If I Could Go Back to 1L I Would Have.... Forum

[Depressed Gooner]

Hey everyone! Currently 0L here about a month out until classes, curious about if any of you 2L, 3L, or JDs would have any tips of us 0L. Like, if you could go back in time and prepare for 1L better with what you know, what would you recommend? For example: supplies, study tips, lifestyle choices, social tips, and other necessities you found out you needed in 1L+.

And no, I do not want to hear "Quit while you're ahead", "I would have not gone to law school", "I would have gone to X school for X money", or any other negative comments like that (because I have read/heard it all), just general tips/suggestions for incoming 1Ls.

Thanks everyone in advanced!

[Nachoo2019]

There are so many threads on this and so much valuable information on how do to 1L in this forum already. Take a minute and look through the threads in "Ask a Law Student"

The exact one you just posted in.

[RSN]

Here's what I did:

1) Read and go to class
2) Take good notes in a way that makes sense to you
3) Repeat 1-2 until around Thanksgiving
4) Condense your notes into an outline of all the legal rules you learned and things your professors care about (or start earlier if it makes sense to you)
5) Take practice exams
6) Review practice exams with other people and compare to model answers
7) Take more practice exams and review them
8 ) Take the exam

Go here for longer versions and variations on this: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=123092

Nothing else matters that much. If you were a social person before law school you'll be one in law school. Try to have a budget. Get some sleep. There are no real secrets.

[dabigchina]

a lot of the 1L guides on this site are absolute overkill and will freak you out. just go to class and listen. Do all the practice tests that your professor gives you. Study the model answers.

Also, let go of the notion that there is a "right answer." This is harder than it sounds.

ETA: spend 15-20 mins outlining/thinking about answers. Can't emphasize this enough.

[RSN]

a lot of the 1L guides on this site are absolute overkill and will freak you out. just go to class and listen. Do all the practice tests that your professor gives you. Study the model answers.

Also, let go of the notion that there is a "right answer." This is harder than it sounds.

ETA: spend 15-20 mins outlining/thinking about answers. Can't emphasize this enough.

I didn't do this at all and things went well, so the big takeaway I think is really do what works for you, which you won't know until you take practice tests. I would also argue there is a right answer (maybe not in an existential sense, but in a getting good grades sense), and it's whatever your professor thinks is important/the way they talked about it in class.

[dabigchina]

a lot of the 1L guides on this site are absolute overkill and will freak you out. just go to class and listen. Do all the practice tests that your professor gives you. Study the model answers.

Also, let go of the notion that there is a "right answer." This is harder than it sounds.

ETA: spend 15-20 mins outlining/thinking about answers. Can't emphasize this enough.

I didn't do this at all and things went well, so the big takeaway I think is really do what works for you, which you won't know until you take practice tests. I would also argue there is a right answer (maybe not in an existential sense, but in a getting good grades sense), and it's whatever your professor thinks is important/the way they talked about it in class.

YMMV, but my GPA went up quite a bit when I started outlining. But you're right, it is totally individualized.

Also, yes you should talk about what the prof talks about, but don't go nuts trying to figure out where you should draw the line for shit that the professor does not make too clear. In general, professors just want you to see you grapple.

[Hikikomorist]

Would have wasted no time making my own outlines. There's guaranteed to be someone more type A who will also be willing to share his/her meticulous labor of love.

[Mullens]

Where are you going to school? I promise this is relevant to my answer.

[Depressed Gooner]

Where are you going to school? I promise this is relevant to my answer.

a T1 school in the midwest.

[Depressed Gooner]

Here's what I did:

1) Read and go to class
2) Take good notes in a way that makes sense to you
3) Repeat 1-2 until around Thanksgiving
4) Condense your notes into an outline of all the legal rules you learned and things your professors care about (or start earlier if it makes sense to you)
5) Take practice exams
6) Review practice exams with other people and compare to model answers
7) Take more practice exams and review them
8 ) Take the exam

Go here for longer versions and variations on this: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=123092

Nothing else matters that much. If you were a social person before law school you'll be one in law school. Try to have a budget. Get some sleep. There are no real secrets.

Thank you! Advice is much appreciated

[Depressed Gooner]

a lot of the 1L guides on this site are absolute overkill and will freak you out. just go to class and listen. Do all the practice tests that your professor gives you. Study the model answers.

Also, let go of the notion that there is a "right answer." This is harder than it sounds.

ETA: spend 15-20 mins outlining/thinking about answers. Can't emphasize this enough.

Thank you! Yea, I have been reading Getting to a Maybe this summer and they stress that a lot. I guess it will become more clear as I dive in to all the work this fall.

[Depressed Gooner]

Would have wasted no time making my own outlines. There's guaranteed to be someone more type A who will also be willing to share his/her meticulous labor of love.

I consider myself a Type A, but I was planning on doing my own outlines as well as getting other type As to share theirs. I figured I can compare the two as long as it is not overkill! Thanks for the suggestion!

[GreenEggs]

I wish I didn't waste time trying to make some outlines from scratch. Get an outline, as recent as possible, for the same prof and the same class and then heavily modify for it for what you covered that semester. And practice exams. practice exams. practice exams.

[Hikikomorist]

I found that looking over model answers was way more helpful than actually taking practice exams. Again, if someone else has already solved the puzzle, just copy what they did; don't try to reinvent the wheel in the name of self-discovery.

[GreenEggs]

I found that looking over model answers was way more helpful than actually taking practice exams. Again, if someone else has already solved the puzzle, just copy what they did; don't try to reinvent the wheel in the name of self-discovery.

Are you joking?

[Hikikomorist]

I found that looking over model answers was way more helpful than actually taking practice exams. Again, if someone else has already solved the puzzle, just copy what they did; don't try to reinvent the wheel in the name of self-discovery.

Are you joking?

No. I'm sure you can get a good grade through doing lots of practice exams, but you can do that more efficiently, in terms of time expended, by studying certifiably good answers. Admittedly, you won't usually have model answers, but it's great when you do.

[Nebby]

I found that looking over model answers was way more helpful than actually taking practice exams. Again, if someone else has already solved the puzzle, just copy what they did; don't try to reinvent the wheel in the name of self-discovery.

Are you joking?

I never looked at a model answer nor did I ever do a practice test during LS

[GreenEggs]

I found that looking over model answers was way more helpful than actually taking practice exams. Again, if someone else has already solved the puzzle, just copy what they did; don't try to reinvent the wheel in the name of self-discovery.

Are you joking?

I never looked at a model answer nor did I ever do a practice test during LS

Yeah but you're the smartest person I know

[A. Nony Mouse]

I found that looking over model answers was way more helpful than actually taking practice exams. Again, if someone else has already solved the puzzle, just copy what they did; don't try to reinvent the wheel in the name of self-discovery.

Are you joking?

No. I'm sure you can get a good grade through doing lots of practice exams, but you can do that more efficiently, in terms of time expended, by studying certifiably good answers. Admittedly, you won't usually have model answers, but it's great when you do.

It obviously makes sense to look at model answers if you have them, but it makes arguably more sense to try to take the exam first and then see what you miss, rather than just assume that because you can learn a model answer you'll be able to do an equally good application of facts to law when presented with a different question. At least, when you're first trying to figure out how exams work. Also if you're not a savant like Nebby.

[GoneSouth]

Take note if the professor introduces some kind of broad theme in the first class or two. Chances are it's going to come up again, and again, and again, and you're going to want to use it on the exam.

[jbagelboy]

It really depends on the school

Someone who graduated w honors from a t30 told me last week they never had to cite a case on a law school exam. That would be total suicide at my school, where working with and through the case law via analogy is the only way to ace most finals (except like tax or evidence). General study plans are solid but one dogma won't apply universally. You have to learn law school on the job and in the trenches, so to speak

[Poldy]

I would have continued doing all the reading and taking detailed notes over the readings and every lecture during the second semester. If you read closely (taking notes on your reading helps with that), listen to the professors (same for notes here), and do the practice tests, you'll do fine.

[BigZuck]

It really depends on the school

Someone who graduated w honors from a t30 told me last week they never had to cite a case on a law school exam. That would be total suicide at my school, where working with and through the case law via analogy is the only way to ace most finals (except like tax or evidence). General study plans are solid but one dogma won't apply universally. You have to learn law school on the job and in the trenches, so to speak

What kind of TTT did you go to where you had to cite cases on your exams? That sounds bizarre and must not be normal.

My school didn't really do issue spotters so it was just a bunch of MC garbage

tl;dr: Life is meaningless and success in law school is pure dumb luck

[pancakes3]

gone to more networking things

[PeanutsNJam]

Pointing to cases are a good way to earn quick points.

Proximate Cause - "Plaintiff will argue X HARM was a foreseeable consequence of Defendant's Y ACTION because (reasons). Plaintiff will also argue that ANALOGOUS CASE held X HARM to be a foreseeable consequence of Y ACTION."

Second sentence is usually worth another point. I wouldn't go out of my way to memorize cases though.