Western Sierra Law School | San Diego, Oceanside | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Western Sierra has been the greatest opportunity I could have ever wished for when it comes to pursuing my law career. Having worked in the legal field as a Paralegal, I was ambitious in pursuing law school, but given that I worked full-time and could not afford traditional law school, I was limited in my options. However, a previous attorney that I worked for let me know about Western Sierra and encouraged me to reach out and get some information. Within a few weeks, I was set to start my classes. It was a very easy process with no unnecessary stresses such as paying LSAC fees, taking the LSAT, etc. I still work full-time, attending law school twice a week in the evenings and at a fraction of the cost of a traditional school. The law school is managed by very knowledgeable professionals and the professors are a variety of practicing attorneys. I am now a 3L and am only a year away from completing my law degree. After that, taking the Bar will be the last step before I become a practicing attorney. The law school does require students to take the Baby Bar after 1 year of studies, but the exam – while daunting and stressful to approach as a law student – was well worth the time and effort I put in. Seeing the “pass” result was the best feeling and I believe the exam allowed me to familiarize myself with what to expect when I take the actual Bar.

I’m finishing my second year at Western Sierra and am SO glad I took the leap and did it. So many people take the time and money to prepare for the LSAT, take the LSAT, then pour even more money into law school only to realize in their first year that they don’t actually like it. Here, I “tried it out” my first year and only spent a fraction of what it would have cost elsewhere. People fear the Baby Bar. With no background in law, I passed it my first time and had my essay chosen by the State Bar as one of 8 examples of how the prompt should have been answered. Another classmate’s essay was also chosen. That isn’t to say it is easy, what I mean is I got the help and support I needed to succeed. Our class sizes are small, we get a chance to argue our points in a non-competitive atmosphere (in fact, it’s quite cooperative). This law school experience is better than I ever imagined. I’ll graduate in about 2 years debt free with the same JD degree like any other ABA student, pass the bar, and be a lawyer. Just my opinion, but the “traditional” route of spending upwards of 75K per year and have no time to work or see family – that was just not an option for me.