Services
Law School Career and Professional Development Office. The Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) provides comprehensive career search assistance for permanent, post-graduate academic year and summer employment. OCPD specializes in career counseling, individualized review and critique of résumés and cover letters, mock interviews and employment strategy job serach development.
The career counselors of OCPD help students identify their interests, introduce them to the vast array of career development and employment opportunity resources, and assist with career decision making. The office offers programs, workshops, and lectures designed to provide information about various practice areas, interviewing techniques, professionalism, networking skills, and the realities of practice. Programs also are offered to give students insight into many traditional and nontraditional careers. The office maintains up-to-date listings of specific employment opportunities, as well as an extensive library of employer resource materials.
The office coordinates two large-scale recruitment programs, one in the fall and the other in the spring. Fall recruitment attracts larger law firms and government agencies. Spring recruitment is designed for smaller law firms, government agencies, and public interest organizations to meet with students regarding summer positions and post-graduate opportunities.
In addition, the office offers a program course specifically for first-year students. This program provides an overview of the services offered by OCPD, an introduction to various employment practice sectors and the opportunity to develop professional relationships with alumni and other practitioners.
The Washington College of Law is a member of the National Association for Law Placement, the Washington Area Legal Recruitment Administrators Association, and Equal Justice Works.
Housing. Housing on the university’s campus is generally restricted to undergraduate students and their resident advisors. The university maintains information on non-university accommodations near campus. Listings can be accessed through the AU home page or at www.american.edu/other.depts/reslife/.
Health Services. Health services are available at the Student Health Center in the first floor of the McCabe Building on the AU campus. Students can obtain immunizations, be treated for acute illness or minor emergencies, receive gynecological care, or obtain a routine annual exam. For true medical emergencies, complex diagnostic procedures, or conditions that require treatment by a specialist, the center refers students to Sibley Memorial Hospital, 5255 Loughboro Road, NW, and to Suburban Hospital at 8600 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Free round trip transportation can be arranged through Public Safety. A health insurance plan, underwritten by United Health Care, is available to students to reduce the cost of medical treatment or hospitalization. For more information, call 202-885-3380 or check the Web site at www.american.edu/healthcenter.
Recreation. Opportunities for recreational activity at the university encompass a broad range of spectator and participatory sports, theater, music, lectures, discussion groups, and the normal complement of student union facilities. Courses in dance, exercise, sports, etc., are available and may be taken for credit or audited by law students with the permission of the offering department. Full-time students are not charged additional tuition as long as the total of law and nonlaw course credits does not exceed 17 credit hours in a semester. Charges for part-time students, and for all students during the summer session, are levied on a per-credit-hour basis.
Religious Groups. The Kay Spiritual Life Center, located on the north end of main campus, offers services to a rich array of faith communities and fosters a climate of interfaith understanding and cooperation. Chaplains from diverse faith traditions assist in organizing events and are available to students, faculty, and staff for programming, counseling, and advising on issues of faith and ethics. For more information, call 202-885-3321 or check the Web site at www.american.edu/oss/kay.
Counseling Center. The Counseling Center, located in Mary Graydon Center 214, offers psychological counseling and support services for students at American University. Students are invited to make an appointment with a counselor, join a group, attend a workshop, get a referral to local mental health resources, use the self-help library, or seek additional information on the Web at www.american.edu/oss/counseling. All services are confidential and free of charge. For more information, please call 202-885-3500.
Academic Support and Access Center. The Academic Support and Access Center, located in Mary Graydon Center 243, provides a range of learning services and disability accommodations for students at American University. Students can make an ocl/asac appointment with a counselor, attend a workshop, or seek information on the Web at www.american.edu. All services are confidential and available to full-time or part-time students at WCL. For more information, please call 202-885-3360.