Western Law’s January Intensive Period: Explained
Most students are used to a two-term school year, with a four-month semester in fall and then another in the winter. But at Western Law, we technically have three terms, as there is an added “January Intensive Period” (better known amongst students as “January term”) which lasts only for the month of January.
The typical winter semester is a condensed term that starts in February, and the fall term remains a standard four-month semester. This January term is a unique feature that Western Law offers, which only a few other schools offer as well. The January term has several upsides and downsides, but the administration markets this as a unique opportunity afforded to Western Law students. This article will explain what exactly the January term consists of, some of the positives, negatives, and potential future implications that future Western Law students should look out for. If you are deciding between schools to attend, this article may help you in better understanding this unique feature offered at Western.
The January term semester differs for students in each year of their study. For first year students, the January term will follow the same format, as all first years will be working on their final assignments for their legal research, writing and advocacy (LRWA) course — a course all first years begin in fall semester.
During the January term, first year students will be completing three assignments and will be focusing on only those assignments for the entirety of the month. The assignments include a memorandum, a factum, and an oral advocacy competition. There are no classes held during this month, other than a few check-in meetings with the professor if your professor chooses to organize these. This means that most of the month is self-paced. Once January ends, the winter semester begins and first year students are finished their LRWA course.
One of the downsides that may be associated with the January term is that it disrupts the regular flow of the school semesters which students are typically used to. After January term ends and winter term begins there is only a couple weeks until the reading week break, which is yet another disruption in the semester, and then by the time you return to London the timing flies before April exams begin.
From my personal experience, it feels like a disruption and it is somewhat difficult to get into the “grind” mindset during winter semester. This may be difficult for students in their first year trying to adjust to the workload of law school. However, during the month of January it does feel like a relief to be able to focus all of your time on one large assignment at a time, without having to split your time amongst five other courses as well.
For second year students, January term will likely be identical, with a few exceptions. Starting this year, the administration has changed the January term courses for second year students, such that they are not mandatory courses. In previous years, students were able to pick electives for this term, although beginning this year that will only be an option for third year students.
Second year students are now required to take two intensive courses during January term, called Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Indigenous Law. The only exception here is if you are selected to compete in an external moot competition, in which case you will prepare for the moot during the January term, and instead take the two mandatory courses in your third year.
The main downside associated with this term for incoming second year students is that it will overlap significantly with the summer job recruitment process. Due to covid-19, the recruitment process was moved to January for this upcoming year, which will pose significant stressors for Western Law students while completing the January term courses.
For third year students, the January term is an elective for which students get to choose from a list of unique intensive courses that are likely not offered at many other schools. Because of the uniqueness of the January term, the school is able to offer courses that are very specific and niche. One of the benefits of this term is that students get access to courses they otherwise wouldn’t be able to take. This is because some of these courses are too niche to be able to run as a full four-month course, or because the professors are from another country and can only travel to London for a shorter period of time. The professors are another positive aspect of this term, as the school sometimes hires professors who travel from other parts of the world to come teach in their unique area of law in London.
I will note that there may be impending changes to Western Law’s January Intensive Period in the coming years. During this past academic year, the administration proposed changing the term, such that it is no longer a January term, but rather it would be split into two one week periods, one being in the middle of the fall semester and the other in the first week of January, then the winter semester would begin in the second week of January. Each of the two weeks would be a different intensive course. There was a high chance that this propose change was going to proceed for this upcoming academic year, although because of the interruptions caused by COVID-19, this plan seemed to have been abandoned for this year. However, I cannot be sure if this will be revisited in the coming years. There are positives and negatives to this proposed plan, although in the interest of keeping this article short, I will reserve these points for a future date if the plan does in fact go through for next year.
