What do you wish you knew/did when starting 1l Forum

[JuTMSY4]

This argument is actually a pretty good preview for law school.

credited.

My anecdotal experience is that less-traditional students tend to do better, but after a few years of employment (more than 2-3). They also have more interview experience, professional experience, etc.

[PDaddy]

Keep in mind that a lot of this is just personal. I regret all use of supplements.

Just curious, why? I've heard a bunch of arguments for them, but I've never heard someone argue against them.

I found that doing the reading carefully, attending class (and paying attention), and engaging with the material both in class (instead of playing solitaire) and when reading is a lot more helpful in terms of learning the material. I'm generally terrible at memorization of rules or mnemonics, but if I actually understand the underlying policy or can relate it to a fact pattern, it sinks in better. Most of my friends (and we're all top 1/3 and have V15 jobs or clerkships lined up) agree with me. It sometimes requires more work, but I prefer reading the cases. I served as a TA for both LRW and Civ Pro, and I think my approach was helpful in that role, too.

Just to play devil's advocate to everyone, can't a student do both (read cases and use supplements)? Secondly, your point about paying attention in class is very well-placed, sage advice!

This discourse really hammers home the point that there are many tried-and-true approaches, but in the end it's up to the individual to decide what works best for him/her. Everyone gets the gist of the prevailing advice: (1) develop a plan and try to stick with it, (2) see your profs outside of class (not as much for help as to build relationships), (3) be done outlining by a reasonable date, and (4) take lots of practice exams - because, in the end, it's all about the exam.

The billion-dollar question I think 0L's want answered is "how can one do #1 without wasting valuable time experimenting during their first 1L semester and beyond?" After all, there is no room for experimentation, only slight adjustments in your approach. I could be wrong, but it would appear that a 1L maximizes his/her chances for success by having a solid plan that he/she can stick with.

[apollo2015]

Just to play devil's advocate to everyone, can't a student do both (read cases and use supplements)?

There are only so many hours in a day.

I never used supplements, and did well in my normal 1L classes. I'm the kind of person who spots the issues and Black Letter Law in cases really quickly though. For people who might stare at a case for ages and never find the core moral of the case, then supplements might be useful for them.

[Randomnumbers]

Just to play devil's advocate to everyone, can't a student do both (read cases and use supplements)?

There are only so many hours in a day.

I never used supplements, and did well in my normal 1L classes. I'm the kind of person who spots the issues and Black Letter Law in cases really quickly though. For people who might stare at a case for ages and never find the core moral of the case, then supplements might be useful for them.

Lol @ finding the moral of a case

[Kafkaesquire]

You sound entitled as fuck so apparently you didn't pick up all of those "soft skills" during your time off from school

You sound like a whiney kid. I wish you the best of luck, but I have a feeling we would have a much different conversation if we were chatting in person - namely more civility. It's obviously pointless to bring this up in a forum, but the major point I was actually trying to bring up was that you shouldn't freak out! And yes, adult human beings chuckle when they see K-JDs freaking out about 1L.

I'm not entitled to jack, but I can make an objective observation about what I've done and how things are going for me. I'm not trying to prognosticate about someone else's success or failure, but just commenting on the factors that I know helped me be succesful so far. I think a lot of people on this forum board and elsewhere would get behind the idea that you should try and get out into the workforce before going to law school. I'm sorry some business analysts hurt your feelings and inside you feel inferior to everyone who has had a job and now need to put your big boy feelings on the internet.

Shit like that makes this forum low grade.

[ampersand5]

this thread should be for advice, not arguments.