A number of Elon Law graduates have expressed appreciation for "Project Pass," a unique program of Elon University designed to support law students as they prepared for the bar exam this summer.
In an effort to allow graduates to concentrate less on financial concerns and more on preparing for the bar exam, the university offered to provide each law school graduate with free room and board on the university’s main campus, together with a meal-pass, while they studied for the bar exam after graduation in May.
Among the 34 Elon Law graduates who chose to participate in Project Pass, 88 percent passed the North Carolina bar exam this summer. The combined pass rate for all 98 members of the charter class who took the exam was 83 percent, while the statewide pass rate for all exam takers was 73 percent.
“Project Pass was my key ingredient to passing the bar,” said Michele Andrejco, an Elon Law graduate who participated in Project Pass and passed the bar exam. “By living in a dorm the entire summer on Elon’s main campus, I was able to isolate myself from the distractions of daily life and concentrate on studying.”
Graduates living on Elon University’s main campus over the summer took a commercial bar review course there and took advantage of the resources on main campus, such as studying in Belk Library and exercising in the Koury Athletic Center.
“Being able to live on campus and have access to the resources at the university while studying for the bar exam was definitely a contributor to my success on the bar exam,” said Melissa Duncan, also an Elon Law graduate who participated in Project Pass and passed the state bar exam. “Living full-time in an educational community helped me focus on my studies, rather than the day-to-day tasks that are associated with living elsewhere, like worrying about driving to a study location, paying bills, getting to class, and so on. Elon Law and Elon University definitely provided us with an invaluable opportunity to take advantage of the existing on-campus resources while maintaining our focus throughout the summer and on the bar exam.”
For those who could not afford the commercial bar review course, the university offered loans to assist with that expense. In addition, Elon law faculty members were available to the graduates and aided them in learning the substantive material and handling the stress of taking the bar exam.
“The best part about Project Pass was that it cost me nothing!” Andrejco said. “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and I hope that it will be continuously given to Elon Law students in the future.”