Discover How to Spend an Entire Semester "Down Under"
How to Apply | Top Ten Reasons to Go | Eligibility
 An Experience of a Lifetime....
The Thomas M. Cooley Law School is proud to announce that its 14th Annual Study Abroad Down Under Program continues as a full semester. This exciting program allows law students to live and study in Melbourne, Australia, for almost four months beginning the first full week of January, 2012. Cooley's study abroad program is in cooperation with Monash University Law School. Courses will be taught by faculty of law members at Monash and two courses will be taught by Cooley Law School faculty members.
Imagine this....
 Waking up across the Pacific Ocean in a land far away called OZ (a nickname for Australia for those who did not know). There is no Dorothy and Toto here but still plenty of places to explore. After waking up and getting ready for an exciting day, you head out the door greeting a few of your fellow program participants from law schools around the United States. You are in bustling downtown Melbourne where class is held at the Monash University Law Chambers. You left a little early today so you would have some time to grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast or brekkie as some locals call it. Stopping at your favorite café on Queen Street you pick up a small breakfast sandwich. Nothing too big as you are meeting some new friends for lunch. They are local Australians you met last week at Bells Beach. A few of the new friends you made from the program will also be joining you. Time to head to class.
Today your Australian professor gives a great lecture with plenty of good class interactions. The Down Under Program has offered you an all around authentic foreign study experience. It is not just interaction with a foreign culture in the local cafés but also in the classroom with top Australian professors.
 You finish up your second and final class for the day, check your e-mail in the computer lab and head to lunch. When you arrive some of your group is already at the table planning what to do for the weekend. You already have seen a lot. The Great Ocean Road trip was awesome last week. The New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney just before the program started is something you will never forget. You pause a moment to take it all in. You would never be doing this back at home during a regular semester at law school. What an opportunity! You think what a great decision you made to come. Spending 15 weeks in amazing Melbourne - "when will I ever have this opportunity again"? You begin to feel a little sorry for those left back at home just when your Australian friend taps you on the shoulder and says, "You're daydreaming mate". He is right. You rejoin the conversation planning your next adventure. However, in the back of your mind you are still patting yourself on the back for not missing this opportunity of a lifetime.
Quite different from the normal class week at your home campus isn't it? Are you ready to take advantage of this opportunity?
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How to Apply
Now Accepting Applications!
We are now accepting applications for the 2012 program!
New to the program this year is an exciting housing opportunity – but action must be taken quickly to take advantage of it! So, we are pleased to offer an early enrollment tuition discount of $500 to guest students who apply by Friday, July 1.
The 2012 brochure and application materials are available on this page for download. The 2012 program will include all of the courses taught in Australia last year plus several new ones to be offered by other instructors from the Monash Law Faculty.
Apply today by downloading and completing the application (pdf) and professionalism form (pdf) in its entirety. The program deposit is $500 which is credited toward your tuition and fees. $250 is refundable prior to October 15, 2011, after which the entire deposit is nonrefundable.
Mail the application materials along with a $500 check or money order, made payable to Thomas M. Cooley Law School, to the address below. As a guest student, you may arrange with us to charge the deposit fee to your credit card.
Space is limited so apply today!
Mail Materials To:
William Weiner
Associate Dean for International Programs
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
300 South Capitol Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
Current Cooley students please visit our site on the portal for application information.
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Top Ten Reasons To Study Abroad "Down Under"?
Listed in random order:
1. Explore Australia during its spectacular summer/fall season.
2. Learn from many top Australia legal scholars.
3. Network and form friendships with students from law schools
around the country.
4. Experience group explorations to local legal institutions.
5. Enjoy an extended stay in an exciting and diverse culture.
6. Earn up to 15 credits. (12 recommended)
7. Complement your resume with an international legal education experience.
8. Gain exposure to the world outside the U.S.
9. Choose from among 9 exciting international and comparative law courses.
10. Gain a full semester of residency while on a foreign study experience.
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Eligibility
The Thomas M. Cooley Law School will consider applications from law students who are enrolled in good standing at an ABA-approved or state accredited law school and have completed at least one year of law study by January 2012. Students from other ABA-approved or state accredited law schools must ask their school to send an official transcript and letter of good standing to Cooley Law School verifying their eligibility.
Thirty-five students participated in the Down Under Program this year (25 from Cooley Law School and 10 from other schools). We expect an enrollment of 40 in 2012. The pre-registration period will be open for a limited time. Guest students will be accepted on a first come, first accepted basis. Space is limited. We encourage students to apply early.
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Join our email updates list
It you are interested in the Down Under Program this year or a future year, we encourage you to join our e-mail list. Those on our e-mail list are the first to know when we begin pre-registration for the 2012 program. They also receive very special program opportunities for current and future programs. Don't miss your chance to be in on the loop the latest Down Under Program information. Add yourself today by clicking the link below-
Join our email list. Click here.
Certificate Of Completion
Students who successfully complete a Cooley foreign study program receive a certificate suitable for framing and may note on their curriculum vitae "Certificate, (applicable year e.g., 2011) Australia Study Abroad Program, Thomas M. Cooley Law School." It would be a misrepresentation to assert that you were a student of Monash University Law Chambers.
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