<p>My son is going to be a senior in high school this year and would like to pursue a degree in law. Other than SUNY Albany, what other schools offer a 3-3 program or are best to prepare him for law school?</p>
<p>What’s SUNY Albany law school placement rate and their earning potential?</p>
<p>If he is a senior in high school, it is very possible that he will change his mind about going into law. I would tell him that college is a time for exploration and that it might be premature to decide on a career path, at least one that does not involve an undergraduate degree. He can go to law school with many majors from many schools. So making a decision on a college choice solely on that basis may not be a good idea.</p>
<p>I realize that a 3/3 program would save time and money, so perhaps that could be a factor, and if he liked a school for many other reasons, then it would make sense to apply there.</p>
<p>He is entering his senior year in high school. He is currently working in a law firm and is a member of the police explorers program. He has already taken a course in Criminal Justice and is taken College Criminal Justice and College Forensics this year. He definitely wants law or something under the Criminal Justice umbrella.</p>
<p>At this point he is thinking maybe John Jay but having a school that has a 3-3 option would be a savings if that is his final route. You usually cannot apply to get into that program track until sophomore or junior year any way.</p>
<p>You should Google: dual undergraduate-law programs</p>
<p>Hofstra appears to have a 3-3 program. There are probably others.</p>
<p>“Best to prepare him for law school” is just about any school. Many have pre-professional advising or a strong group in the Career Services office who handle law school guidance and admissions. The Career Services office at most schools should be able to give you info. on what % of students attend law schools within 3 years of graduation, what law schools they attend. Comparing that information may help you determine which schools are “better” at preparing their students for Law School.</p>
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<p>Unless the 3-3 program is associated with a top 14 law school, I’d take a pass…especially in this economy. Even if it is…I’d still be wary unless you/your family feel comfortable flushing an additional $200K+ for law school with uncertain post-law school employment prospects. </p>
<p>I know of far too many folks…even within the T-14 who aren’t landing law jobs or whose law jobs are so low that it will take them well into middle/old age to pay off the debtload. One who is in the latter category has nearly half a million in combined undergrad and law school debt and barely makes $30k in his law job…and he’s far more fortunate than the vast majority of classmates in his law school graduating class. </p>
<p>Speaking of Hofstra, I know several folks who recently graduated from their law program. </p>
<p>Only one even has a job lead…and that’s because he has prior links to the region concerned and impressive work experience during college & law school. If you’d ask him if he’d ever go to Hofstra again…his reply would be an emphatic negative.</p>
<p>I understand your concern about trying to go the cheapest route possible. 3 years of law school cost ~200k, so you are on the right path of having him accumulate the least amount of undergrad debt.</p>
<p>However, I would pass on the 3+3 programs at Hofstra (ranked 79) and Albany (which is not even in the top 100) because if he plans on working in NY, especially NYC, his chances will be extremely low as far as getting a job coming out of these schools. as much as people hate the concept of ranking schools, law school is the one place that ranking matters because where you go and how well you do when you get there does affect your opportunities for employment.</p>
<p>Let him take the process one step at a time. The 2 biggest factors in law school admission is LSAT and GPA.</p>
<p>I would suggest purchasing 2 books:</p>
<p>Anna Ivey - THe Ivey guide to law school admissions
Richard Montauk- How to get in a top law school</p>
<p>The Montauk book the book is approximately 500 pages and gives a very comprehensive overview of the college process and discusses applications, essays, LSATs, majors, etc</p>
<p>Chapter 8 of his book discusses Making the Most of Your Credentials, Montauk states:</p>
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<p>So apparently studying criminal justice and forensic science would not be that helpful. Why isn’t he interested in joining a police force? The pay would be a lot higher than a law career in many instances, and the costs of getting there much lower.</p>
<p>If he is going to college, and not aiming for police work, he might want to broaden his interests academically. Whether for law school or life, having such a focused, vocational path during college can be counterproductive.</p>
<p>Sounds like a great kid and all of his hard work outside of school will pay off during application, regardless. Good luck!</p>
<p>He has considered law enforcement of some type. The FBI/ Secret service require a minimum of a JD for employment. This is his fall back to law.</p>
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<p>I don’t know about the secret service, but that’s definitely NOT true for the FBI. </p>
<p>I know several people…including an older cousin who don’t have JDs who are working there. Cousin was an engineering/CS grad NROTC grad and served for several years before the post-Soviet RIF in the '90s.</p>
<p>All of this information is wonderful however my question is still not answered. Other than Albany, what schools in NY have a 3/3 law program?</p>
<p>Hofstra has one. I looked this info up a while ago when my son was thinking about it and all I did was type something like 3 and 3 undergrad JD programs in NY; I just don’t remember which others there were.</p>
<p>Is Albany’s law school SUNY priced like Buffalo? I think the cheapest law school in NY is CUNY in Queens.</p>
<p>Union College has a 6-year program with Albany.</p>
<p>[Six-Year</a> Law Program - Union College](<a href=“http://www.union.edu/admissions/apply/law/]Six-Year”>3 + 3 Accelerated Law | Admissions | Union College)</p>
<p>Several schools have a 3-3 with Columbia. If I remember, this includes Bowdoin, Grinnell, Whitman and Occidental. I doubt entrance is guaranteed however; I think you still have to be accepted.</p>
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<p>Keep in mind that Albany Law School is not a public law school…but a private law school with private tuition levels. In short, you won’t necessarily money going this route when it comes to the law school portion…not a good thing considering Albany Law’s expense and mediocre job placement record. </p>
<p>They also seem to be one of the law schools named in a lawsuit alleging false advertising on the basis of allegedly exaggerated/falsified job placement statistics:</p>
<p>[12</a> More Law Schools Sued Over Reporting of Law Grad Employment and Salary Stats - News - ABA Journal](<a href=“12 More Law Schools Sued Over Reporting of Law Grad Employment and Salary Stats”>12 More Law Schools Sued Over Reporting of Law Grad Employment and Salary Stats)</p>
<p>In this current economy and state of the legal market, I wouldn’t lock someone into a 3-3 law program…especially if your son’s career prospects won’t require a JD degree as is the case for most law enforcement jobs…including the FBI.* </p>
<p>Not worth going an extra $180k+ into debt on top of undergrad as shown here:</p>
<p>[Admissions</a> | Cost of Attendance](<a href=“http://www.albanylaw.edu/sub.php?navigation_id=120]Admissions”>http://www.albanylaw.edu/sub.php?navigation_id=120)</p>
<p>Moreover, if your son’s not sure he wants to be a lawyer, best to let him attend a good undergrad and worry about the law school application process when he’s in his junior/senior year of undergrad. He may find that he doesn’t need that JD degree for the careers he may be looking into then. </p>
<p>Even if he does decide to go off to law school, with a high GPA and LSAT, he may have far better law school options than Albany law…such as the T-14. Not only will they provide far better potential law career prospects…but they won’t necessarily be more expensive than Albany Law at around $60k/year for 3 years of law school.</p>
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<li>One thing the FBI and Secret Service does favor is prior military service/experience. That’s one of the factors other than my cousin’s major and desire to service that got him into the FBI.</li>
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<p>RE: JD for Secret Service -I’m pretty sure that is NOT true. A relative has worked in SS for the past 20 years and has an undergrad degree from American. No Master’s degree that I am aware of & certainly no law degree.</p>
<p>I would be cautious of the 3-3 programs as others have said. University of Buffalo for Political Science is a great program to prepare for law, and will allow him flexibility to pursue other career paths (FBI, Law, Politics, etc).</p>
<p>I have a friend who is currently working FBI. They may not have needed a JD 20 years but he said they won’t even look at you unless you have a JD.</p>
<p>I would be wary of the information that your FBI friend is giving you. From a quick look at the website, a JD is only required for someone seeking to become a special agent in the law area. There are many other career paths that don’t require a JD. <a href=“https://www.fbijobs.gov/index.asp[/url]”>https://www.fbijobs.gov/index.asp</a></p>
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<p>I have a cousin who’s been in the FBI for 15+ years and has told me that’s not the case unless you’re specifically going into specific departments/areas where that is required. </p>
<p>Barring that, a JD is unnecessary for most entry-level agent positions. </p>
<p>If anything, from what he and several other of his FBI colleagues related to me, barring that exception…if they had a choice between someone with JD and no previous military experience/knowledge of certain in-demand specialties* and someone without a JD…but tons of military experience/certain in-demand specialties…odds are they’re going to hire the latter person. </p>
<p>Moreover, unless that JD is also accompanied by other specialties such as engineering/computer science…certain departments such as computer crimes won’t be interested. </p>
<p>Cousin was hired because of his engineering/CS background and prior military experience as a Naval officer. No JD necessary and that’s still the case for most positions nowadays. </p>
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<li>I.e. Engineering/CS, Accounting, Forensic Science, etc.</li>
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