NYU School of Law

J.D. Admissions

Furman Academic Scholars Program

Modeled on graduate-level programs in the arts and sciences, Furman Academic Scholarships are awarded to a select group of students who show particular promise and interest in becoming legal academics. The Scholarships include a full-tuition scholarship plus summer research funding. Many Scholars will have the opportunity to return to the Law School for a year-long Fellowship prior to entering the teaching market. The most important aspect of the program is close faculty mentoring.

Scholars will construct a program specially suited to match their interests, with advice and guidance from a faculty mentor, chosen in consultation with the Scholar on the basis of shared intellectual interests. The first year of the program will be devoted mainly to learning the basics of law, but also will include a series of lunches and seminars on legal scholarship and teaching that will continue in the second and third years. During all three years, Scholars may attend faculty colloquia, workshops, conferences and other intellectual events at the Law School or in the University. In the upper two years, Scholars will be expected to produce a note and a second, major piece of original scholarship. They will be given an opportunity to present this work to the other Scholars, as well as selected faculty.

Students who complete the program will earn a J.D. degree, and will have received support and training to prepare them for a career in teaching. In addition to intellectual training, the Law School will provide intensive career guidance and support. This will include not only assistance in the teaching market, but also for interim positions like clerkships and government posts that many candidates may seek in preparation for a career in teaching.

Faculty Directors
The faculty director of the Furman Academic Scholars Program is Professor Barry Friedman.

How to Apply
Interested applicants should submit a brief statement (approximately 500 words) separate from the personal statement, describing why they wish to pursue a career in legal academia and giving some sense of the field of legal scholarship they hope to pursue. Please clearly identify your scholarship essay. Please complete the appropriate section of the J.D. application.

All Furman Academic Scholars Program finalists will be invited to visit the Law School for interviews and an introduction to the program in March or April.

http://www.law.nyu.edu//admissions/jdadmissions/scholarships/furmanacademicscholarsprogram/index.htm