Rethinking Bar Prep for Nontraditional Learners

For Kendra Vejtasa, preparing for California’s notoriously difficult bar exam meant balancing months of intensive studying with her work as a law clerk.

Vejtasa graduated from the Colleges of Law in December and passed the California bar on her first attempt this spring. She credits the institution’s six-month bar-preparation program, which includes a three-month, 180-hour course for credit during her final semester.

“Our program is unique in the sense that we start well before the 10-week bar-prep period, because the school knows many people cannot take time off work,” Vejtasa said. “I couldn’t take time off until about seven or eight weeks out, so starting in August meant I had already put in a couple hundred hours of studying and learning before I got into that final push.”

Vejtasa’s experience reflects a broader effort at the Colleges of Law to support its largely nontraditional student population through the bar-preparation process.

The private law school, which has campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura and also offers a hybrid J.D. program, serves a student body that differs from many traditional law schools’—a majority of students are women and attend part-time, and the average age is 36.

Many students balance coursework with jobs, family responsibilities and childcare needs, factors college leaders say shaped the design of the institution’s student success and bar-preparation efforts.

“They’re so available and so willing to work with you,” Vejtasa said. “So much of that support was built into the program—both the structure and the individualized attention you get.”

A holistic approach: April Vincent, dean of student success and bar preparation, said the six-month program incorporates one-on-one coaching, data tracking and in-person bar exam simulations. The approach, she said, is designed to help students navigate competing demands while preparing for one of the most important exams of their legal careers.

“What students tell me is really making them successful is our in-person simulation,” Vincent said. “Sitting through the endurance of the actual test has really helped them understand what they need to do on exam day.”

Vincent said the program was previously 10 weeks long but was expanded to six months, including a three-month for-credit course, after college leaders recognized that many students needed additional time and structure to balance bar preparation with work and family responsibilities.

“My perspective was that it wasn’t fair to give part-time students a 10-week program and expect them to take that time off from work and family obligations to focus solely on studying,” Vincent said.

The expanded approach has coincided with stronger outcomes for participating students.

According to California’s February bar exam results, 34 percent of the college’s test takers passed the exam, compared with 30.8 percent statewide among graduates of state-accredited law schools. Among the college’s hybrid J.D. students, the pass rate was 43 percent, compared with 13.8 percent statewide for hybrid graduates.

Jen Louie, director of student success and bar preparation at the college, said students who fully participate in the institution’s six-month bar-preparation model have achieved pass rates closer to 60 percent. She attributes those outcomes in part to the program’s holistic and personalized approach to student support.

“It’s not just academic success or GPA,” Louie said. “It’s wellness, financial health, career development, physical health and professional growth. You can get a 4.0 and look great on paper but still be falling apart at the seams. We try to take a much more holistic approach.”

Supporting adult learners: Vincent said that given the college’s student population, it’s important to have candid conversations with them about the realities of preparing for the bar exam, including the time commitment required and whether they may need to reduce work hours or arrange additional childcare.

“What traditionally has worked at a school that’s way different than ours is where the challenge lay,” Vincent said. “I put myself in their perspective, and I try to think about what is the best way to keep them engaged.”

“If you have to work, that’s fine. Let’s talk about it, but let’s talk about how that’s going to happen,” she added. “And sometimes I even have to tell them this isn’t the right time for you to take it, because you only have two hours to study every three days. It’s just not possible.”

Vejtasa said that level of honesty has helped students make informed decisions about their preparation while reinforcing that the college understood the realities many nontraditional learners face.

“What I appreciate about our student success team is they understand that as adult learners with jobs and families and careers, time is our most valuable resource,” Vejtasa said. “They treat our time in law school as a valuable investment.”

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