canoe wrote:NYULawStudent123 wrote:canoe wrote:1) How accessible are previous years' exams? If the professor doesn't hand out sample/previous exams, are there ways to access previous exams short of knowing/asking someone who previously took his/her class?
2) Can you pick classes/professors for your 1L courses or are you randomly assigned?
3) If you want to get outside housing (non-student housing) your 1L year, what's the best way to go about it outside of craigslist?
4) Can you briefly expound on what you would have done differently your 1L year to get better grades?
Thanks op
1) Very accessible. You could find them even through sending an email to the listserv. It's just a matter if that professor taught for awhile to have many exams.
2) Randomly assigned. Except one elective in spring.
3) The many other apartment listing site that exist, and having a list to check out and coming to NYC to do so.
4) This is a difficult question. I happened to get pretty good grades, and in at least three classes missed the higher grade cutoff by a smidge. So one thing I would've done would've been to get a smidge higher on those exams, lol. But also, I'd say starting to outline earlier is better, as it will help keep the workload balanced. Also, if a class doesn't have many old outlines or old exams, maybe work with peers more? I don't know about that one. If you want advice on how to do well, in general, feel free to ask.
Pray, please share your advice.
Oh and one more question: I know you haven't gone through OCI yet, but what's NYU's bidding system like? (lottery, etc.)
So my first piece of advice would be do as I say, not as I did. But if I were to give advice on what I think would be the ideal approach to do well in law school, it would be as follows:
1) SUPPLEMENTS. Use supplements as supplements, not as your main source of information. By that, I mean they should be there in case you don't understand a small topic, but the casebook, lecture, and office hours should be your main sources of information.
2) BRIEFING CASES. Not necessary. It is perfectly okay to brief cases early in the semester if doing so will help you understand the information better. But as the semester goes on and time becomes scarce, briefing outline will be a poor use of time, and you should try to avoid doing so during the final month of prep.
3) OLD OUTLINES. To expound on #1, the best supplements are old outlines. During the first few weeks of the semester, find yourself a few good old outlines from 2L's or 3L's and use them as a supplement as you read the case book. If you find good old outlines, you will know what the professor is looking for and will know what topics to focus on throughout the semester.
4) OUTLINING. You should outline each topic after you complete it. For example, after completing personal jurisdiction in civ pro, you should outline it. This is a good practice, as it will keep you up to date throughout the semester. If need be, you could take your outlines on each topic and make a more condensed outline a 6 weeks before exams (30-70 pages would be ideal). You will want to make your attack outline 1-2 weeks before you exam--it should be 5-15 pages, depending on amount of material.
5) PRACTICE EXAMS. Start doing practice exams 3-4 weeks before finals. Start off by doing one every few days, as you finish up outlining, so you get a feel for what you should be outlining. Read over model answers carefully. If your professor doesn't have many old exams, find exams from professors who test similarly. Save at least three exams to do after you make your attack outline. Doing a few exams before making your attack outline will be very beneficial, as it will give you an idea of what you will need to be completely focused on.
6) TEST TAKING. Test taking is an art. If you get a hang of it early, you will be in amazing shape. As for taking LEEWS or reading some book, I read portions of "Open Book," but I didn't find it to be so helpful. It had some good points, but I didn't think about them while taking exams. I naturally thought in the way these programs try to get you to think. What I think the issue with these books and course is that they are made for the masses, and if you fall into the masses, your grades will be average. The key to test taking is to know what your professor is looking for. There is not exact right way to take an exam. The ideal way is how your professor likes, so taking old exams and reading model answers will give you an idea of what the professor is looking for. That is why it is crucial to talk with upperclassmen and learn what your professor likes and looks for, so you can tailor your exam to the professor's liking.
I'm probably missing some things, but that's a mini-guide to how I would advise 0L's regarding law school. If people want, I might consider writing an article. Let me know.
I hope the above information is helpful!
