Prospective Students
Columbia Law School is an exceptional and world-renowned school that offers a remarkable legal education. Whether you wish to pursue a career in public interest, corporate law, government service, or other areas, Columbia’s course offerings and extensive resources will prepare you for excellence in your chosen field. Empowering Women of Color (EWOC) spends considerable time, energy, and resources on preparing first-year students for academic and professional success, as well as engaging its upper-year students and alumnae.
EWOC is one of the most active student organizations at Columbia Law School. We support members in their development as full participants in academic, professional, and personal communities, and strive to ensure that the greater Columbia Law School community is an environment where all members feel valued, respected, and empowered. Each year, EWOC hosts a number of programs and dozens of events toward these aims.
For new students, EWOC offers programming that includes, but is not limited to:
- A formal mentorship program between 1Ls and upperclass students.
- Lunchtime events on various legal practice areas.
- Panels on studying and test preparation.
- Access to study guides and outlines.
EWOC also hosts a welcome event, a Gala dinner, and an alumni reception to build community ties between membership and the Law School community.
Seojin Park ’21: I’m the first one to attend a school in the U.S. and also law school in my family, so having mentors in EWOC was the most important thing last year.
Lorena Rodriguez ’21: The group is really here to make sure that the women of color on campus feel supported, feel welcomed, and feel like they can achieve their goals.
Seojin Park ’21: My first experience ever with EWOC was actually going on the fall retreat last year.
Lorena Rodriguez ’21: Empowering Women of Color hosts a number of academic, professional, and social events.
Kori Cooper ’21: The events give us a chance to really talk to the broader student population, and bring in faculty and practitioners, and really facilitate a dialogue. We recognize that women do a lot more to help other women, especially in a very competitive space, and I think that Empowering Women of Color approaches that issue from a point of intersectionality.
Seojin Park ’21: It is at the intersection of two minority groups: women and also people of color.
Lorena Rodriguez ’21: I am a Latina and a woman, and I like the idea of having a support group on campus that acknowledges both.
Seojin Park ’21: There is some kind of solidarity among women of color across all races and ethnicities, and that’s something I don’t find anywhere else.
Kori Cooper ’21: We want to provide, not just, you know, a network and resources, but also friendship.
Seojin Park ’21: Being in EWOC, I truly felt like everyone was looking out for me and that we were all doing this together.
Lorena Rodriguez ’21: I would like perspective women of color students to know that Columbia Law School has a student organization that is 100% dedicated to their needs.
ACADEMICS AT COLUMBIA
Columbia offers a wide variety of classes on nearly every subject of interest in the legal field. We invite you to explore the classes available to students at the Course Offerings website.
In addition to the wide variety of classes at Columbia, our classes are taught by some of the most renown legal scholars in the country and world. Some of our most prominent women of color professors include:
- Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, an innovator in critical race studies.
- Elora Mukherjee, a leading advocate in immigrants' rights and the professor of the Immigrant's Rights Clinic.
- Olatunde Johnson, a former Supreme Court clerk with an extensive public interest background.
We invite you to explore more about Columbia's professors and faculty by visiting the Faculty & Scholarship website.
STUDENT RESOURCES
Columbia Law School, through Student Services, also provides superior services for student well-being, mental health, housing, academic advising, and more. The Office of Career Services (OCS) offers extensive resources to aid you in your career goals in the private sector. Similarly, Social Justice Initiatives (SJI) prepares students by lending support and providing resources to aid those interested in pursuing a career in public interest, international human rights, public service/government, and legal volunteer work. The Office of Judicial Clerkships (OJC) helps students and alumni maximize their Columbia education through post-graduate judicial clerkships and assists the American judiciary in its search for clerkship talent. The Development and Alumni Relations department works extensively to integrate alumni into an institutionalized part of your experience at Columbia Law School. Your health, well-being, and development during your time at Columbia is a priority, and there is an abundance of resources to ensure you accomplish your goals.
Samantha Braver ‘21: When I first came here, I was a little intimidated by just how smart everyone else was and I thought I was maybe alone in feeling like an imposter sometimes, and then really during finals when I made study groups, I learned that all my feelings were really valid and others were feeling the same way as well.
Khara John ‘21: I think one of the things that a lot of people think about with law school is that it’s going to be this very competitive and cut-throat environment, but I was so pleasantly surprised when I realized that everyone really is working towards a mutual goal together.
Samantha Braver ‘21: I felt a lot more confident going into my second semester. I made a lot of friends my first semester and I knew I could rely on them the second semester, so coming back was a really smooth transition for me.
Ricardo Morales ‘21: It’s been easy and important to build a strong community here of people because law school is a stressful experience.
Samantha Braver ‘21: I have a professor that’s becoming like a mentor towards me. I remember one time during last semester, I went into her office hours just a little frazzled and she told me that what I was feeling was really normal and really calmed me down and made me feel like I belonged here, so I’m really excited to continue that relationship with her.
Eddie Grove ‘21: Columbia has an absolutely full calendar of interesting events to go to everyday of the week.
Samantha Braver ‘21: I saw Ruth Bader Ginsburg talk last semester. I recently was getting lunch with a friend and ran into Beto O’Rourke just walking around campus.
Khara John ‘21: I’m involved in the Black Law Students Association. I’m involved in First Generation Professionals, and Empowering Women of Color.
Eddie Grove ‘21: I’m still very much interested in international issues. That said, I do want to go into the private sector after I leave law school so right now I’m looking to the best way to blend those two interests.
Khara John ‘21: The way in which my trajectory has unfolded so far has been great.
Samantha Braver ‘21: I think just being in law school in general has made me a more thoughtful person. The amount of awareness law school has brought to me has been a remarkable experience.