Best way to kick ass first semester? Forum

[JLJ]

I am trying to figure out what the best way would be to go about acing the semester. I have torts, contracts, and civil procedure. Each class has the syllabus and reading schedule laid out for the entire semester, and I am a little over a 1/3 the way through all my required readings.

I want to be in the top 10% of my class. My issue is; I am debating between the two poll options and I am wondering what your input is in order to kick the maximum ass. If you have time to comment on why you voted the way you did I would really appreciate it.

[Helmholtz]

depends on the person

[5ky]

picked the option with "ruffly"

[Bronte]

There's an entire literature on how to do well in 1L year on TLS. It can't be encapsulated in a confusing two option poll.

[BarbellDreams]

If there was some easy formula everyone would just do it and end up in the same boat cause of the curve. Depends on the person.

[IAFG]

There are people who have abided by both methods and done well. There are people who have used both methods and been in the bottom 1/3. There are people who did neither, didn't go to classes and memorized other people's outlines and ended up in the top 10%. There is nothing you can do that will guarantee you top 10%.

[kalvano]

There is nothing you can do that will guarantee you top 10%.

Beat up all the smart kids on exam day.

[IAFG]

There is nothing you can do that will guarantee you top 10%.

Beat up all the smart kids on exam day.

Spike their water bottles with ambien?

[kalvano]

Plenty of ways to guarantee success.

[Glock]

Know your professor's exam style.

[071816]

Stupid poll

[masochist]

Step 1. Locate this
--ImageRemoved--

Step 2. Strike it with your foot

Step 2a. (optional) run

Step 3. Complete steps 1 and 2 prior to the end of your first semester

I promise, this plan cannot fail to bring about ass-kicking.

[Moomoo2u]

Step 1. Locate this
--ImageRemoved--

Step 2. Strike it with your foot

Step 2a. (optional) run

Step 3. Complete steps 1 and 2 prior to the end of your first semester

I promise, this plan cannot fail to bring about ass-kicking.

I lol'd

[shock259]

I'm doing 1, but I'll let you know how it goes in about 4 months.

[NeighborGuy]

Step 1. Locate this

Step 2. Strike it with your foot

Step 2a. (optional) run

Step 3. Complete steps 1 and 2 prior to the end of your first semester

I promise, this plan cannot fail to bring about ass-kicking.

Thanks, I needed that laugh!

[johndhi]

depends on the person

I agree with this and didn't vote. I did something more like the second option and killed it and a friend did something more like the first and killed it.

Personally I think it's stupid and time-consuming to read ahead. It would make me think about shit other than what the professor is talking about during lecture. Well, that's a guess - because I've never read ahead, because it's hard enough to stay up to speed as it is.

I think the important thing is to try to front-load some preparation in some way, though: start outlining, take a look at those practice exams and think through the ideas. If you have a large amount of practice exams (like from other teachers who taught the subject, for example), use one of the less-valuable ones (i.e. not from a recent administration by your prof.) to just practice issue spotting. Read through, try to write down all the issues. If you've got some time, develop arguments on both sides of those issues a little bit. Eventually hit the practice exams hard and write out full answers.

If you find yourself bored with extra time, I guess you could read ahead; I never found myself in that situation during the first year of law school.

[bk1]

Step 1. Locate this
--ImageRemoved--

Step 2. Strike it with your foot

Step 2a. (optional) run

Step 3. Complete steps 1 and 2 prior to the end of your first semester

I promise, this plan cannot fail to bring about ass-kicking.

Saw the pic and expected a holydonkey reference. I am disappoint.

[mrloblaw]

I've yet to use supplements. My thoughts are that the professor assigns the book he does (and any supplemental readings outside the casebook) because he thinks the readings are adequate to teach what he thinks you need to know about the subject. I take incredibly sparse course notes for the same reason, since I just review the casebook. At best, outside supplements teach you things you don't actually need to know. At worst, they present the issues in ways that your professor will completely disagree with (I had one 1L professor in particular that made his disagreement with the supplement's way of explaining things obvious when he kept getting questions that were clearly based on a disjunction between the way he understood the material and the way the supplement author did).

With that said, my general philosophy is to make sure that I know the casebook inside and out. After the readings, I'd put it down, and make sure I could cite the major points of every section from memory. If not, read again. Highlight, take notes in the margins, outline, do whatever you have to do to make sure that come game time, you could essentially rewrite your casebook from memory if need be, or at least a detailed supplement based on it.

No matter what the professor's expectations or teaching style, I've yet to have the method fail for me.

/end rare serious response

Edit: grammar

[hawkeye22]

Personally I think outlining as you move through class is incredibly helpful and helps free up time for practice tests later in the semester.

[Lieut Kaffee]

Both poll options are trying too hard. Relax, try to make skipping class an extreme rarity, do the readings you're supposed to when you're supposed to, and when exams start breathing down your neck, do some combination of throwing an outline together and mooching off proven outlines. Take maybe a practice test or two per prof. I fail to see what you can get out of 20 practice tests that you can't get out of four.

EDIT: I voted #2 because #1 is trying WAYY too hard.

[mrloblaw]

Both poll options are trying too hard. Relax, try to make skipping class an extreme rarity, do the readings you're supposed to when you're supposed to, and when exams start breathing down your neck, do some combination of throwing an outline together and mooching off proven outlines. Take maybe a practice test or two per prof. I fail to see what you can get out of 20 practice tests that you can't get out of four.

EDIT: I voted #2 because #1 is trying WAYY too hard.

Come on, now. We should be encouraging OP to unleash the inner gunner. WELCOME TO THUNDERDOME: [600] MEN ENTER, ONE MAN GETS BIGLAW.

[waxecstatic]

I've yet to use supplements. My thoughts are that the professor assigns the book he does (and any supplemental readings outside the casebook) because he thinks the readings are adequate to teach what he thinks you need to know about the subject. I take incredibly sparse course notes for the same reason, since I just review the casebook. At best, outside supplements teach you things you don't actually need to know. At worst, they present the issues in ways that your professor will completely disagree with (I had one 1L professor in particular that made his disagreement with the supplement's way of explaining things obvious when he kept getting questions that were clearly based on a disjunction between the way he understood the material and the way the supplement author did).

With that said, my general philosophy is to make sure that I know the casebook inside and out. After the readings, I'd put it down, and make sure I could cite the major points of every section from memory. If not, read again. Highlight, take notes in the margins, outline, do whatever you have to do to make sure that come game time, you could essentially rewrite your casebook from memory if need be, or at least a detailed supplement based on it.

No matter what the professor's expectations or teaching style, I've yet to have the method fail for me.

/end rare serious response

Edit: grammar

I'm guessing you've never looked at a supplement, because many supplements are cliff note's versions of a text used in class. Usage of one can get you grounded and give you enough information so that the lectures make sense to you as they are given. It condenses all ideas you'd use on an exam, at least major points. Supplements do not give you information on things you don't need to know. They may however not provide enough information on certain things. They certainly aren't sufficient, but for some, they're pretty crucial to knowing the main point so as to help you in class.

[mrloblaw]

I've yet to use supplements. My thoughts are that the professor assigns the book he does (and any supplemental readings outside the casebook) because he thinks the readings are adequate to teach what he thinks you need to know about the subject. I take incredibly sparse course notes for the same reason, since I just review the casebook. At best, outside supplements teach you things you don't actually need to know. At worst, they present the issues in ways that your professor will completely disagree with (I had one 1L professor in particular that made his disagreement with the supplement's way of explaining things obvious when he kept getting questions that were clearly based on a disjunction between the way he understood the material and the way the supplement author did).

With that said, my general philosophy is to make sure that I know the casebook inside and out. After the readings, I'd put it down, and make sure I could cite the major points of every section from memory. If not, read again. Highlight, take notes in the margins, outline, do whatever you have to do to make sure that come game time, you could essentially rewrite your casebook from memory if need be, or at least a detailed supplement based on it.

No matter what the professor's expectations or teaching style, I've yet to have the method fail for me.

/end rare serious response

Edit: grammar

I'm guessing you've never looked at a supplement, because many supplements are cliff note's versions of a text used in class. Usage of one can get you grounded and give you enough information so that the lectures make sense to you as they are given. It condenses all ideas you'd use on an exam, at least major points. Supplements do not give you information on things you don't need to know. They may however not provide enough information on certain things. They certainly aren't sufficient, but for some, they're pretty crucial to knowing the main point so as to help you in class.

I haven't. I just based it on how completely wrong the kids that lived in their supplements tended to be when it came to applying the doctrine as taught by our professors. My thus somewhat uninformed opinion is that supplements are a completely unnecessary crutch in light of the $50k plus sticker on the crutches you're already required to buy/use (casebooks + course instruction)

[johndhi]

I haven't. I just based it on how completely wrong the kids that lived in their supplements tended to be when it came to applying the doctrine as taught by our professors. My thus somewhat uninformed opinion is that supplements are a completely unnecessary crutch in light of the $50k plus sticker on the crutches you're already required to buy/use (casebooks + course instruction)

Supplements are a tool. Use them in any way you want. I used them for some things and did exceptionally well 1L. My strategy was to pull from all the resources I had - profs' old exams, class notes, the casebook, supplements, 2 and 3Ls who had taken the class, this forum, classmates. Supplements are another part of the kitchen sink you can throw at exams.