A Comprehensive Approach to Law School Access Admissions

Abstract

This article provides a theoretical framework for building an effective law school access admission program and it gives that framework flesh, color, and voice through a description of the access admission program at Seattle University School of Law. The framework describes the neurobiology of learning, links that neurobiology to the self-regulated learning cycle, summarizes the learning challenges that students from underrepresented populations frequently face and provides strategies law school faculty and administers can implement to address those challenges. The article then demonstrates how the framework operates in a law school setting through a description of the Academic Resource Center's work at Seattle University School of Law.

Keywords: Legal Education, Access Admission, Learning Theory, Motivation, Diverse Students, Students From Underrepresented Populations, Stereotype Threat, Students’ Need for Belonging, Law Student Wellness

JEL Classification: K1, K10, K19