Academic Support
Academic Support and Excellence Programs
Over the past fifteen years, The University of Alabama School of Law has provided academic support services and resources for its students. Some of these services are open to all students and include instruction on case analysis, case briefing, study skills, and exam analysis and writing. In addition, the School of Law has offered limited enrollment courses in which students take a first-year class with individualized instruction and an emphasis on writing skills. The School of Law continuously evaluates these support services to meet the needs of our students. In the 2007-2008 school term, the School of Law enhanced its academic support and excellence programs.
First, the School of Law offers academic support sessions during a student’s first year. The school holds workshops, which address a variety of first-year student needs, such as study skills, exam writing, and coping with stress. In the spring semester, students experiencing academic difficulty during their first semester take a reduced load of courses.
Second, the School of Law offers a Summer Academic Excellence program for a select number of incoming first-year J.D. students. Students in this program begin their study early during the summer. They take one first-year course—Civil Procedure—beginning in late May and ending in early August. In addition to the specialized teaching in Civil Procedure, students benefit from instructional sessions in learning skills, legal writing, and time management. The students in the summer program take a reduced load of classes in the fall semester of their first year. In the spring semester, these students also may be expected to take reduced hours.
Applicants to the School of Law need not apply specially to the summer program but may indicate interest in the summer program, in their personal statements or on the application. The admissions committee will review all J.D. applicants for inclusion in the summer program. The School of Law will require some applicants to participate in the summer program as a basis for their admission. Decisions will be based primarily on the academic need of individual applicants.