Outreach Program Makes a Difference

Select undergraduates from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds with high academic potential recently began the four-week summer session of an intensive law school preparation program at the UC Davis School of Law. The King Hall Outreach Program (KHOP) prepares students for law school by offering courses in LSAT preparation, logical reasoning, writing skills and an introduction to the legal system. During the July-August summer session, students also meet with tutors and advisors who help with academic and career decisions and provide information on law school application "do's" and "don'ts" and expectations of law school admissions committees. Throughout the academic year, KHOP students have the opportunity to participate in a mentorship program, application workshops, shadow days and other law school events that allow them to meet law students and professors. Since 2002, seven KHOP alumni have gone on to attend law school and two have been accepted into law school for Fall 2005. One KHOP participant who is now a law student at UC Davis says, "The program gave me the skills to be a better writer, strategies for the LSAT and, most of all, the confidence that I can go to law school."