South Texas College of Law Houston welcomed 339 new 1L students to campus late last week for orientation, with fall classes beginning Monday.
The new students hail from 24 U.S. states from coast to coast plus Canada, and they attended 100 different undergraduate institutions.
“This exceptional group of students continues the law school’s strong traditions of diversity, opportunity, excellence, and service,” said President and Dean Michael F. Barry. “With 48% of the new students identifying as a member of an ethnic minority, this class reflects the diversity of our city and our state.”
Dean Barry inspired and challenged the new students during orientation, noting that law school is very different from any previous academic experience in their lives.
“Law school is hard work and it requires a serious commitment,” Dean Barry told the new 1Ls. “To be successful, treat law school like a full-time job; demonstrate a strong character, built on unwavering civility, honesty, and integrity; and do the work. You are not preparing just for a job; you are preparing for a profession.”
During orientation, students attended mock classes, discussed successful learning strategies, learned the fundamentals of reading and briefing legal cases, and became acclimated to the many resources available across campus for support, research, and learning.
Among the new students were 34 students enrolled in the law school’s part-time online J.D. schedule, one of the first such programs in the nation. As part of the program, the students spent a week-long residency at the law school.
The new students also continued the law school’s annual tradition of volunteering at the Houston Food Bank as part of their orientation, packing the equivalent of more than 13,000 meals for those in need in the community.
View more photos from the orientation here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjARekg.
