Opportunity
Why consider the University of Oklahoma College of Law as the place to begin your professional career? There are approximately 180 law schools in the United States, each with varying programmatic emphases and reputations, yet you must choose which school offers you the very best combination of opportunity, education, and value. In my years of service as Associate Dean of Students and now as Associate Dean for Academics, I have spoken to literally thousands of students who have asked those important questions. Ultimately, many of those who decided to attend OU did so primarily for one key reason—the people.
Our faculty, staff and administration are deeply committed to ensuring that each one of our students experience success in law school and beyond. All objective signs over the last decade affirm that success, as statistically 95-100% of those who matriculate will graduate, pass the bar examination on their first attempt, and find jobs in the field of their choice. In short, although our admission standards are very high, we do everything possible to help our students succeed. Some of the attributes that make OU Law distinctive and which help achieve that success include: all of our first year courses are taught in a "small section" format by regular, tenured and tenure-track faculty; our faculty maintain an "open door" policy to facilitate interaction with students; we have a strong mentoring program available to all first year students through our Dean’s Council initiative and faculty advisors; and our professional career counseling center provides personal attention and guidance on planning and reaching your own goals. Our 11.8-1 student-faculty ratio ranks as one of the best in the nation.
When choosing a school, it is also important to consider its history as well as its future. The University of Oklahoma College of Law will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2009. Our graduates have been state and national leaders in politics, industry, and law and are located in all 50 states and 14 foreign countries.
Our recent theme, Generations of Excellence, reflects our proud heritage and the great traditions of our history. For example, the Law School is one of the select schools nationally which qualifies for the prestigious Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers honorary organizations, and is a charter member of the American Bar Association and American Association of Law Schools. The students who gravitate to OU Law School often are those who seek to contribute to the improvement of society and the legal profession, whether through pro bono work, participating in one of our legal clinics, or taking an active role in one of the many service projects offered through our student organizations. We welcome you to OU Law and hope that you will become part of this heritage and share in our future.
Sincerely,