Academic Success Program (ASP)
The Academic Success Program demonstrates the College of Law’s commitment to the success of each of its students. The ASP requires selected students (whose objective criteria indicate that they will benefit from some additional assistance) to participate in small group tutorial sessions. These sessions are facilitated by second and third-year students and are offered weekly throughout the first year of law school. The tutorials focus on learning skills such as note-taking techniques, case-briefing skills and exam-writing techniques within the context of the substantive-first-year courses. Materials created for and utilized in these tutorials will be available on the 1L ASP TWEN site.
Additionally, ASP study group leaders/tutors offer regularly scheduled weekly office hours open to the entire first-year class. A schedule of these office hours will be posted on the Legal Writing/ASP bulletin board and distributed to the entire first-year class. The entire first year class is also encouraged to participate in other ASP-sponsored informational sessions during the first semester. These noon hour sessions offer discussions on topics such as study groups, exam writing and class participation. The ASP coordinators/legal writing faculty are available to discuss your individual concerns.
Selected first-year students will be required to participate in the program’s small group study/tutor sessions throughout their first year on law school. These students will be selected during the admissions process and will be notified of this requirement as part of their acceptance to the College of Law. Other selected students will continue to be invited to participate voluntarily in these study/tutor sessions as space permits. These students will be notified of their eligibility prior to or immediately after the first-year fall classes begin.
In addition, all first-year students with cumulative fall semester GPAs of 2.2 or lower will be required to participate in the ASP tutorial sessions during the spring semester of their first year of law school. These students will also be required to participate in an intensive six- to eight-week exam-writing seminar during the same semester. These weekly sessions offer the students the opportunity to receive individual feedback on their responses to hypothetical problems similar to those used during final exams.
Second-year students with cumulative first-year GPAs of 2.0 or lower (2.2 or lower for students matriculating in August 2012 or later) are required to participate in an upper-level Academic Success Program designed to enhance study skills by providing students with individual feedback in areas such as exam-writing, outlining, and note-taking.
Beginning in Spring 2013, the students with the ten lowest cumulative GPAs at the end of the second year of law school will be required to enroll in the College of Law’s Legal Analysis: Skills and Strategies course offered in the sixth semester of law school. The remaining slots in the course will be open for general enrollment. This course offers the students the opportunity to further develop the skills required to pass the bar examination.
A Student’s Perspective on ASP:
“The Academic Success Program was one of the most useful programs, helping me to succeed in my 1L year. For me, it was an extra study group that would help me refresh my memory of cases and topics. In addition, my ASP tutors helped me 'learn the ropes' of what professors wanted, what was important, how I should brief cases, read cases, how to outline to prepare for finals, and how to write answers for essay questions. I consider myself fortunate that I was in the program because I wanted all the help I could get to survive the 'dreaded' first year of law school. I enjoyed it so much and I was fortunate to be hired to be one of the ASP tutors. It has been a privilege to be on the other side by being a tutor and helping first-year students.” – Alex G.