Academic Success Program
Academic Success and Support at UND School of Law
To help ensure the academic success of first year students, the School of Law provides a number of avenues for advice and guidance about legal study. Beginning with Orientation Week, students learn strategies and skills to help them prepare for class and exams. Then, within a few days of their arrival, small groups of students are paired with a faculty member for a lunchtime discussion of "what you always wanted to know about law school but were afraid to ask." First-year students also get to know the second- and third-year law students who are part of the welcoming Orientation Team.
Support continues beyond Orientation. The first-year Legal Process class is, in many ways, a program for academic success, giving each student intensive lessons in legal thinking, writing, and researching throughout the first semester. In addition, the School of Law faculty employ an informal "open door" policy and are available to talk with students about study strategies, including study groups, outlining, and preparing for exams.
To supplement these efforts, the School of Law also offers a peer-led Academic Success program. Two upper-level students give monthly presentations to the first-year class on strategies to succeed in law school over the course of the year.
The first session is during First Year Orientation Week in August, and covers "Professionalism in the Classroom," including:
- Professionalism throughout law school
- Conduct in the classroom
- Building professional relationships
There are two presentations in September. The first is "Getting the Most Out of Class," including:
- Class preparation
- Reading and synthesizing cases
- Note-taking
- Being engaged in class
- Study groups
In late September, the topic is "Outlining," including:
- Why outline?
- How to outline
- Outlining with a study group
As Exam Week approaches, the October session turns to "Studying and Preparing for Exams," including:
- Time management
- Study strategies such as practice questions, commercial study aids, summarizing an outline, creating a checklist, etc.
In November, a presentation on "Writing Exams" includes:
- Organizing an answer
- Writing and thinking clearly
- Writing and thinking logically
- Common mistakes
- Practice question
The Academic Success presentations continue during the second semester, this time with a focus on adjusting and improving study strategies. In January, the first session focuses on a "debrief" of fall semester exams: what went wrong, and what went right. In February and March, outlining and exam preparation and writing are revisited, with concrete ideas for improving study skills and strategies.
2006-2007 Academic Success Teaching Assistants:
Elizabeth Pendlay, 3L
Aubrey Fiebelkorn-Zuger, 2L
2005-2006 Academic Success Teaching Assistants:
Jonathan Carpenter, 3L
Elizabeth Pendlay, 2L
2004-2005 Academic Success Teaching Assistants:
Lynnae Lina, 3L
Jonathan Carpenter, 2L
