lolwutTy Webb wrote: I am weird, though. I thrive off of being the last guy standing in the law school at night.
. Forum
- Stanford4Me
- Posts: 6240
- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:23 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
- romothesavior
- Posts: 14692
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:29 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
FTFMTy Webb wrote: I am weird, though. I thrive off of being the last guy to leave happy hourstanding in the law school at night.
- Ty Webb
- Posts: 520
- Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:47 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Too much of this in September necessitates too much of the other in November in my experience.romothesavior wrote:FTFMTy Webb wrote: I am weird, though. I thrive off of being the last guy to leave happy hourstanding in the law school at night.
- romothesavior
- Posts: 14692
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:29 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Not in my experience, but to each their own.Ty Webb wrote:Too much of this in September necessitates too much of the other in November in my experience.
-
- Posts: 684
- Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:17 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Till the month before finals all you need to do is about 2 hrs of reading/studying on the weekdays, and a maybe 2-3 hrs total over the weekend. I never "study" other than before finals or a midterm (not all classes have midterms). However, I do dilligently read 99% of my reading assignments (other than for crim law where the casebook notes/class discussions were way more critical than any cases...the way my professor taught anyways). Around a month before finals, I get a bit more serious. I start looking at or working on practice essay questions during the weekends. I usually limit this to a few hours each weekend. Two weeks before finals I kick it up a notch and add multiple choice questions to the mix. Note, the weeks before finals can be hectic because you are preparing while still reading your class materials.
The last week before finals is where the real studying begins. That is when I memorize my rule statements and ensure that I can spill them out without thinking. Every rule, every exception, and in the classes that require it the cases (make sure you find out what your professor's want).
Other than this, there are times when you work a bit more than usual. For instance, right before a graded legal writing memo is due, people tend to get very busy, but I tend to research these memo's way ahead of time. The problem is I start writing them about two days before the due date, so my two days before a legal writing final memo (only 1 graded per semester at my school) is due I basically am living and breathing the memo.
Everything worked out for me last semester and I did very well. I am basically doing the same thing this semester.
The last week before finals is where the real studying begins. That is when I memorize my rule statements and ensure that I can spill them out without thinking. Every rule, every exception, and in the classes that require it the cases (make sure you find out what your professor's want).
Other than this, there are times when you work a bit more than usual. For instance, right before a graded legal writing memo is due, people tend to get very busy, but I tend to research these memo's way ahead of time. The problem is I start writing them about two days before the due date, so my two days before a legal writing final memo (only 1 graded per semester at my school) is due I basically am living and breathing the memo.
Everything worked out for me last semester and I did very well. I am basically doing the same thing this semester.
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:56 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
0L question here - before finals, do you guys go back and re-read all the cases from the beginning of the semester? How do you remember them? Or do you only read the notes you took on the cases? The amount of material to learn/memorize seems overwhelming....
- Stanford4Me
- Posts: 6240
- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:23 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
This is why I still brief my cases (even though a lot of my classmates don't). It makes it a lot easier for me to remember general rules if I brief the cases and just put the holding (if it's important enough) in my outline.skippy1 wrote:0L question here - before finals, do you guys go back and re-read all the cases from the beginning of the semester? How do you remember them? Or do you only read the notes you took on the cases? The amount of material to learn/memorize seems overwhelming....
- romothesavior
- Posts: 14692
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:29 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
For the vast majority of classes, knowing all the individual cases is completely unnecessary. Some professors will want you to know the "big ones" (like Raich in Con Law or International Shoe in Civ Pro), but even then, knowing the detailed facts is probably not necessary. You'll already be very familiar with these cases after hearing them thrown around in class all semester long, and you'll probably be able to recall the crucial facts of them on the exam if you should have to distinguish them on the exam. And what you need to know of the cases can probably be figured out in the supplements. I'm not going to re-read a case if I can get everything I need from a one paragraph summary in my E&E or Understanding book.skippy1 wrote:0L question here - before finals, do you guys go back and re-read all the cases from the beginning of the semester? How do you remember them? Or do you only read the notes you took on the cases? The amount of material to learn/memorize seems overwhelming....
A few very evil professors may require you to know the facts of non-major, individual cases, which may require you to go back and re-read some, but this seems to be pretty out of the ordinary in my experience.
-
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:32 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
40 hours a week or less will be more than enough to get you through the first half of the semester. If you can work diligently 6 days a week with a focus on preparing for finals, the last few weeks still shouldn't be too rough. Practice tests take more time than the just reading stuff, but doing them is less mind-numbing than reading and re-reading notes, supplements, and cases.
Probably averaged about 30-35 hours a week first half (including class), ramping up to low-mid 50/60's as I got into the last part of the semester, and ended up ~top 5% at a T13. Doing a little less work this exam period, for better or for worse.
Probably averaged about 30-35 hours a week first half (including class), ramping up to low-mid 50/60's as I got into the last part of the semester, and ended up ~top 5% at a T13. Doing a little less work this exam period, for better or for worse.
-
- Posts: 947
- Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 4:57 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Yeah, but what else is there to do in Ithaca?MPMP wrote:Probably averaged about 30-35 hours a week first half (including class), ramping up to low-mid 50/60's as I got into the last part of the semester, and ended up ~top 5% at a T13.
- SmittenMitten
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:18 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
romothesavior wrote:I'd say TITCR. I think I posted something similar to this a few months ago. I'll see if I can find it. But this basically sums up my exact study schedule, and I did fairly well gradewise last fall. Again, you don't have to make law school harder than it is by killing yourself all semester long. A lot of the people who do this still do poorly on exams.Eco wrote:What your actual schedule will look like-->
(1) Wake up 10 minutes before class, run.
(2) Go to class, gchat.
(3) Gchat and waste time while waiting for next class, skim through the reading, hoping you won't get called on.
(4) Go to next class.
(5) Go home.
(6) watch tv and stuff until 10pm.
(7) About to study, then friends call you up, go out for beer instead.
---->One month before finals:
***PANIC***
(1) Outline everyday.
(2) Feeling good, so you slack off a little bit.
(3) 2 days before exam, you freak out again and finish up your outlines.
(4) Finish exams.
(5) Get drunk.
This 100% Add in about 15 panic attacks here and there- and words with friends/angry birds and this is pretty much it. Totally worth the money.
- Stringer6
- Posts: 5919
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:45 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
So most people here don't buy into the putting in the amount of time recommended by Arrow and others who have written tls guides?
Also, where is the best place to buy supplements?
Also, where is the best place to buy supplements?
- mbusch22
- Posts: 255
- Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 1:08 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
I did a lot of what Arrow did and it paid off last semester big time. But, I'll admit it was likely a ton of unnecessary and superfluous studying at points. It at least made for a much more relaxed exam period than most, I think.Stringer6 wrote:So most people here don't buy into the putting in the amount of time recommended by Arrow and others who have written tls guides?
Also, where is the best place to buy supplements?
I tried to get the used supplements early from my bookstore. You can get a free amazon prime account and get free shipping too.
Register now!
Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.
It's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
- Stringer6
- Posts: 5919
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:45 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
thanksmbusch22 wrote:I did a lot of what Arrow did and it paid off last semester big time. But, I'll admit it was likely a ton of unnecessary and superfluous studying at points. It at least made for a much more relaxed exam period than most, I think.Stringer6 wrote:So most people here don't buy into the putting in the amount of time recommended by Arrow and others who have written tls guides?
Also, where is the best place to buy supplements?
I tried to get the used supplements early from my bookstore. You can get a free amazon prime account and get free shipping too.
- Paichka
- Posts: 287
- Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:17 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Last year, and last semester, I followed a pretty tough schedule -- getting to school around 7:30, staying until 10pm two days per week, outlining as I went along, reading supplements, etc. It paid off big time.
This semester, I slacked a little -- I'm out-to-here pregnant, and my daughter just turned two, so I just didn't have the energy to pull the same kind of schedule as I did...I still stayed up on my reading, but I left most of my outlining until the last few weeks of school. I definitely felt it going into exams -- MUCH less comfortable, much more reliant on my outlines rather than having the stuff easily accessible in my head. I still feel like I did well on each of the tests (we'll see in a few weeks, I suppose), but my stress level was far, far higher this semester than it's been in semesters prior.
Next year, I'm going back to my tough, Arrow/Xeoh-type schedule. It sucked a little more during the week, but I had more relaxing weekends and I was WAY less stressed come finals. I'll take a little more suckage on the front end so that I'm not a crazy person on the back end, but YMMV.
This semester, I slacked a little -- I'm out-to-here pregnant, and my daughter just turned two, so I just didn't have the energy to pull the same kind of schedule as I did...I still stayed up on my reading, but I left most of my outlining until the last few weeks of school. I definitely felt it going into exams -- MUCH less comfortable, much more reliant on my outlines rather than having the stuff easily accessible in my head. I still feel like I did well on each of the tests (we'll see in a few weeks, I suppose), but my stress level was far, far higher this semester than it's been in semesters prior.
Next year, I'm going back to my tough, Arrow/Xeoh-type schedule. It sucked a little more during the week, but I had more relaxing weekends and I was WAY less stressed come finals. I'll take a little more suckage on the front end so that I'm not a crazy person on the back end, but YMMV.
-
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:57 pm
Get unlimited access to all forums and topics
Register now!
I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...
Already a member? Login
- Rooney
- Posts: 1179
- Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 3:43 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
We 0Ls really really appreciate all of your feedback! Thanks
- Stringer6
- Posts: 5919
- Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:45 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
big game today, Rooney
- romothesavior
- Posts: 14692
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:29 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Okay, maybe in your con law class. In mine, it was the last case we read and we focused on it a lot since it left a lot of doors open for future directions. I agree re: Wickard and Lopez, but Gibbons? Come on brah... you don't need that pedestrian garbage. That'd be like citing to Pennoyer on a Civ Pro exam. It's a baseline intro, but not that important.emorystud2010 wrote:Raich? That case was like a side note in my Con Law class. I think a big one would be more like US v Lopez or Wickard or even Gibbons in that area.romothesavior wrote:For the vast majority of classes, knowing all the individual cases is completely unnecessary. Some professors will want you to know the "big ones" (like Raich in Con Law or International Shoe in Civ Pro), but even then, knowing the detailed facts is probably not necessary. You'll already be very familiar with these cases after hearing them thrown around in class all semester long, and you'll probably be able to recall the crucial facts of them on the exam if you should have to distinguish them on the exam. And what you need to know of the cases can probably be figured out in the supplements. I'm not going to re-read a case if I can get everything I need from a one paragraph summary in my E&E or Understanding book.skippy1 wrote:0L question here - before finals, do you guys go back and re-read all the cases from the beginning of the semester? How do you remember them? Or do you only read the notes you took on the cases? The amount of material to learn/memorize seems overwhelming....
A few very evil professors may require you to know the facts of non-major, individual cases, which may require you to go back and re-read some, but this seems to be pretty out of the ordinary in my experience.
Anyways, why are we talking about this again?
-
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:57 pm
Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.
Register now, it's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
- Rooney
- Posts: 1179
- Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 3:43 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Massive! Thank God the attorneys either side of my office are cool with the occasional "YESSSS!!!!" on gamedays...Stringer6 wrote:big game today, Rooney
- Mickey Quicknumbers
- Posts: 2168
- Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:22 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
This depends. I would never read a full case, but I reread the class notes about it, because then you get the case + your professors perspective on it.skippy1 wrote:0L question here - before finals, do you guys go back and re-read all the cases from the beginning of the semester? How do you remember them? Or do you only read the notes you took on the cases? The amount of material to learn/memorize seems overwhelming....
If you're in con law or civ pro (or property for imminent domain) and it's a case like Raich, State farm v. Campbell, Gasperini etc. then it could be an entire exam question in and of itself. Cases like this are fairly easy to spot because your professor might spend a lot of time on them, or they'll be cases that take the law in a new direction.
However, for classes like crim law, torts, or contracts, (or really, the majority of all the cases you read) then rarely will a case be more than just an illustration of a point or a test, and that point/test/factor can be learnt through a supplement, or if you take it down in class notes, then the case that it was attached to is unnecessary.
Again, I would say that it's never a smart method to reread through every single case to prepare for an exam anyways, because you'd be much better served by rereading the class notes you took on the case. All that said, remembering cases is surprisingly easy to do, the fact patterns and the "point" usually stick with you.
-
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:56 am
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
Once you read a case and take notes, do you go back and review the concepts/rules from that case from the notes you took or the outline you are making? Or do later concepts build on the previous ones? I'm wondering how people keep from forgetting material from earlier in the semester.
- Mickey Quicknumbers
- Posts: 2168
- Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:22 pm
Re: Typical Schedule as a 1L
The average case you get will have a takeaway of something like "corporations are not protected under the privileges and immunities clause" or "the reasonable person standard is based on like age and experience"skippy1 wrote:Once you read a case and take notes, do you go back and review the concepts/rules from that case from the notes you took or the outline you are making? Or do later concepts build on the previous ones? I'm wondering how people keep from forgetting material from earlier in the semester.
and together it will only add up to a 30-50 page outline at most. Nobody should have trouble memorizing a 30-50 page outline over the course of 4 months.
Seriously? What are you waiting for?
Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!
Already a member? Login