Good Advice @ Texas Tech: An Advising Blog

CMLL would like to make you aware of a new study abroad program led by Drs. Chris Witmore and Don Lavigne.  The program, “City, Country, Borders,” will run from June 8-July 14 this coming summer, and will bring students to Greece, Italy and Britain to study the remains of ancient Greek and Roman culture.  There are no prerequisites and students will get nine credits in Classics (half a minor) for doing this program.  They will also get to participate in a real archeological dig of one of the Roman forts on Hadrian’s Wall.

Here is the detailed description:

City, Country, Borders is a kind of itinerant field school which begins on June 8 with 8 nights in Rome. During that time we will have daily excursions throughout the city in the company of an archaeologist (Dr. Lavigne), and two philologists (Professors Lavigne and Kelly). We will also visit Pompeii and have an another excursion outside the city.

From there we will travel by overnight ferry to Greece, where we stay in Nafplion, the first capital of the the modern Greek nation state. We will center in the Old City of Nafplion from June 17 through the 30th. While there we will visit major archaeological sites (mycenae, Epidaurus, Argos, etc) and students will be involved in our own research;  small groups, for example, will accompany me on daily trips into the region.

We will then head north to Loutraki for a night (July 1) and during this trip we will see Corinth and Acrocorinth.

July 2 and 3 will be spent in Athens next to the Acropolis. We then fly to Durham, England where we will participate in an archaeological excavation at the site of Binchester near Hadrians Wall with students from Stanford University, the University of Durham and Macalester College (July 4 through the 14th).

Breakfast is included in both Italy and Greece.  Three meals a day are provided in the UK and there will be group dinners here and there. Overall you will have a good deal of time to explore on your own or with others in the program during weekday afternoon/evenings and on weekends (where we stay in Nafplion is 100 meters from the Aegean).

The course counts for the equivalent of nine credit hours through Tech.  You will be responsible for keeping a travelogue and another project.

We are still working out the course fees. The larger the group, the cheaper the costs.  At present they will be around $6000 to 6500, but this figure will hopefully come down to around $5500.   All travel is included while in Europe.  You will have to purchase your own plane ticket.
Our application system is web-based, and may be found at www.studyabroad.ttu.edu.  Click on Programs, then Faculty-led Programs, then “City, Country, Borders.”

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If you couldn’t make it out in the cold to the Law School last night for our Prelaw 204 workshop on financing law school, don’t fret. We’ve got a few pointers for you to think about as you continue on the path to a legal education.

Billy Tiongco, a senior financial aid advisor with the TTU School of Law, answered several questions for students with concerns about how to prepare for upcoming expenses. While the following tips do little justice to the wealth of information and expertise Mr. Tiongco lent, these should get you started and are important factors to focus on:

• Like undergrad students, law students should complete a FAFSA form to apply for financial aid.
• Regardless of age, graduate and law students are considered financially independent on the FAFSA.
• At Texas Tech, the admissions application doubles as the scholarship application. This means there is no separate application to complete until you have completed your first year and begin applying for current student scholarships
• Although tuition and fees are the largest expenditures you will be making toward your legal education, it is important to budget accordingly for application fees, deposists, LSAT costs, dues for any student organizations you wish to join, and bar exam costs.
• According to Mr. Tiongco, tuition and fees for 2009-2010 at TTU Law were $16,000. The budget for this period was $29,361 for residents and $36,771 for Non-residents. This budget figure is the maximum amount that a student can receive through a combination of scholarships, grants, loans and aid through Texas Tech.
• Approximately 85% of Tech Law students received some form of financial aid this year.
• Scholarships at Tech Law range from partial textbook scholarships to full tuition, fees and books regents awards.
• As a first year law student at the TTU School of Law, you are not allowed to work. This may place a heavy financial burden on those of us used to working throughout our studies. To prepare for this, put aside whatever you can from your jobs now and try to enter law school with little or no debt.
• Put aside any windfall you may come into for future law schools costs. If you sell books back at the end of the semester, save that money away instead of celebrating too lavishly on the end of your studies.
• Create a budget that allows you to live within your means. It seems simple, but money seems to magically disappear when you don’t keep your eyes on it. Know exactly where your money is going. The more conscious you remain of this fact, the more you will be able to save.

The key is to keep your goals and future in mind when you plan your finances and control your spending. Keep yourself in good financial health by budgeting or see Red to Black on campus to help set up a plan. Like most things in life, responsibility and clear, forward thinking will put you in an excellent position for law school.

Due to the high volume of scholarship application submissions, TTU Scholarships & Financial Aid has extended the scholarship application deadline date to Friday, February 5.

To apply, go to
http://www.scholarships.ttu.edu/

Don’t miss any opportunity for FREE money!

Financing law school can be tricky under the best of circumstances. Information is your first step. This small group setting will allow for plenty of Q&A. Topics presented by the TTU School of Law Financial Aid department will include:
• Financial Aid process
• Costs of law school
• Debt Management
• How to Save Money for Law School
• Discuss Pros and Cons of Working for a Year after Undergraduate and Before Law School

This informative workshop takes place Thursday from 4-5 p.m. at the TTU Law School, room 109.
To register for this event, visit www.prelaw.ttu.edu/go

University Advising at Texas Tech is excited to assist you as you pursue your goals. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can be of assistance.
TTU Prelaw Program – Holden Hall 79 – tel. 806-742-2189

The Texas Tech Prelaw Program is hosting FREE LSAT Study Sessions. These instructor-led sessions are geared towards helping students prepare together for the LSAT. TTU Prelaw Program Assistants will teach the methods necessary to solve Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and the Writing Sample.

It is required that each student:
• Take the FREE Mock LSAT’s on Sat. January 30 and Sat. February 20 (9am-1pm)
• Purchase Kaplan LSAT 2010 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) Approx. $35
• And attend all 6 study sessions

Application Deadline: Monday, January 25, 2010. Only 50 students will be accepted each semester. Applications are available at www.prelaw.ttu.edu

Please contact me if you have any questions!
Courtney Harmon, B.S., M.S.
Academic Advisor, TTU Prelaw Program Coordinator
Courtney.Harmon@ttu.edu 806-742-2189