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Elon University School of Law had its first taste of its new class at orientation Thursday.

The second incoming class, like the first, "definitely has a Southeast regional flavor," said Alan Woodlief, associate dean for admissions and administration.

Another law school that opened the same year just down the road in Charlotte also draws most of its students from the Southeast.

And with Elon's median admission exams scores, grade-point averages and student ages comparable to those at the Charlotte School of Law, Woodlief said the schools may attract similar students.

The incoming class at Elon has a median grade-point average of 3.2 and a median admissions exam score of 153, said David Hibbard, news bureau director for the school.

Charlotte Law expects its incoming class to have numbers slightly higher than last year — a median grade-point average of 3.07 and a median exam score of 151, said Sharon Reichard, communications manager for the school.

The novelty of the two schools also had played a part in attracting students.

Lora Howard, 33, said attending Elon will give her the chance to "set the pace for the program."

Joan Waldron, 45, applied for 2005 admission to Florida Coastal School of Law, which, along with Charlotte Law, is part of the InfiLaw system, a consortium of independent law schools.

The director of admissions offered her acceptance scholarship money — and the opportunity to wait a year and enroll as the first student at Charlotte Law.

Waldron, who had lived in Charlotte for seven years, said that made her decision.

Because both the Elon and Charlotte schools have only completed one year, they have not received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association.

Provisional accreditation allows students to take the bar exam in all 50 states.

But students remain confident.

"The staff and the faculty have been through it," Howard said of Elon.

And having another school's experience to crib from can't hurt, either.

"How many law schools have a sister school that's going through the same thing?" Waldron asked.

Both schools held mock inspections in the spring. ABA representatives will visit mid-fall to inspect the programs.

William Warihay, 23, received a bachelor's degree in political science from Elon last spring.

He decided to stay at Elon after taking an introduction to law course, where law school professors taught class at the Elon campus for a day.
"I fell in love with the professors because they weren't like any of the other law professors I had met," he said.

Students at both schools said they appreciate the smaller size.

Each class at Elon has an enrollment of just more than 100 students. Charlotte Law enrolled 63 students its first fall semester.

But many students base their decisions on the school's location.

Howard, of Randolph County, said the proximity of Elon was a big issue.

And Waldron said she had wanted to stay in Charlotte where she had worked as a paralegal and plans to practice.

"I'm hoping there's a home court advantage," she said.

Rheanna Gaskin, 22, graduated from Bucknell University in the spring and heard about Elon from friends who went to the undergraduate campus.

The growing downtown area attracted her to Greensboro, a city that is "coming alive," she said.

Contact Karin Dryhurst at 373-7012 or kdryhurst@news-record.com