Academic Success Initiatives

Built specifically for each stage of your law school journey, NYLS offers courses and workshops designed for 1L, 2L, and 3L students to help you lay a strong foundation for learning and success and to provide sustained support.

All admitted 1L students are invited to participate in:

• The Summer Advantage Institute during the summer before first-year classes.
• Foundations for the Study of Law, a mandatory course, taught by NYLS faculty in the first fall semester.
• The First-Year Academic Success Program in the fall semester, taught by Teaching Fellows (upper-level students who serve as mentors for first-year students)
• The Success Workshop Series in the spring semester.

In addition to these group offerings, you can make individual appointments with the Academic Success team throughout the semester for personalized guidance on your first-year study plans.

Summer Advantage Institute

Get an introduction to basic legal reasoning skills and professional standards of practice through interactive virtual workshops. This six-week program taught by NYLS faculty and staff will prepare you for your transition to law school.

Foundations for the Study of Law

Beginning the week of Orientation, Foundations for the Study of Law (FSL) is a weekly skills course required for all entering students. You’ll be introduced to the institutions and processes of making, interpreting, and applying law.

You'll develop the learning habits and study skills needed to be an effective law student and the critical thinking skills to understand law school courses' materials and instruction. Gain practical strategies for synthesizing information, frameworks for written legal analysis, metacognition strategies, and critical exam preparation tips.

First-Year Academic Success Program

Learn collaboratively and build a network of support with peers and upper-level students in the First-Year Academic Success Program. Teaching Fellows serve as mentors and teach first-year students the skills to succeed, helping you adjust to and manage the demands of law school.

In the Day Division, this voluntary program that matches participants with a Teaching Fellow and a small cohort of first-year students through hour-long weekly skills sessions throughout the fall semester, which correspond with the weekly Foundations of the Study of Law course in the fall.

In the NYLS Pro Evening Division, first-year students have the opportunity to work with Teaching Fellows who serve as teaching assistants for the Foundations for the Study of Law course in the fall. The Teaching Fellows also facilitate academic success workshops for first-year Evening Division students in the spring.

Success Workshop Series

In the spring, students can also join our weekly Success in Second Semester series, where upper-division Teaching Fellows guide first-year students in developing critical skills and refining core competencies to meet the expectations of the spring semester. Our Teaching Fellows provide valuable support and guidance throughout this process.

The Success in Oral Argument panels provide vital insight from second-year students on one of the spring semester's signature experiences—the appellate oral argument in Legal Practice.