Academic Success

The Kemet Chapter has a strong tradition in providing resources for members to get the most out of their law school experience. Upper levels constantly support each other throughout their second and third years. We also provide our 1Ls with various resources. Among these resources is a comprehensive exam review with upper-division students who have performed exceptionally well in their particular subjects, the opportunity for each 1L to have an upper-division mentor, and small group lunches with each of the first-year professors.

1L Academic Support

The African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” provides some insight and background regarding the 1L review sessions. A tradition of significant proportions, the upper level Kemet Chapter members take it upon themselves to academically support our 1Ls. We hold review sessions for our first years during the close of each semester. The review sessions are exclusively for the Kemet Chapter’s first-years. They are slow-paced, thorough and adaptable to all sections of the first-year courses. The Kemet Chapter review sessions give our first-years an opportunity to ask the questions and pose the hypothetical scenarios they did not or could not in class. The review sessions present yet another opportunity for our first-years to utilize the safe space provided by the Kemet support system and to receive the encouragement and guidance they require. Further, throughout the year, Kemet Chapter also provides outlines for 1Ls to assist them while creating their own course outlines. We also offer other forms of support during the first-year exam phase to provide our first-years with the help they need to succeed here at NUSL.

Books Donated

Students can email northeastern.blsa@outlook.com if they are interested in receiving books donated by current and former students.

Mentor/Mentee Program – Meet your match!

The Kemet Chapter holds dear to its traditions and seeks to provide a strong support system for its members. To that end, the Kemet Chapter instituted the Mentor/Mentee program some years ago. The program matches up current members with incoming first-year students of African descent well in advance of the start of the first year classes. Each entering first-year is then contacted by the Mentors prior to their arrival here at NUSL. Because of NUSL’s unique Cooperative Legal Education Program, the coordinator also makes every effort to provide each mentee with a mentor for both the first and second semesters. The Mentor’s role in the Mentee’s law school career is substantial and noteworthy. The Mentors generally support Mentees by going on lunch and/or dinner dates, including the Lunch or Dinner with a Professor series; having one-on-one review sessions; providing help with Legal Skills in Social Context and other first-year courses; offering outlines; and also by introducing non-Massachusetts native first-years to the City of Boston. In addition, the Mentors provide the Mentees with an often-needed listening ear for the 1Ls to discuss not only academic-related problems, but also personal issues that may be interfering with the School of Law’s demanding schedule. Often 1L mentees will highlight meaningful and deeply appreciated experiences they had with mentors at the 3L event. Our Mentor/Mentee program provides a foundation for building strong, ever-lasting relationships that reinforce the ideals and mission of NUSL’s BLSA.

Professor Lunch

As one of our newest traditions, the Kemet Chapter started this program in 2005. It is an opportunity for our first-years to overcome the distance and relative intimidation feeling that can be generated by the knowledge, expertise and differences between 1L Kemet members and their professors. The lunch series allows our first-years to speak with any and all of the professors who teach the first-year curriculum in an environment less formal than the classroom. Through this program Kemet members can establish meaningful relationships with their professors by allowing them to proactively maximize their learning and to refine their networking skills.