The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs conducts a Registration Information Session with part-time division and full-time division 1L student in the spring before summer/fall course registration. All upper-level law students are encouraged to discuss course selection with faculty and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs is also the official academic advisor for concurrent degree students and student veterans using federal or state benefits. These students along with students with cumulative GPAs below 2.50 are asked to meet with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs each semester prior to registering for classes.
The student is responsible for seeking advice, for knowing and meeting the requirements of the degree program of interest, for enrolling in courses appropriate to that degree program, and for taking courses in the proper sequence to ensure orderly and timely progress toward the degree. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs is available to all students for counseling regarding course selection and all other academic advising concerns.
There are three regular academic terms at the Bowen School of Law – fall, spring and summer. In addition, the law school has the option of offering intersession terms depending on availability of courses, professors and other resources. Prior to these registration periods, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will release via email and/or the law school website a course schedule for the subsequent semester.
Before even beginning to choose courses, we suggest you think about your law school education from a broad perspective. You are not just filling a schedule; you are preparing yourself for a life in the law. We have some important tips:
1. Begin by adding in all required courses. Remember that you must take required courses in your division (day or night). Also, don’t forget the Advanced Writing (W), Policy and Perspective (P&P), and Specialized Legal Research (for those who entered in Fall 2014 or later) requirements.
2. Add in bar tested courses. It is essential that you complete as many of these as possible before you graduate! Bar review is meant to be just that – a review of substantive law you already learned in law school. It is not intended to be the place you learn bar tested subject matter for the first time! We also highly recommend all 3Ls take Writing for the Bar Exam (offered fall only) and Advanced Bar Prep Skills (offered spring only).
3. Add an Externship, Clinic or Judicial Practicum opportunity prior to graduation to enhance practical skills. Pay attention to application deadlines, prerequisite courses, and Rule XV Certification requirements. This is required for all students who entered in Fall 2015 or later.
4. Add in electives in which you have a real interest (but not as a way to avoid a bar course that you don’t want to take!). The bar courses are generally offered every semester, while electives are offered more sporadically. Also, be sure to take any courses that are prerequisites for courses you plan to take in the future.
5. Fill in the rest of your schedule with other electives. Choose based on interest, likelihood that you’ll practice in that area of law, or how they fit in your schedule.
Prior to the start of the spring semester registration period and the summer/fall semester registration period, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs issues a detailed Registration Guide with course descriptions and academic advice.
