Is this normal...? Forum

(Study Tips, Dealing With Stress, Maintaining a Social Life, Financial Aid, Internships, Bar Exam, Careers in Law . . . )
Post Reply
User avatar
stocksly33

Bronze
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:48 pm

Is this normal...?

Post by stocksly33 » Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:22 am

Realizing exams are about a month away, and memo is due soon... I'm a little worried, because I'm reviewing things from earlier this semester... and i've forgotten quite a bit, and doing hypos I figured out that I still have a lot to learn/memorize on materials we have already covered.

Is that normal at this point? I don't see how I'm going to be able to cover everything properly.

thebookcollector

Bronze
Posts: 304
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:18 pm

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by thebookcollector » Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:25 am

stocksly33 wrote:Realizing exams are about a month away, and memo is due soon... I'm a little worried, because I'm reviewing things from earlier this semester... and i've forgotten quite a bit, and doing hypos I figured out that I still have a lot to learn/memorize on materials we have already covered.

Is that normal at this point? I don't see how I'm going to be able to cover everything properly.
I think it is normal. I have been pretty gunnerish, but for about five minutes today, I couldn't remember the common law definition of murder. Seriously. Knowledge deteriorates. That's why you put together a kick ass outline and memorize it before the exam.

As for using hypos to figure out what you don't know, that is the perfect strategy, but you might have started a bit earlier in the semester. The E&Es help me.

Hope that helps...

User avatar
MrKappus

Gold
Posts: 1685
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:46 am

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by MrKappus » Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:29 am

Haha how many "I don't know what's going on!" threads have you created? Relax. It's completely normal not to have months of dense, complex, and varied material on speed-dial. You'll find the outline process, if you do it correctly, synthesizes everything nicely and makes you exam-ready. Also, you know more than you think. I was writing things on exams that I hadn't thought deeply about for weeks. It's all about just making sure you think deeply about the material at some point in the semester. Some students don't do this and they tend to get into trouble...

User avatar
20160810

Diamond
Posts: 18121
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 1:18 pm

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by 20160810 » Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:34 am

Don't worry, that happens to lots of guys.

User avatar
goosey

Gold
Posts: 1543
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:48 pm

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by goosey » Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:07 pm

stocksly33 wrote:Realizing exams are about a month away, and memo is due soon... I'm a little worried, because I'm reviewing things from earlier this semester... and i've forgotten quite a bit, and doing hypos I figured out that I still have a lot to learn/memorize on materials we have already covered.

Is that normal at this point? I don't see how I'm going to be able to cover everything properly.

cali lessons/barbri's study smart software make me realize there are giant gaps in my understanding. I can later go and ask professors about these things...no word on how effective this is since I am yet to take an exam/get a grade, but one thing I can say for sure is I would rather encounter a nuance in the law that confuses me now than in december.

and I am overwhelmed with how much I need to learn in a month as well.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


User avatar
GeePee

Silver
Posts: 1273
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:35 pm

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by GeePee » Wed Oct 27, 2010 11:08 pm

goosey wrote:
stocksly33 wrote:Realizing exams are about a month away, and memo is due soon... I'm a little worried, because I'm reviewing things from earlier this semester... and i've forgotten quite a bit, and doing hypos I figured out that I still have a lot to learn/memorize on materials we have already covered.

Is that normal at this point? I don't see how I'm going to be able to cover everything properly.

cali lessons/barbri's study smart software make me realize there are giant gaps in my understanding. I can later go and ask professors about these things...no word on how effective this is since I am yet to take an exam/get a grade, but one thing I can say for sure is I would rather encounter a nuance in the law that confuses me now than in december.

and I am overwhelmed with how much I need to learn in a month as well.
It's also possible that you didn't learn some of this stuff and you don't need to know it for your professor. Not every class covers every facet of every CALI lesson; there's not enough time in a semester. Just focus on the things you need to know for your professor.

User avatar
stocksly33

Bronze
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:48 pm

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by stocksly33 » Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:25 am

goosey wrote: cali lessons/barbri's study smart software make me realize there are giant gaps in my understanding. I can later go and ask professors about these things...no word on how effective this is since I am yet to take an exam/get a grade, but one thing I can say for sure is I would rather encounter a nuance in the law that confuses me now than in december.

and I am overwhelmed with how much I need to learn in a month as well.
yeah, hypos are money. i internalize the hypos instantly, but... memorizing all the bll, element, tests, steps, etc is slow going. i have 2 closed notes exams... so i have an extra helping of memorizing to do. I haven't tried cali or barbri... how do they compare to e&e/crunchtime/seigel's?


GeePee wrote: It's also possible that you didn't learn some of this stuff and you don't need to know it for your professor. Not every class covers every facet of every CALI lesson; there's not enough time in a semester. Just focus on the things you need to know for your professor.
speaking for myself... i learned from tls to focus on the prof. but when i do hypos on the relevant rules, i realize there are nuances that i never picked up. like tonight...

my torts prof emphasizes res ispa heavily. so i'm doing a hypo where a man buys a new tractor, takes it home, starts it up and it works fine, then he turns it off and gets off the tractor, then the tractor automatically starts up for no reason, the man jumps on to try to stop it and he is injured. i thought in a comparative negl juris, the man's act of trying to stop the tractor would affect negl per se... but it is actually an act subsequent to the cause, so the man's negl doesn't affect the res ispa plea

User avatar
stocksly33

Bronze
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:48 pm

Re: Is this normal...?

Post by stocksly33 » Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:29 am

MrKappus wrote:Haha how many "I don't know what's going on!" threads have you created? Relax. It's completely normal not to have months of dense, complex, and varied material on speed-dial. You'll find the outline process, if you do it correctly, synthesizes everything nicely and makes you exam-ready. Also, you know more than you think. I was writing things on exams that I hadn't thought deeply about for weeks. It's all about just making sure you think deeply about the material at some point in the semester. Some students don't do this and they tend to get into trouble...
haha, i know... i try to maintain my shit. but sometimes its nice to vent and get perspective from people not at my school when i'm stressing. thanks for enduring/helping us 1Ls when the sky is falling.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


Post Reply

Return to “Forum for Law School Students”