The Academic Support Office exists to help students identify and remove obstacles to academic success. It is also intended to raise all students' awareness of their professional goal, skills, and aptitudes, and thus enhance their performance in law school and eventually, in the profession.
The Academic Support Program was founded in the Fall 1991 and continues to evolve. The following is a brief description of the types of assistance offered to students.
Tutoring
Tutoring is offered in both the Fall and Spring semesters for all first-year courses and sections in both the day and evening divisions. The tutoring program in conducted by the second, third, and fourth-year students who have excelled in the first-year classes which they tutor. The tutoring program is devoted to helping students learn the methods they need to employ to learn substantive legal material, to organize and review that substantive material, and to practice exam writing. Each tutoring group meets for one hour every other week. Attendance at tutoring session in voluntary.
Counseling and Support
Law student may experience a significant degree of change in their lives upon entering law school. The experience of adjusting to the very different learning process and the professional role of law student/lawyer can be unsettling. Imperatives to work harder and to acquire new learning skills to become successful in law school can result in changes and/or conflicts in many dimensions of a student's life. Some students have scant financial, familial, social, and/or other supports. This lack of needed resources can obviously hold students back. The Academic Support Office will proved assessment, service, and/or referrals for students experiencing crises created by the stressors mentioned.
Study Skills and Exam Writing
Students placed on academic probation are referred to the Academic Support Office. The Director helps the students identify their personal or educational obstacles to learning. The students and the Director work together to improve the students' performance by implementing more effective study techniques and by practicing exam writing - concentrating on issue spotting and analysis. This assistance is not limited to students on academic probation. The Director will work with any interested students.
Workshops
The Academic Support Office sponsors workshops on various topics including test anxiety, time/stress management, outlining, test-taking tips, study strategies, and the bar exam. The workshops are open to all students.
Resource Library
The Academic Support Office, Room 115, has a variety of study aids for all first-year courses and most upper level courses. The Resource Library contains hornbooks; commercial outlines/ commercial case briefs, flashcards; audio tapes; CD ROM tutorials; and books on legal writing, exam taking, outlining, briefing, note-taking, and legal research. Any student may check out a study aid for a one-week period.
Director, Position Currently Open
The search for a new director is currently underway.