Rising 2Ls

If the student plans to elect Pathway B, the student must complete the portion of the form calling for the student’s Self-Design Plan. Self-design plans will be reviewed and approved by a sub-committee of the Curriculum Committee, comprised of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Associate Dean of Clinical Education, the Director of the Law and Policy Lab, and the Associate Dean for Curriculum. The plan should demonstrate how the student will complete at least 50% of their EL credits (4 units) by the end of their second year. If you have any questions about the Pathway B process, contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Plans in which fewer than 4 units will be completed by the end of the 2L year will be approved only upon a showing of good cause necessitating the completion of more than half of the credits in the third year. Students whose plans are initially rejected may resubmit the form to address any identified deficiencies by the deadline, or may elect to move to Pathway A. If the resubmitted form is rejected, the student will be moved to Pathway A.

In some circumstances, an externship may satisfy the Experiential Learning Requirement. Ordinarily, an externship that otherwise meets the criteria will be approved for EL credit when the field placement provides specialized experience complementary to a student’s intended career path and comparable benefits cannot be obtained through a full-time clinic at Stanford. Students who plan to satisfy the experiential learning requirement through an externship should consult with the law school’s Externship Director regarding the externship proposal as early in the process as possible and either submit the Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form (if before the deadline for submitting the Form) or revise the Form (if a

If, during the second year, the student finds that they are deviating from the submitted and approved Self-Design Plan (because, for example, the student did not gain admission to a limited-enrollment EL offering the student had planned to take), the student must, as soon as practicable, consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs concerning the deviation and revise the Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form, which is available on the Registrar’s website. If you revise the form for any reason, email both the Registrar and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to notify them.

Rising 3Ls

If the student had previously elected Pathway A on the Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form as a rising 2L but has decided to switch to Pathway B, the student must demonstrate good cause for the switch.

For students who had previously elected Pathway B on the Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form, the Secondary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form must indicate whether the student did in fact complete at least 4 units towards the EL requirement prior to the start of their 3L year or, if they failed to do so (and did not have an approved plan for doing so), why extraordinary circumstances excuse their failure to complete the units on schedule and how they realistically plan to complete the 8 units before graduation.

The Experiential Learning Sub-Committee will review the forms containing the Self-Design Plans to ensure that students have a coherent and feasible plan that furthers their professional and educational goals and is substantially equivalent to a clinic. The committee will also consider the fact that some classes may not be offered every year or have limited enrollment, so students should include back-up classes in their plan. Students whose plans are rejected may resubmit to address any identified deficiencies by the deadline, or may elect to move to Pathway A. If the submitted form is rejected, students will be moved to Pathway A.

If, during the third year, the student finds that they are deviating from the submitted and approved Self-Design Plan (because, for example, the student did not gain admission to a limited-enrollment EL offering, the student had been planning to take), the student must, as soon as practicable, consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs concerning the deviation and revise the Secondary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning From available on the Registrar's website. If you revise the form for any reason, email both the Registrar and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Students who plan to satisfy the EL requirement through an externship should consult with the Law School’s Externship Director regarding the externship proposal as early in the process as possible and must secure approval for the externship from the law school’s Externship Director no later than the deadline for rising 3Ls to file Pathway B curriculum plans. The externship must be approved by both the Externship Director and the Experiential Learning Committee for the externship to be approved for EL credit. Students satisfying EL credits with an externship must also take a PW course at SLS.

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