very willing to help students who asked for it. Also, the curriculum was excellent in preparing me for my future career. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Last time I checked they were highly reputable in the geographical area around the school. I am now on the other side of the country, so there is practically no knowledge of them here. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Amazing staff! I feel I was properly and adequately prepared for my career. |
| Instruction | 10 | I feel I was properly educated at the Associate's level for my career. The staff was always available via phone or email to help outside of the classroom. |
| How Difficult | 4 | I have always had an easy time learning, so I may not be the most adequate judge of difficulty. There were some areas of study that were a little difficult, but still relatively effortless in the grand scheme of things. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I was very pleased with the mix of the two learning styles. It is rather difficult to have hands-on learning for a paralegal, but the medical students had lots of labs. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They have day, night, and weekend classes as well as some online options. I took advantage of all of these, except for the online classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The only problem was that if we needed a law library we had to travel to the local university. Fortunately, the university was rather close. Many other services were available and fantastic as far as assistance is concerned. |
| Social Life | 8 | I'm not a very social person, but even I made friends. There are many clubs to participate in. School spirit was relatively high for being a technical college. There were not any athletic teams. No organized parties or social events either. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They have a department dedicated solely to career services and job placement. They help students find internships and help alumni look for career leads. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I've had an easy time getting in touch with the the alumni that I've wanted to get in contact with. They also have a great career services department that helps alumni look for job leads in the area around the school. |
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