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Getting Oriented

The faculty and administration of Â鶹ÊÓƵWCL are eager to assist you in your professional journey. Advising and counseling takes many forms, and this page provides information on how you can best engage with the community to receive the information you need to succeed.

• We encourage you to meet with the faculty and staff to gather information and advice about how you can craft the academic and professional strategy that makes sense for you, given your needs, experience, and aspirations.
• We expect all students to seek out advising and counseling in each of the areas below at least once per semester. Your advisor will provide guidance on whether you should meet more often given your particular needs.

Career Advising and Coaching

Office of Career & PRofessional Development (OCPD, C115)Ìý

°Õ³ó±ðÌýOffice of Career & Professional DevelopmentÌýis comprised of career counselors who can assist you in understanding the legal market and perfecting your careerÌýsearch application documents.

Through OCPD, you also have access to many online resources and information about legal events in your area of interest. You may begin meeting with OCPD career counselors in mid-October of your first year.

Academic Skills and Bar Exam Advising

Office of ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (OAE, C100)Ìý

With theÌýOffice of Academic ExcellenceÌýpreparing for the bar exam begins on your first day of law school. The bar exam tests your analytical and writing skills and substantive knowledge, and you begin building that knowledge throughout your first year courses and beyond.

These skills cannot be learned in a short period of time but instead are learned incrementally beginning in the first year of law school.

We strongly recommend that you take advantage of academic skills and that you meet regularly with an OAE advisor, especially if you are encountering difficulties in your studies. OAE advisors can also provide you guidance on which state bars to consider, course planning, and early bar preparation.

Every Â鶹ÊÓƵWCL student has the ability to pass the bar with hard work, strategic focus, and substantive knowledge - we encourage you to allow us to help you plan for academic and bar examination success!

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Academic Advising andÌýCourse Selection

Office of ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (OAE, C100)Ìý

At Â鶹ÊÓƵWCL we are proud of our rich curriculum, excellent faculty, and focus on teaching and the student experience.

Whether you have a specific area of focus in law school or seek a more broad-based education, you should make your curricular choices in consultation with experts.

In addition, you must make sure that you timely meet all of the requirements for graduation, which requires strategy and planning.

Meet with a member of the academic advising teamÌýwho can assist you with your academic planning with respect to graduation requirements and course selection.

*This is particularly important if you are considering switching divisions at any time during law school or if you are hoping to graduate early.

Ensure that you are on track to meet all WCL and ABA graduation requirements by requesting a formal degree audit by emailing the Office of Registrar, at registrationservices@wcl.american.eduÌýfrom your Â鶹ÊÓƵÌýemail account.

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Personal Counseling

OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS (C101)

Law school is difficult. You may be faced with challenges that you never anticipated. You may even know that you have a problem, but cannot pinpoint what it is.

The Office of Student Affairs stands ready to help you to address the source of any issues that may arise and recommend solutions through our partnerships with:

• Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Academic Support & Access Center
• Counseling Center*
• Student Health Center, among others
• Wellness Activities, such as yoga and meditation

*Professional counselors are available virtuallyÌýby appointment.

At the first sign of any concerns, please reach out to us or visit the Student Affairs office (C101) so that we can help you.

Accommodations

All accommodations are reviewed and processedÌýby the Academic Support and Access Center and theÌýWCL Disability Support team.ÌýPlease contact disability@wcl.american.eduÌýwithÌýany questions. Remember, your health and well-being are always the top priorities.

Financial Aid Counseling

Financial Aid Office (C202)

The Financial Aid OfficeÌýprovides counseling and resources on a range of topics relevant to financing your legal education and beyond.

We offer advice on how to:

• maximize your institutional aid
• minimize your federal loan borrowing
• budget
• repay loans

*We also partner with third-party vendors to offer a more comprehensive financial literacy experience.

The counseling staff is equipped to handle your personal situation and should be one of your first stops if you need guidance regarding your satisfactory academic progress, a withdrawal and/or a leave of absence.

The Financial Aid staff is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Appointments are preferred but drop-ins are also welcome. To make an appointment, please email the Financial Aid Office.