Before You Arrive

Please read through the sections below for tips on what you should do before Orientation begins!

Please check your lawnet email account for a message from the Dean's Office that was sent on Wednesday, July 20 regarding details about mandatory immunizations.

Please check back later this summer for details.

To help you prepare for law school, our Academic Skills Program (ASP) team has planned some exciting pre-orientation and orientation programs. We look forward to supporting you from pre-orientation through your post-graduation bar-exam studies.

First, please consider attending ASP’s summer pre-orientation programming:

  • Pre-Orientation Session #1: Overview of Your Law School Journey: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. PT. Please see your email or Guidebook for zoom link.
  • Drop-In Office Hours with Academic Skills Team #1: Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT. Please see email or Guidebook for zoom link. Join ASP for an informal group chat!
  • Pre-Orientation Session #2: Mock Law School Class and Student/Alumni Panel: Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. PT. Please see email or Guidebook for zoom link.
  • Drop-In Office Hours #2: Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT. Please see email or Guidebook for zoom link. This is another chance for you to ask questions in a relaxed, informal group setting! ASP would love to hear your thoughts, concerns, and insights about the mock class and student panel.

Second, in addition to attending these workshops created by UCI Law’s ASP, you may wish to enroll in Law School Unmasked™, a free pre-orientation program created by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). This program takes place over three weeks from June 7 to June 23, 2022, and consists of live webinars and interactive online learning modules. We strongly encourage all of you to participate as this program is designed to help you begin to build the skills you need for success in law school, including but not limited to time management, legal reasoning, and how to prepare for classes and exams.

Third, for those of you looking for some light but practical summer reading to help establish a good foundation before you begin facing the rigors of law school, we recommend that you check out the book Law School Without Fear (3d Ed.) by Helene Shapo and Marshall Shapo. This book is a great primer that explains—in down-to-earth, easy-to-understand language—the key substantive concepts of law and policy that a law student really needs to know. We love this book because it (1) summarizes many foundational concepts that law professors frequently assume students already know before coming to law school; (2) previews key legal and non-legal principles, as well as analytical skills, that students will learn during law school; and (3) flags some of the common uncertainties and challenges that law students face when studying the law and learning the process of legal analysis—while offering helpful suggestions for how to best cope and succeed in the law school environment.

For those who want to take a deeper dive into how law students learn best (since the study of law is different from undergraduate study), we recommend Expert Learning for Law Students (3d Ed.) by Michael Hunter Schwartz and Paula J. Manning. This book focuses more on the learning strategies and analytical skills necessary to succeed in law school and law practice. We love this book because it (1) explains how to use science-backed learning techniques to study and learn the law more effectively and efficiently; (2) explains what expert law students do before, during, and after class; and (3) provides strategies for memorization, tips for managing stress and the law-school workload, and guidance on individual personality types and learning styles.

Both of these recommended books are available for you to read for free online from the UCI Law Library:

Please check back for updates to the IT action items.

Students who experience all types of disabilities are eligible for support services. UCI’s Disability Services Center at UCI (DSC) provides a variety of services and accommodations. If you will be requesting accommodations while at UCI Law, please begin the process over the summer so that we can provide you with the proper accommodations from the very beginning of the school year. 

To request services or accommodations for the upcoming academic year, you must register with the Disability Services Center. To begin this process, please fill out the online intake form.You must also provide documentation verifying your disability. Detailed information about necessary documentation can be found on DSC’s web site.  

After you submit the intake form, a DSC staff member will contact you within 5 business days to make an appointment with the Law School Disability Counselor. If you have any questions, please contact the DSC at dsc@uci.edu or 949-824-7494.

If you have any questions about this process please contact the DSC or Dean Kyle Jones.

All eligible graduate and undergraduate students at UC Irvine are automatically enrolled in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) and charged a health insurance fee as part of registration at UC Irvine. If you are currently covered by major medial health insurance that is comparable to UC SHIP, you may request to waive out of the plan.

To waive out of the UC Irvine sponsored health insurance plan for 2022-2023, you must submit a request online during the open waiver period, for the Fall 2022 semester. The deadline is TBD. If approved, the waiver is in effect for the current term and the remainder of the academic year. A new waiver request must be submitted at the beginning of each academic year. Full details and information about waiving UC SHIP is on the UC SHIP web page.

Tuition and Fees for the Fall 2022 semester will be assessed around the first week of July.  Log in at Zot Account after July 15 to tell us where to send your funds. Once you log in and get to "Welcome to ZOT Account Online," select "Direct Deposit (DEFT)" and provide the requested information.  Financial Aid funds will be deposited starting Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Avoid late fees - Tuition and Fees are due on Monday, August 15, 2022, at 4 PM (PT).

Complete the UC TB Test/Vaccination Mandate.

The University of California is committed to protecting the health and well-being of our students, the campus community and beyond. In order to protect the campus from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, ALL incoming students are REQUIRED to obtain four (4) specific vaccines and undergo screening for Tuberculosis or provide documentation demonstrating compliance with these requirements.  More information on this requirement, including how to report your compliance, can be found on the SHC New Student Information webpage. The deadline to complete this requirement is TBD.  However, the Admissions Office recommends completion of the form prior to the start of the Fall semester. Please be aware that students who fail to comply with this requirement will have an academic hold placed on their record and will not be able to register for classes the following (Spring) semester.

Please check your lawnet email account for a message from the Dean's Office that was sent on Wednesday, July 20 regarding TB tests and mandatory vaccinations.

Parking permits are available at the Parking Office (building 7 on the campus map), located above the UCI Police Department, across the street from the Law School . If you purchase your parking pass early, you can avoid paying the $10 daily parking fee during Orientation week. Please bring a form of picture identification with you (we recommend your UCI Student ID) to purchase your parking pass. Parking pass rates vary depending on your specific needs. You can learn more about parking rates and passes on the Parking website.

When you arrive on campus for Orientation, you will be issued a Campus ID card if you upload a photo by August 3.  Your Campus ID card will provide access to student services such as: visual identity verification and the ability to access  your Zotbucks stored value account, to library services and study spaces, to copy/print services, to Anteater Express Shuttle Service, and to student discounts and promotions. 

In order to have your Campus ID card waiting for you to pick up at registration for Orientation on Monday, August 15, you MUST upload your photo online NOW. The deadline to have your photo uploaded and approved in August 3, so please don't delay! Please note that if your photo is not uploaded and approved by August 3, it will not be available for pick-up at Orientation, and you will need to visit main campus to have it made before you can check-in. We want check-in to be a smooth process, so please upload your photo by the deadline.

The photo upload instructions can be found on this website: https://studentaffairs.uci.edu/photo-ID-help/ and it contains a short video tutorial to help you select a good photo that will be approved quickly.

Photo upload page: https://myphotoid.uci.edu/

Please check back this summer for more details.

UCI allows a student to submit a preferred name that will appear in place of the student's legal name in certain University-related records. Electing to use a preferred name will not change your legal name.  Preferred names appear in the campus directory, class rosters, and on the UCI Photo ID Card.  Your legal name will be used on transcripts, diplomas, and any legal document produced by the University.

After you activate your UCInetID, you may set your preferred name via StudentAccess. This website is a great resource, as well: http://reg.uci.edu/request/preferredname.html. Requests for a preferred name may be submitted only by the student.  If you want to submit a preferred name, we suggest you do so before uploading your photo for your ID card.