The Evolving Landscape of Academic Success Literature
As we welcome a new cohort of 1Ls and prepare for another academic year, many of us in academic support are revisiting the perennial question: What resources best prepare students for legal education today? My all-time favorite title in the genre, Ramy’s Succeeding in Law School, was first published in 2006. Curiosity led me to wonder whether anything released in the last year offered something novel. I’m fortunate to be able to work with a brilliant student research assistant, and we’ve had several conversations about how tired much of the advice incoming students receive is. We picked up three law school academic success books that were published in 2024, and co-authored an article reviewing them. Our article offers a dual-perspective: current student, and seasoned ASPer. We approached these three books with complementary lenses—evaluating not only their substantive advice but also their tone, accessibility, and relevance to today’s law students. I hope you’ll give it a read (and a download on SSRN) and that serves as helpful resource as you consider what to recommend—or caution against—during orientation and beyond.
Here are the three books we reviewed: First Year, No Fear by C.D. Landreth; How to Show Up and Shine in Law School by Cherelle Iman Glimp; and, Law School Success by H. Beau Baez.
(Guest blogger: Andrew Realon, Director of Student Academic Development)
