Re: How do I get good 1L grades?
Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 10:43 pm
LOL!
I see what you did here.
I see what you did here.
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100% credited.troubledjack wrote:How do I get good 1L grades?
Get in your prof's head. Every prof expects different things on a law school exam. Some want you to fully explain your reasoning, others care more about how many issues you spot. Try to get your hands on a model answer then practice following that format. If a model answer doesn't exist then go to your prof's office hrs and ask them what they expect.
Don't rely on supplements. Paying attention in class is way more important. Use supplements to review a topic or if you're confused. You aren't taking Contracts....you are taking Contracts by prof X. Every prof emphasizes different topics and some of these topics won't be covered in the supplement.
Read the cases but don't waste too much time briefing. It's more important to get a gist of the case and figure out why it was included in the book.
Boo!booyakasha45 wrote:write well.
I would love to hear more on this topicEremite wrote:This is a lie, perpetrated by the man.And I read that I can't prepare over summer
The amount of information and analysis that you are going to be able to put on a piece of paper (or a computer screen) in three hours is finite. And a lot of what you have to learn can be straight up memorized (like the elements of common law murder, or the joinder rules).
I don't regret any of the summer reading that I did.
The corollary of the above prevarication is that you shouldn't begin studying for the test immediately. I have wondered if professors are just trying to make it easier to grade by weeding out the suckers.
It is true. You can cram. You are probably best served by not cramming, because (a) you may not be a good crammer, or (b) everyone else may be better at it than you are. Starting early helped me in my first semester big time.
Wow. This is one of the most epic necros I've seen. 7 years later. Mind = Blown.carsondalywashere wrote:I would love to hear more on this topicEremite wrote:This is a lie, perpetrated by the man.And I read that I can't prepare over summer
The amount of information and analysis that you are going to be able to put on a piece of paper (or a computer screen) in three hours is finite. And a lot of what you have to learn can be straight up memorized (like the elements of common law murder, or the joinder rules).
I don't regret any of the summer reading that I did.
The corollary of the above prevarication is that you shouldn't begin studying for the test immediately. I have wondered if professors are just trying to make it easier to grade by weeding out the suckers.
It is true. You can cram. You are probably best served by not cramming, because (a) you may not be a good crammer, or (b) everyone else may be better at it than you are. Starting early helped me in my first semester big time.
Reading a case three times strikes me as inefficient. I don't think you need to do that to make good comments either.KijiStewart wrote:Scrolling through the comments I didn't see an emphasis on these two points.
1) Choose someone you can trust, and take turns at explaining key concepts to each other. You begin to realize where your softs spot are.
2)
When you read a hard case, forget all the distractions. 1) Read it once no highlights no nothing. 2) read a second time to highlight/write notes in margin. 3) Read a third time to brief it yourself. 4) Go to class prepared and hammer the class discussion about it. Profs love when students make smart comments re: tough cases that doesn't paraphrase those useless supplements.
I agree that you don't need to do [much] summer prep in terms of reading. I read half of Getting to Maybe.A. Nony Mouse wrote:As to the specific post necro'd - you don't. need. to. do. summer. prep. You just don't.
That said, I don't know anyone who thinks you should wait and cram for a test.
(I also agree that reading each case 3 times is overkill - I get that someone might find it useful but that's going to be a very "know yourself" kind of suggestion.)
In my defense, the thread is stickied in the 1L success threadthrowaway2016gjdm wrote:Wow. This is one of the most epic necros I've seen. 7 years later. Mind = Blown.carsondalywashere wrote:I would love to hear more on this topicEremite wrote:This is a lie, perpetrated by the man.And I read that I can't prepare over summer
The amount of information and analysis that you are going to be able to put on a piece of paper (or a computer screen) in three hours is finite. And a lot of what you have to learn can be straight up memorized (like the elements of common law murder, or the joinder rules).
I don't regret any of the summer reading that I did.
The corollary of the above prevarication is that you shouldn't begin studying for the test immediately. I have wondered if professors are just trying to make it easier to grade by weeding out the suckers.
It is true. You can cram. You are probably best served by not cramming, because (a) you may not be a good crammer, or (b) everyone else may be better at it than you are. Starting early helped me in my first semester big time.
That's what I read, but the post I quoted was so unconventional that I felt it warranted discussionA. Nony Mouse wrote:As to the specific post necro'd - you don't. need. to. do. summer. prep. You just don't.
That said, I don't know anyone who thinks you should wait and cram for a test.
(I also agree that reading each case 3 times is overkill - I get that someone might find it useful but that's going to be a very "know yourself" kind of suggestion.)
Awesome advice, thank you265489164158 wrote:I agree that you don't need to do [much] summer prep in terms of reading. I read half of Getting to Maybe.A. Nony Mouse wrote:As to the specific post necro'd - you don't. need. to. do. summer. prep. You just don't.
That said, I don't know anyone who thinks you should wait and cram for a test.
(I also agree that reading each case 3 times is overkill - I get that someone might find it useful but that's going to be a very "know yourself" kind of suggestion.)
You DO need to do summer prep in terms of your mindset. Use summer to see family and friends, knowing you will have very little time in the coming months to invest in those relationships (you can reconnect on breaks). Also, use it to get your teeth cleaned, schedule check-ups, do anything that will distract you during the school year. Prepare your SO (if you have one). I had mine read Scott Turow's 1L of a Ride and he felt it really prepared him. Maybe it seems like that is overstating some of the craziness, but not for me. We also set up expectations for who would be responsible for household tasks (mostly him).
The prep work of talking to other law students and reading on here prepared me for how hard I would have to work to succeed. THAT was my biggest summer preparation, accepting the number of hours I would put in (roughly 50 hours / wk to start, 65-70 hours at the worst times). But, putting in the hours early in fall semester set the foundation so that when I did have the unexpected happen (my mother's terminal illness and passing just before finals), I was able to continue on and still perform very well.
At the same time, you're going to law school not Siberia. You don't need to put your family and friends on hold. You'll be busy and even if you are working 50 hours a week from the start, I definitely worked more at my full time job and had plenty of time to see friends and talk to family. You'll be busy. You'll work hard. But keep up your interests, join clubs, stay social. These things remind you about why you did the crazy thing and decided to go to law school in the first place and this reminder will help you maintain motivation.carsondalywashere wrote:Awesome advice, thank you265489164158 wrote:I agree that you don't need to do [much] summer prep in terms of reading. I read half of Getting to Maybe.A. Nony Mouse wrote:As to the specific post necro'd - you don't. need. to. do. summer. prep. You just don't.
That said, I don't know anyone who thinks you should wait and cram for a test.
(I also agree that reading each case 3 times is overkill - I get that someone might find it useful but that's going to be a very "know yourself" kind of suggestion.)
You DO need to do summer prep in terms of your mindset. Use summer to see family and friends, knowing you will have very little time in the coming months to invest in those relationships (you can reconnect on breaks). Also, use it to get your teeth cleaned, schedule check-ups, do anything that will distract you during the school year. Prepare your SO (if you have one). I had mine read Scott Turow's 1L of a Ride and he felt it really prepared him. Maybe it seems like that is overstating some of the craziness, but not for me. We also set up expectations for who would be responsible for household tasks (mostly him).
The prep work of talking to other law students and reading on here prepared me for how hard I would have to work to succeed. THAT was my biggest summer preparation, accepting the number of hours I would put in (roughly 50 hours / wk to start, 65-70 hours at the worst times). But, putting in the hours early in fall semester set the foundation so that when I did have the unexpected happen (my mother's terminal illness and passing just before finals), I was able to continue on and still perform very well.
I would actually strongly advise against this. I generally don't recommend looking at anyone else's outline until you're well into the semester (if at all), but reading a full outline at the beginning of 1L is more likely to be confusing than anything else.crumb cake wrote:Just spend a couple of days early in the semester reading through a full outline from a 2L/3L one or twice. The handful of hours it takes to do that will be better than anything you do in the summer, and it will provide you with a decent mental framework for the material.
Doing the same hahaThelaw23 wrote:I may be going against the grain here, but I am actually taking the time the past month or two to get myself into a stress-less zen mode. Not much going out, not much drinking or socializing, just working, working out, and watching shows/movies after work. Normally I am always for socializing/binge-drinking/going out, but I feel like this is a great way to prepare me for all the networking/dealing with people/stress/drama that might come with law school. (Not to mention prepping my liver)