First Year Program
Success From the Start
Your first year at Washburn Law will provide the academic base upon which to build your overall legal education. The curriculum has been constructed to provide a meaningful start. The low student-faculty ratio allows for informal advising, particularly in your first year of study. Your first-year small-section professors are likely to become your informal advisors throughout law school.
The Washburn Law First-Week Program
As an incoming student at Washburn Law, you will become accustomed to the study of law in a supportive, introductory environment. In the Washburn Law First-Week Program, incoming students begin law school a week in advance of the second- and third-year classes. You will meet daily in one first-year class with the professor who teaches that class. You will work on daily assignments and special projects in small study groups with classmates.
All entering students participate in the law school's academic support program, Ex-L (Expert Learning). Ex-L consists of an elaborate and rigorous First-Week Program designed to teach law students the law school learning strategies they need to succeed. It includes a structured study group component in which groups of four to six students meet twice per week to apply cooperative learning strategies to their law school learning under the supervision of carefully trained upper-division students.
Activities during this first week extend beyond the classroom. You are introduced to opportunities for involvement in and support by student groups. The class will explore professionalism issues and learn more about the law school and its programming. As an introduction to the legal profession and its commitment to service, your class will join with faculty, administrators, and others to provide a day of service in the Topeka community.
Writing Program
During the past several years, Washburn Law has made a major commitment of resources to its legal analysis, research, and writing program, resulting in national recognition in 2007. All first-year students must complete six hours of graded legal analysis, research, and writing. The class sizes are small and are taught by professors dedicated to legal writing as their chosen profession. Students have their written product critically evaluated and edited to assist them in developing their own writing, editing, and revising skills.
Ex-L Program
Washburn Law takes first-year students to the next level to ensure academic success with organized small group discussions. Upper-level students meet regularly to help students develop good study and learning skills, understand the process of legal education, and become more engaged in the process. Discussion leaders facilitate responses to student questions so members of the group learn to search for and find relevant answers, understand analogies, and make distinctions.
Group discussions help students work together in a collaborative manner. They glean the benefits of learning from each other, fostering a culture in which careful study supplements the classroom experience.
Mentor Program
With the involvement of an extremely supportive alumni base, Washburn Law provides a meaningful mentoring program for first-year students. Students are paired with practicing lawyers to give them a connection to the community and a resource for discussing issues related to their careers.
