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Fall break started yesterday and decided to start outlining one course at a time. Didn't realize just how much information we've covered in the last 8 weeks, it's taking way longer than I anticipated and I'm using an outline from an upperclassman. Anyone else start yet? How is everyone going about it?

It's a little early for you to be outlining. Even if your exams are all open book, the outlining process itself is how you really synthesize and learn the material. Doing that months in advance isn't going to be helpful. I've started during Thanksgiving break every semester since my 1L fall semester, and it has worked out very well.

A couple of grueling weeks filled with outlining right before exams > long, drawn out outlining over the semester.

Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school. Enjoy it, and don't spend it worrying about an outline that's not going to be that helpful anyway.

I'll disagree here. I think this week is a good one to start outlining.

It takes some time, especially as you start out. Personally I only looked at other outlines where my notes were unclear or incomplete. Otherwise it was mainly condensing and reorganizing my notes such that it made sense.

The easiest way to start is to go through and put down all of your large sections for the entire semester (even though you clearly won't be outlining some of these until later. These can come from the syllabus, or even the TOC of your casebook, if you're going through it in order. e.g. My K II syllabus looked like this:
Format that in the style you want for your outline and, hey presto, you've got the bare bones of an outline. Once you've got that, you can figure out where your condensing/reorganizing of notes should go.

If you're already outlining, IMO, you're skipping some steps. I generally tried to read the E&E's first, then outline, then take practice tests. And I'd sprinkle in reading the Nutshell either to beef up points I felt my outline was weak on or just as an alternative thing to do when I got sick of outlining or taking practice tests. If your final will have multiple choice, I would take multiple choice question in the Questions & Answers series instead of the Nutshell. I also found the multiple choice ones more helpful than other things in Property for some reason. I posted my recommendations regarding the supplements here: 1L study aids.

I agree with sd5289 about starting outlining at Thanksgiving. If you set a goal of getting through the E&Es before Thanksgiving, you'd be way ahead of the game. That was always my goal. Usually I wouldn't get all the way through all the E&Es in time for Thanksgiving, but at least giving it a good shot seemed to help.

sd5289 wrote: Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school.

This cannot possibly be true... Someone tell me that this isn't true.

pancakes3 wrote:

sd5289 wrote: Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school.

This cannot possibly be true... Someone tell me that this isn't true.

Least amount of work. Probably highest anxiety. Also, you figure out how to do shit after the first semester. Second semester 1L was a breeze imo. 2L has more work technically, but if you do all of it or worry about it you're probably doing it wrong.

Kratos wrote:

pancakes3 wrote:

sd5289 wrote: Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school.

This cannot possibly be true... Someone tell me that this isn't true.

Least amount of work. Probably highest anxiety. Also, you figure out how to do shit after the first semester. Second semester 1L was a breeze imo. 2L has more work technically, but if you do all of it or worry about it you're probably doing it wrong.

Anxiety kind of depends on whether you have a job. 2L without a job is pretty stressful (and job searching is a TON of work). I'm sure 3L without a job is much worse, although at least it's less work than 2L unless you're EIC or something.

pancakes3 wrote:

sd5289 wrote: Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school.

This cannot possibly be true... Someone tell me that this isn't true.

By far, 100%, not true.

tuhaybey wrote:If you're already outlining, IMO, you're skipping some steps. I generally tried to read the E&E's first, then outline, then take practice tests. And I'd sprinkle in reading the Nutshell either to beef up points I felt my outline was weak on or just as an alternative thing to do when I got sick of outlining or taking practice tests. If your final will have multiple choice, I would take multiple choice question in the Questions & Answers series instead of the Nutshell. I also found the multiple choice ones more helpful than other things in Property for some reason. I posted my recommendations regarding the supplements here: 1L study aids.

I agree with sd5289 about starting outlining at Thanksgiving. If you set a goal of getting through the E&Es before Thanksgiving, you'd be way ahead of the game. That was always my goal. Usually I wouldn't get all the way through all the E&Es in time for Thanksgiving, but at least giving it a good shot seemed to help.

I don't think using supplements is necessary unless there is something you are confused about. Starting outlining now is a good step to figure out if you need to check out supplements. I don't think reading supplements cover to cover is a good way to spend time.

The outline you do now will be useful, but you will have to also do another one later. I've found the best method to internalizing the material is making one long outline (you can do it as the term goes along or at the end) and then making it shorter and shorter. 10 pages, 5 pages, 2 pages. This was suggested to me for a class with a closed-book exam, but I've taken every exam in law school open or closed largely only referencing a two page outline and its worked very well.

shifty_eyed wrote:I don't think using supplements is necessary unless there is something you are confused about. Starting outlining now is a good step to figure out if you need to check out supplements. I don't think reading supplements cover to cover is a good way to spend time.

To some extent, I think that it doesn't matter so much how you study. As long as you're spending time grappling with the material, you're making progress regardless of the mechanism you're using to grapple with it.

But, in my view, you get a better understanding of the material if you get it from multiple sources. Something that may be unclear in the particular case you read on a topic, for example, might be much more clear in the Nutshell. A lot of times I'd read something in the E&E or wherever and think that they had it totally wrong, but then when I went back and re-looked at the case I thought contradicted it, I would realize that there was more nuance there than I had picked up. Or, something that you have trouble internalizing by thinking through specific scenarios from cases you might absorb more readily when you work through some short answer questions. Personally, I think I got more out of spending 10 hours reading the E&E and 10 hours reading the Nutshell and 10 hours reading cases than I got out of 30 hours doing any one of those three things. In fact, the classes I did the best in tended to be classes where I mixed it up the most- cases, outlining, practice tests, E&E, Nutshell, multiple choice questions, even flashcards sometimes. It wasn't that I necessarily studied more for those classes. More that I studied in a lot of different ways I think.

All that said, everybody has a different learning style. Some people I knew found that studying in small groups was the most useful thing, but I found that to be totally useless for example. My suggestion though would be to try at least a few different approaches at least first semester 1L before you decide which ones work best for you.

pancakes3 wrote:

sd5289 wrote: Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school.

This cannot possibly be true... Someone tell me that this isn't true.

Nothing is further from the truth. Fall 1L is so stressful, no one with any clue what's going on. Spring semester is less stressful after having taking some law school exams. And 2LOL has had absolutely no stress.

StylinNProfilin wrote:Nothing is further from the truth. Fall 1L is so stressful, no one with any clue what's going on. Spring semester is less stressful after having taking some law school exams. And 2LOL has had absolutely no stress.

Agreed. 2L is not "fun" but it's definitely less full of manic moments since you know what's required of you such as your study schedule, how to case brief in the least amount of time possible, the different Professor Personality Types and How Not to Care About Cold Calling, and etc.

MagicMike80 wrote:The outline you do now will be useful, but you will have to also do another one later. I've found the best method to internalizing the material is making one long outline (you can do it as the term goes along or at the end) and then making it shorter and shorter. 10 pages, 5 pages, 2 pages. This was suggested to me for a class with a closed-book exam, but I've taken every exam in law school open or closed largely only referencing a two page outline and its worked very well.

+1 to this, as well. I start working on my long outline about 1/2 through semester, though it was really more of a case of editing and refining my notes. Then I took a few practice questions from E&Es or tests. Started final outline closer to reading period, and I'd be going over it to make an attack list and get it very short. It sounds like more work than it is, tbh. You can do it while sipping wine and listening to music.

RCinDNA wrote:

StylinNProfilin wrote:Nothing is further from the truth. Fall 1L is so stressful, no one with any clue what's going on. Spring semester is less stressful after having taking some law school exams. And 2LOL has had absolutely no stress.

Agreed. 2L is not "fun" but it's definitely less full of manic moments since you know what's required of you such as your study schedule, how to case brief in the least amount of time possible, the different Professor Personality Types and How Not to Care About Cold Calling, and etc.

I didn't say that fall 1L is not stressful or hard. I am saying that comparatively, it is the easiest with respect to work load and extraneous concerns.

Spring 1L -- typically looking for a summer placement on top of having an additional course, and of course that legal writing appellate brief.

2L -- clinics, externships, sometimes job searching, journals, etc etc. Far more work. While you're less "manic," you'll be spending 80% of your time on something other than class work.

3L -- depends on your track, but often comprised of looking for and interviewing for permanent jobs after graduation on top of making sure you're all set to go for graduation...who knows though, perhaps spring 3L will actually be the most relaxing semester.

pancakes3 wrote:

sd5289 wrote: Also, the fall semester of 1L is truly the most relaxing time you will have during the first two years of law school.

This cannot possibly be true... Someone tell me that this isn't true.

This isn't true. Not even close.