FAMU’s College of Law looks forward to favorable results from its newly restructured Bar Preparation Program. The program was introduced earlier this year to provide FAMU law students with the guidance and preparatory skills crucial for bar exam success.
“FAMU’s students are dedicated and hard working and we are committed to providing them with the best opportunities for accomplishment -- both in law school and on the bar exam,” says Dean Leroy Pernell. “The Academic Success and Bar Preparation Program is not only a true reflection of our educational mission, it also reaffirms our dedication to providing our students with a great legal education.”
The College of Law’s Academic Success and Bar Preparation Program (ASBP) recently underwent a significant overhaul under newly appointed director, Jendayi D. Saada, who is restructuring the program based on a “three-pronged approach.” According to Saada, the first and foundational prong of the program will give students the knowledge and understanding they need to increase their first-year GPA scores.
During the fall 2008 orientation, College of Law students were introduced to the primary skills needed to succeed in law school and on the bar exam. Saada explains that this early intervention will “greatly help students understand the direct correlation between first year GPA, graduating GPA and bar passage, as well as the potential impact of poor performance in the first year of law school.”
The second prong of the program is an Academic Success Workshop Series. This series is designed to provide students with the tools they need for processing the information in their substantive courses and doing well on their final exams.
“The workshops use a building block approach that begins with the most basic components of the law school experience such as time management, understanding course frameworks, and building course outlines,” said Saada. “These skills help students manage resources in the first year of school so that they can be more efficient and productive with their time. In addition to helping students understand the analytical process, the workshops will teach them effective strategies for answering multiple choice and essay questions as well as helpful tips for studying for final exams.”
The third and final prong of the ASBP consists of one-on-one meetings with students for more focused work on skills such as essay writing and study strategies. Currently, the ASBP is seeing approximately 50 students each week for individual counseling.
“FAMU’s students are dedicated and hard working and we are committed to providing them with the best opportunities for accomplishment -- both in law school and on the bar exam,” says Dean Leroy Pernell. “The Academic Success and Bar Preparation Program is not only a true reflection of our educational mission, it also reaffirms our dedication to providing our students with a great legal education.”
The College of Law’s Academic Success and Bar Preparation Program (ASBP) recently underwent a significant overhaul under newly appointed director, Jendayi D. Saada, who is restructuring the program based on a “three-pronged approach.” According to Saada, the first and foundational prong of the program will give students the knowledge and understanding they need to increase their first-year GPA scores.
During the fall 2008 orientation, College of Law students were introduced to the primary skills needed to succeed in law school and on the bar exam. Saada explains that this early intervention will “greatly help students understand the direct correlation between first year GPA, graduating GPA and bar passage, as well as the potential impact of poor performance in the first year of law school.”
The second prong of the program is an Academic Success Workshop Series. This series is designed to provide students with the tools they need for processing the information in their substantive courses and doing well on their final exams.
“The workshops use a building block approach that begins with the most basic components of the law school experience such as time management, understanding course frameworks, and building course outlines,” said Saada. “These skills help students manage resources in the first year of school so that they can be more efficient and productive with their time. In addition to helping students understand the analytical process, the workshops will teach them effective strategies for answering multiple choice and essay questions as well as helpful tips for studying for final exams.”
The third and final prong of the ASBP consists of one-on-one meetings with students for more focused work on skills such as essay writing and study strategies. Currently, the ASBP is seeing approximately 50 students each week for individual counseling.
Though the recently released 2009 bar passage rates have caused concern among the FAMU College of Law community, Pernell is positive that the program will quickly and effectively turn things around.
“While the 2009 bar passage results are disappointing and not reflective of our students’ abilities, I am confident that the steps the Academic Success and Bar Preparation Program has begun to implement will improve these rates as early as the February 2010 bar exam,” he said.
The College of Law will begin a new program this fall -- in time for the February 2010 bar cycle. According to Saada, the new Bar Exam Success Training (BEST) Program will provide “a new level of individualized structure and support for FAMU graduates who are taking the bar exam.” It will also compliment the commercial bar review program by incorporating essay and multiple-choice writing workshops as well as individual training and structured study plans designed to assist students in passing the bar exam.
This is great. I hope to be in the 2011 1st Year Class...
ReplyDelete...Goooooo Rattlers !!!!!