PART-TIME EVENING DIVISION

An individual who decides to go to law school may not be able to quit work and devote three full years to classes and study. For that person, an evening division program can be the solution, allowing him or her to continue working while attending classes at night.

New England School of Law is one of only two law schools in the Boston area with an evening division. Admission procedures, requirements, and academic expectations are identical for New England's day and evening divisions. The law school is committed to maintaining the same faculty for both divisions, so all full-time faculty members regularly teach in both.

Although the two divisions are academically consistent, the experience of evening students is distinct. Evening students are often somewhat older than their day-time counterparts, they may have families, and many already have professional careers. These common concerns and experiences generate camaraderie and friendship. And because each class of about 100 students takes nearly all its courses together for the first two years, personal bonds develop that often result in practical assistance, such as carpooling and weekend study sessions. Evening students find that the support of the faculty and administration are as crucial to a successful experience as the fellowship of their peers. Professors at New England maintain flexible office hours and make special accommodations to be available to evening students on the students' schedules.

New England students are permitted to take one elective course each semester in the other division without special approval and may take additional courses with approval, so evening students may take day courses as their schedules permit. The clinical program makes accommodations to evening students' schedules, and administrative offices that serve students stay open on some weekday evenings when classes meet.

To ensure that the concerns of evening students are represented, the Student Bar Association has an evening division chairperson and vice-chairperson who serve with the SBA president and vice-president as officers. Although evening students are less able to participate in school activities than their day division counterparts, the SBA tries to include them whenever possible. And Thursday evening (the end of the evening division's school week) has become a traditional time for evening students to get together to socialize and unwind.

The part-time evening division is comprised of approximately 400 students. It is a four year program with required subjects during the first and second years. 86 credits are required for graduation. Evening division classes during first and second years begin at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.