1L Exam Prep and Motivation Thread Forum

[beach_terror]

As for Goosey? PEOPLE. Goosey rules. (Hai, honey - get together during break?)

Nobody said she didn't, I'm just surprised she's still alive. She stopped posting for a week or two - I was sure she had kicked the bucket.

[JCougar]

1. JCougar, I totally agree... and if I hadn't been sidelined with pneumonia 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, my Master Plan would have been PERFECT! As it is, I'm doing a little bit of "playing catch up" but I still feel pretty good heading into this week (first final is Thursday.)

As for Goosey? PEOPLE. Goosey rules. (Hai, honey - get together during break?)

Yuck...that sucks. Hope you're feeling better.

[nygrrrl]

1. JCougar, I totally agree... and if I hadn't been sidelined with pneumonia 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, my Master Plan would have been PERFECT! As it is, I'm doing a little bit of "playing catch up" but I still feel pretty good heading into this week (first final is Thursday.)

As for Goosey? PEOPLE. Goosey rules. (Hai, honey - get together during break?)

Yuck...that sucks. Hope you're feeling better.

Thanks man - steroids and inhalers are doing wonders. Also Beach? Totally hear you. lol.

[SmittenMitten]

I'm not good at drinking, nor do I particularly enjoy it. Even if I have one glass of wine-I am sidelined at least half of the next day with a headache. This has been the case for the past three years-including when my tolerance level has been much higher.

[Stanford4Me]

I'm actually enjoying outlining today . . . interesting.

[JCougar]

I <3 Farnsworth on Contracts. So glad someone recommended it to me.

[beach_terror]

I'm actually enjoying outlining today . . . interesting.

Use moar ellipsis bro

[Holly Golightly]

I don't know how anyone can get through law school without alcohol.

This. I stopped drinking like 2 weeks ago and I'm salivating just thinking about how much I plan on drinking ont he 16th.

[GATORTIM]

I <3 Farnsworth on Contracts.

[09042014]

You can definitely learn each class in three days of 18 hours of work a day.

Hell if you don't outline, and just use someone else's outline you can do it in a day.

This is triply true if you read for class and just went. Understanding the material is easy. Remembering it all is harder. Apply it is the difficult part. That is hard to study for. Reading 15 supplements and outlining during orientation won't do shit to make you better at applying it.

[beach_terror]

I don't know how anyone can get through law school without alcohol.

This. I stopped drinking like 2 weeks ago and I'm salivating just thinking about how much I plan on drinking ont he 16th.

Buy a case of 10-12% beer. Having 1-2 gets you just buzzed enough to clear your head, and then an hour later it's like you've hit the reset button and are ready to go.

Yes, I know this is the first step toward alcoholism.

[dailygrind]

You can definitely learn each class in three days of 18 hours of work a day.

Hell if you don't outline, and just use someone else's outline you can do it in a day.

This is triply true if you read for class and just went. Understanding the material is easy. Remembering it all is harder. Apply it is the difficult part. That is hard to study for. Reading 15 supplements and outlining during orientation won't do shit to make you better at applying it.

i think the only reason to do the outlining way, way before the test is so you can spend a lot of time doing practice problems close to the testing day. of course, to do this, you need to have a lot of practice tests, preferably with answers, by your prof or someone who uses the same cases. which is pretty fuckin hard to find.

[beach_terror]

You can definitely learn each class in three days of 18 hours of work a day.

Hell if you don't outline, and just use someone else's outline you can do it in a day.

This is triply true if you read for class and just went. Understanding the material is easy. Remembering it all is harder. Apply it is the difficult part. That is hard to study for. Reading 15 supplements and outlining during orientation won't do shit to make you better at applying it.

i think the only reason to do the outlining way, way before the test is so you can spend a lot of time doing practice problems close to the testing day. of course, to do this, you need to have a lot of practice tests, preferably with answers, by your prof or someone who uses the same cases. which is pretty fuckin hard to find.

You can't meet with your professors to go over practice problems?

[Stanford4Me]

I'm actually enjoying outlining today . . . interesting.

Use moar ellipsis bro

It has become an inescapable habit. I tend to type the way I think things, and I always have long pauses in my thoughts. Sad, really.

[bostonian]

I don't know how anyone can get through law school without alcohol.

This. I stopped drinking like 2 weeks ago and I'm salivating just thinking about how much I plan on drinking ont he 16th.

Planning a repeat performance of Oct. 9?

I've cut back on drinking somewhat, but I don't want to stop entirely and then die next Thursday.

[MBZags]

Question about how you guys are taking practice exams: How much time, if any, are you taking to outline your answer beforehand? I always feel like I need to, but I usually rush through it and frustrate myself even more because I'm so worried about time.

[mths]

You can definitely learn each class in three days of 18 hours of work a day.

Hell if you don't outline, and just use someone else's outline you can do it in a day.

This is triply true if you read for class and just went. Understanding the material is easy. Remembering it all is harder. Apply it is the difficult part. That is hard to study for. Reading 15 supplements and outlining during orientation won't do shit to make you better at applying it.

i think the only reason to do the outlining way, way before the test is so you can spend a lot of time doing practice problems close to the testing day. of course, to do this, you need to have a lot of practice tests, preferably with answers, by your prof or someone who uses the same cases. which is pretty fuckin hard to find.

Honestly, I feel like outlining so far in advance is useless. I outline to study. If I just needed a finished product, I'd use someone else's outline.

[09042014]

Question about how you guys are taking practice exams: How much time, if any, are you taking to outline your answer beforehand? I always feel like I need to, but I usually rush through it and frustrate myself even more because I'm so worried about time.

I think it depends on the class and how the test is set up.

I need to outline my contracts because its a cluster fuck and I need to hit all teh points.

But Civ Pro only has four main issues. Outlining it seemed like a waste.

[SmittenMitten]

Question about how you guys are taking practice exams: How much time, if any, are you taking to outline your answer beforehand? I always feel like I need to, but I usually rush through it and frustrate myself even more because I'm so worried about time.

I think it depends on the class and how the test is set up.

I need to outline my contracts because its a cluster fuck and I need to hit all teh points.

But Civ Pro only has four main issues. Outlining it seemed like a waste.

what four issues are you counting as the "only" main issues?

[dakatz]

Its just so damn frustrating. Was taking a bunch of past tests, seeing more and more issues, getting better and better. And then I hit a buzzsaw exam with facts so confusing that I couldn't even pick out the main issues at times. Total oddity amongst the other exams, which had fairly straightforward facts (were talking civ pro btw).

And whats more frustrating is that, even on the questions I think I nailed, the model answer talks about completely different points, reference different cases, and uses a totally different train of thought and approach. So I'm left with what sounds like a great answer that is on point and raises good arguments that has almost nothing in common with the model answer. So I have no idea what the hell to even think.

[beach_terror]

Its just so damn frustrating. Was taking a bunch of past tests, seeing more and more issues, getting better and better. And then I hit a buzzsaw exam with facts so confusing that I couldn't even pick out the main issues at times. Total oddity amongst the other exams, which had fairly straightforward facts (were talking civ pro btw).

Shit happens, if it confuses you (and you've been on top of shit) it's going to confuse other people too. Often when I get overwhelmed by fact patterns, I usually end up realizing after that I missed something simple that made everything make sense (like ripping through a hypo and then realizing the main argument is based on QIR2 instead of conduct with the forum state). At first I was like , then I was like

[09042014]

Question about how you guys are taking practice exams: How much time, if any, are you taking to outline your answer beforehand? I always feel like I need to, but I usually rush through it and frustrate myself even more because I'm so worried about time.

I think it depends on the class and how the test is set up.

I need to outline my contracts because its a cluster fuck and I need to hit all teh points.

But Civ Pro only has four main issues. Outlining it seemed like a waste.

what four issues are you counting as the "only" main issues?

Sorry I should have said my civ pro only has four main issues on each test. He picks 4 out of pleading, discovery, summary judgment, personal jurisdiction, and erie doctrine.

[jmhendri]

Hating DF for not having Joinder on that list.

[SmittenMitten]

Question about how you guys are taking practice exams: How much time, if any, are you taking to outline your answer beforehand? I always feel like I need to, but I usually rush through it and frustrate myself even more because I'm so worried about time.

I think it depends on the class and how the test is set up.

I need to outline my contracts because its a cluster fuck and I need to hit all teh points.

But Civ Pro only has four main issues. Outlining it seemed like a waste.

what four issues are you counting as the "only" main issues?

Sorry I should have said my civ pro only has four main issues on each test. He picks 4 out of pleading, discovery, summary judgment, personal jurisdiction, and erie doctrine.

Wow. that must be nice. No venue/Preclusion/subjectmatter

[09042014]

I think it depends on the class and how the test is set up.

I need to outline my contracts because its a cluster fuck and I need to hit all teh points.

But Civ Pro only has four main issues. Outlining it seemed like a waste.

what four issues are you counting as the "only" main issues?

Sorry I should have said my civ pro only has four main issues on each test. He picks 4 out of pleading, discovery, summary judgment, personal jurisdiction, and erie doctrine.

Wow. that must be nice. No venue/Preclusion/subjectmatter

We have four substantive classes a semester so something has to go. My prof is a wellknown civ pro scholar so he has some less accepted views of the issues. We went much further in depth than the supplements or other people's civ pro classes do. In order to make time for it, SMJ, joinder, and a couple other issues are pretty much glossed over.

It's a trade off. If you are a person who needs supplements to learn you'd be B- bait in my class.