Secrets to Attending Law School As An International Student

This week on the Law School Insider we have Jacqueline Freeman, Director of Pre-Enrollment Programs and Diversity at Cooley Law School. As part of her role at Cooley, she works with all International Students across all of their campuses to make sure that they stay in align with the requirements of the federal government.

Today we spoke with Jacqueline Freeman about being an international student applying to a law school in the United States and what you may need to consider before making an application.

I asked Jacqueline Freeman what international students need to be doing when thinking about applying to a school within the United States, she stated that students need to:

1. Make sure that schools that they plan to apply to are F1 certified.
2. After they have been accepted they need to get in touch with the designated service officer (DSO) to give them a copy of their enrollment. Once the DSO has this, they will start to process paperwork to get your I-20 ready so you can request an F-1 visa from your home country.

If you want to visit a law school in the United States make sure that you:

1. Find a school that is F-1 certified
2. Make sure to talk to the school about sitting in on a class
3. Meet the DSO at the school that you are visiting to get a better picture of services for international student services.

There are a few things to think about if you do decide to attend. Remember that:

1. Once you receive your I-20 you cannot come into the country 30 days prior to the first day of classes
2. Once you have a residence you have to provide your updated address to the DSO. If your residence changes during your enrollment you will have to provide updated addresses immediately as this will have to be updated in the SEVIS system immediately.
3. If you do not enroll in enough credit hours you can get out of status and be required to leave the country. At Cooley Law School students must keep 6 credits, so check with your school to make sure that you stay in status.
4. You can only take 3 credits of an online class of the classes that you are in.
5. If you withdraw from classes, you must contact the DSO immediately.
6. You cannot work off campus on an F1 VISA, you can work on campus if jobs are available.

Jacqueline Freeman said that there are some issues that students may deal with when going to law school such as:

1. Language issues - being able to convey issues and comprehend issues
2. Get to know your faculty and other law students

As you get through law school you have to think about your future and where you want to work and practice. As a part of this you may choose to apply to post-OPT which offers legal training that you can have after graduating. If you choose to not apply for post-OPT you will have to leave the country. Sometimes this process can take time and there are specific and tight deadlines that must be adhered to. 

Be aware and be informed. Look at the Study in the States website for more information.

Did you like this interview? Do you have a question for Jacqueline Freeman? Leave a comment below to let me know!

Are you a practicing lawyer? A law student? Would you like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the Law School Insider? Send me an email at lawschoolinsider@cooley.edu