Student Academic Success Program

South Texas College of Law Houston’s dedication to students’ academic success takes many forms. Professors provide one-on-one support during office hours and student mentors (the Langdell Scholars) work with students after class to review course material.

Academic success resources include courses, practice opportunities, learning support and insights to help students succeed in law school.

For first-year and second-year (1L and 2L) students, the Academic Success Program focuses on essential law school success skills such as case briefing, critical reading, legal analysis, legal writing, outlining, time management, and exam preparation. In addition to for-credit courses, workshops and one-on-one meetings, the Office of Academic Success team works with doctrinal faculty to provide more opportunities for students to practice and strengthen critical law school skills. Third-year (3L) students are trained to use these skills to prepare for and succeed on the bar exam.

Since its inception in 1989, the Langdell Scholar Program has played an instrumental part in our efforts to assist law students in their academic endeavors. The Langdell Scholar Program provides guidance in mastering the framework of legal analysis, as well as with effective outlining and exam taking techniques, in the context of current course work. The Langdell Scholar Program is a skill-building program and not a tutoring program.

The program meetings are held throughout the week. Full-time 1L student sessions meet in person Monday through Thursday after classes, while other sessions for full-time 2L students, part-time, and remote part-time students are held on Zoom—Fridays from 3:40 pm to 8:30 pm or Saturdays from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Sessions last 1.5 hours each week or as scheduled and are not recorded. Summer Langdell sessions are arranged on a class-by-class basis. The meetings are led by Langdell Scholars who are upper-class law students initially nominated by a faculty member and subsequently selected by a committee for their academic achievements, class preparation, study skills, and ability to effectively communicate.

Langdell Scholars classes are designed around the following substantive law courses:

Civil Procedure
Contracts I and II
Criminal Law
Torts I and II
Constitutional Law
Property I and II
Evidence
Federal Income Tax

Please refer to the Langdell Scholar Program Class Schedule on Stanley under the Students Affairs tab for meeting dates and times.

Personalized Support: Assistant Dean Preyal Shah, Assistant Director Elissa Jacob (Crowder), and Assistant Director Curtis D’Costa offer one-on-one counseling by appointment and limited drop-in sessions. We encourage you to schedule an appointment by email to discuss any aspect of your legal education journey.

Open-Door Policy: We have an open-door policy and are eager to provide students with the assistance that will contribute to their success during law school and beyond. Students may seek assistance with course selection, scheduling, study skills, and exam taking strategies from Assistant Dean Preyal Shah, Assistant Director Elissa Jacob (Crowder), and Assistant Director Curtis D’Costa.

Resources Available: We offer materials on outlining, stress management, exam-taking techniques, and practice exams.

Contact The Office of Student Academic Success

Preyal Shah
Assistant Dean for Academic Success
Email: pshah@stcl.edu

Elissa Jacob (Crowder)
Assistant Director of Academic Success
Email: ecrowder@stcl.edu

Curtis D’Costa
Assistant Director of Academic Success
Email: cdcosta@stcl.edu

For general inquiries, please send us an email at AcademicSuccess@stcl.edu.