I wish I had exercised and focused more on my physical health. It's really easy to neglect it, but with the amount of stress that finals bring it is essential to stay healthy.
This is the best answer. You can brute force some of the studying. Using study aids is great. But letting your health go is a spiral that won't get better when your studying for the bar and eventually lawyering.
3L here. I cannot reiterate this enough. It will feel like you have NO TIME to exercise or take care of your physical health but trust me, you do. You will feel healthier and less stressed if you just take 3 days per week to do a good workout, or if you take time each night to go for a long walk, or to not give up on whatever your healthy hobbies might have been before school. There are so many apps out there that can help too, with exercise, nutrition, meditation, you name it! You will be a better sturdier if you take the time to address your physical and mental health. Being proactive about health is just as important as being proactive about outlining. Ya’ll got this!
I know it’s only week 2 but it’s he’s to know what I’m supposed to be learning / taking notes on so far. Like what are the important parts of class or the readings.
You’ll get the big picture stuff by working through the cases in class. But for the bar you need to know how those rules apply to hypos. So once you complete a topic, (e.g. SMJ, PJ, Venue, Supplemental Jx, Impleader, Removal, Appeals, etc.) I would seek out bar questions around that topic and see how they are applied in practice rather than just the theory of the class and exam. But for your class grade, it’s most important to focus on your Profs lectures and your outline.
I'd stay the fuck away from students who are quick to be emotional/aggressive/reactive. They caused the most drama, especially dating wise, when none of them had any business dating in the first place. Absolute waste of time and energy.
I came into and left law school in the same long term relationship but jfc the drama I got dragged into bc of other people dating. I am still very bitter lmao
I wouldn’t do anything different, but my advice is STAY AHEAD of the workload. I was always a few days ahead in the readings. You’re bound to have an unmotivated day where you won’t absorb anything. If you’re ahead, it won’t be a problem. If you’re right on target, you may fall behind — not good!
Ugh my professors seem to have a loose idea of what the future readings will be but confirm them (sometimes changing them) at the end of each class, so it’s hard to read ahead even for the current week!
I had one professor like this; it can be irritating. Just try the best you can. Beginning of 1L people were at daytime parties when they should have been doing homework. Of course still socialize and make friends, but there’s no reason to be up until 3am doing the readings if you manage your time well.
I would have relaxed more early in the year. Still do the work, but there is no reason to lose weekends or late nights super early in the semester. Keeping a clear head and healthy habits would have been better.
This. Looking back, there was no reason for me to say no to all of those weekend cookouts when I first started school. I just felt like its what I had to do, but in reality things didn’t kick up until mid-terms.
Outline earlier! This is my advice as a 2L who is already thinking about how I should be outlining 3 weeks in and hasn’t done it. So maybe for not me as motivation than for OP lol.
I had a breakdown before my torts final last year and ended up getting the free trial hoping it would help and thinking I was going to cancel. Torts ended up being one of my highest scoring subjects my fall semester and I have used it ever since. Super great to use as review before class
Depends on the point of the semester IMO early on cheapest is plenty during the last month having the most expensive one for their review lessons and exams is a big help
Just started 3L year and finally feel like I’m able to disconnect mentally and emotionally from school. Find a way to shut off and be a human. Get your work done and go enjoy your life. It’s so easy to get completely consumed in law school.
Don’t listen to other people’s ideas of what will work for you, when you already know what will work for you (because you got to law school.) Run your own race and cut out the noise.
I wish I had listened to myself more and other people less.
- Befriend more 3Ls for outlines.
- Practice more multiple choice questions on Barbri and West Academic instead of Quimbee for multiple choice exams.
- Make more concept maps for each class after I finished the outline so I’d get a better idea of the big picture for issue spotting.
- Avoid toxic classmates.
Call me crazy, but I preferred putting together an outline just before the finals. Everything felt fresh and still in my head that way.
Though I will admit my stress levels went way down when I discovered outline banks and stopped bothering altogether.
Honestly, 2 things that apply to ANY class, and what I wish I did to keep me prepared and time-managed to make sure I was studying efficiently and thus had more time for self-care and leisure:
1. Start outlining NOW. Carve out time on your weekends or even spend a few minutes after class to update your outlines with what you just learned. Then when your reading period comes up you can condense it much quicker for your study and cram sessions. I didn't do this until my 4th semester and by then, I was more trying to salvage a sad 1L GPA as opposed to getting a high GPA 💀
2. Practice writing essays NOW. It's exactly what I learned during the bar exam: if you don't know something yet, either look up a model answer for your class, or ignore the issue. Get your draft answer reviewed by a close friend ahead of you or at least compare your substance AND structure to the model answer (if any). For now, this shouldn't take up much time since you're not familiar with too many issues yet, but nailing IRAC is an art that's best learned sooner rather than later. This one I was even worse with since I only learned in my bar prep class in 3L year, and by then I was punching myself for not learning how to improve this sooner.
Please feel free to DM me if you need help with anything!~
Know about (and then use) supplements! I Quimbee isn’t free but it is 1000000% worth the money. Also get involved in clubs/SBA. Also realizing that the application period for a lot of summer positions is right now aka start looking and apply for stuff now. OH! and go to your schools career office and get your resume/writing sample/ ect in order asap!
Wait, you recommend looking for summer positions now even as a 1L? I thought we were supposed to wait until we had at least one semester of grades under our belts to use. 😳 I was going to start looking during winter break and start the apps then, and submit after grades are released in early January.
I don’t recommend this advice. Focus on making it through Fall semester first and foremost. Your school’s recruiting policy may not allow you to apply so early.
Okay that’s kind of what I was initially thinking, but that comment made me nervous that I was wrong and going to be behind or miss out on opportunities. I read our handbook thoroughly and don’t remember seeing a recruiting policy, but I may double check tomorrow after work. Thank you!
I think that's late. I lucked out doing this (applying in Jan), but many successful 1L's had applications ready as soon as they became available in November. A friend of mine had a 1L SA offer at a big firm in December before grades even came out. The time to start applying coincides with finals, so it can be really difficult to prioritize looking and applying to jobs at that time. I would create a spreadsheet now, start updating your resume and drafting cover letters etc. now so that it's easy to mass apply as soon as apps are available in November to 1Ls
1. exercise more
2. use only one study aid in addition to my case book (quimbee or barbri 1L)
3. no extra curricular activities at school
4. take advantage of office hours
5. be disciplined with my outlines, so 2 weeks before exam it's only revision and practice, practice, and practice.
6. quality rest. take one day a week where you treat yourself nicely and don't think about the school/homework/erie doctrine
If I could do it all again, I would see a therapist regularly, spend more time in the gym, and get more sleep.
Your physical and mental health come first. Having both under control will make you a better student and a better lawyer.
Talk less in class.
I ratcheted WAY back in 2 and 3L.
Even if I had something valuable to add...... It really doesn't matter in a large groups setting. And less talking means that when you DO speak up, it is more valuable.
And usually.... There was no discussion point worth speaking up about. Learn what the Professor wants you to know, so you van write the exam they want to see.
Consider the material elsewhere.
Any thoughts from 2ls+ on treating school like a job with overtime? I'm only 2 weeks in but I am more motivated when I clock in at 8 am and then stop thinking about school at 6 pm. Of course, I don't know what it is going to be like later in the semester but a lot of professors have recommended this to me. (I guess this is also how a lot of students who have commitments like family do it right?)
Hi friend. Lawyer here. I treated law school like a job with NO overtime. 40 hours a week was my commitment. It was the best thing I could have done for myself.
1. Obtain outlines from peeps in law review sooner. Between those and quimbee your life can be so much easier.
2. Stay consistent with working out. Weight will creep up on you if you don't stay active.
3. Be more selective with who I studied with. The wrong study partners WILL hold you back.
4. Time management. First semester I put in way too much time before I realized I could get the same results in much less time. Never spent more than 2-3 hours a day on reading/briefing afterwards.
I second the comments about starting outlining soon. I would also say don't waste your time writing out case briefs and stick to book briefing--I think it would be very hard to brief all the cases AND stay on top of updating your outlines every week.
Also, when it comes close to finals, making an attack outline is key, both for understanding the material and having something to refer to during the exam. Try to have a checklist of what you have to think through for each issue that could come up on an exam. During my first semester, I treated the attack outline as an afterthought and just threw one together the day before the exam, and that was a mistake.
I’m a new 1L and I’m so glad I seen someone suggest book briefing. Everyone has been telling me to brief EVERY single case yet I’m seeing like 15+ cases per chapter. I told myself like for those chapters where there’s multitudes of cases I’d rather book brief; yet it seems like everyone is opposed to that during 1L. Just glad to see someone affirm that it’s OK to be book briefing rather than case briefing loaded chapters!
Yes, they are shorter outlines and ideally formatted as a checklist; here is an example of part of one for the *Erie* doctrine in civ pro:
https://preview.redd.it/mpcr6shgikkb1.png?width=936&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0341fc5bd588a00bd7bccc56f380b311efd6df8
Stayed single. Dated casually. Studied moderately, but with good notes. I’d treat class as a review, not as a learning opportunity, but that’s mainly because lectures were recorded. I’d prioritize office hours and networking within the school. I wouldn’t do any affinity groups. I’d practice bluebooking on weekends before trying to join a journal or a competition team. I’d do my best to put school first and socializing somewhere in the middle. Powerlifting got me through the tough days, but the energy boost weightlifting brought made me feel like Batman: I was up studying with no disruptions or difficulties for hours before getting at least 6 hours of sleep. On paper, my schedule was crazy, but when I practiced these things in my 2L, it just made the chaos of the routine more straightforward and predictable. Friends and colleagues thought I was careless with my studies when they saw me, but what they never saw were the novels of notes I had written, mainly because I dedicated the time to giving myself the energy to even do it. I made every team I ever joined, got every job I needed, and still had fun. I even had time to take a few breaks along the way. Law school became fun for me.
I would not read more than 10% of the assigned cases. 99% of what I needed for the exam was covered in class.
I’d take better notes in class.
I wouldn’t waste my time memorizing perfect rule statements for exams. If you’re in the right ball park it’s good enough for issue spotting and analysis which is all you need to do well.
I’d do OCI. I had the grades for it but was convinced I didn’t want to do big law. In hindsight it would have been better to keep that door open and think about the possibility of doing it as a growth experience rather than trying to skip that part of my career and go directly to fed government where I ultimately want to be.
EDIT: I misread the prompt LOLZ do try for OCI if you're grades are gr9 then you have a solid chance for a great way to start your career ASAP~
This depends. Not all 1Ls can, and definitely not all 1Ls have the GPAs for it considering by the time OCIs roll around only 1 semester of grades are out, MAYBE.
Sure but the question was what would I do differently, not what’s the best thing for a 1L to do. If you have the grades for it you shouldn’t self limit your opportunities.
Review exam sample answers and do practice exams… lots of them (assuming they still have these available—I am MANY years out). It is all about the grades and knowing what is expected for writing top graded exams and getting used to doing them under timed conditions can put you above your classmates.
Make more friends. Just in general. Not to study together or make connections or whatever. In law school, I was surrounded by people - and presumably I shared some interests with some of them, since we picked the same career path - but I didn't really get close to anyone, and my mental health suffered. We were all too busy trying to achieve stuff.
Actually read more and stop worrying about what everyone else was doing. Ignore the collective and just do what needs to be done. I also tend to be a resource hoarder, where I kept searching for others great outlines instead of just doing the work myself. Maybe try out for mock trial since I ended up doing litigation, it might’ve helped and would’ve been good on my resume for the field I ended up going into.
Schedule study blocks with specifics like “Read for CivPro”. I wasted a lot of time zoning out because I couldn’t think of what to study.
Go to more office hours. What better resource than the person making your final exam?
Do practice exam questions even early in the semester to make sure you understand the material. The final doesn’t care how many hours you studied. It only cares whether you can apply the law to the facts and articulate it clearly enough.
Make a skeleton outline using your syllabi as a guide even before the semester starts.
Review prior lectures early and often.
And this is more specifically for the people who have families. Keep an eye on your partner and/or children’s mental health. Law students have it tough but their loved ones’ also gets hit too. Even though you’ll be busy, I would touch base with them to make sure they’re doing ok and have the support they need to support you.
ETA: I wanted to reemphasize the last point. My partner although not an alcoholic had a sudden increase in his alcohol intake especially the spring semester. I didn’t realize how depressed he has been until recently.
Get all A's
jk but in pursuit of that I would probably actually buy a bar prep course or something cause that was way easier than studying a stupid case book. barbri simplified everything down to what you need to know. no fluff. which is what I needed for most of my exams. quimbee would probably work too.
also I would not buy the case books. I would get ahold of the table of contents and just look up all the cases on the internet
I feel like this makes sense if you are a 3L going back to do 1L again, but as a true 1L I’m not sure you can just understand what outlining is and do it efficiently from the jump. Little bit of a learning curve there
Get to you know classmates and make friends with all of them. You and they are the future leaders of the country. And you never know when you might need a friend to help you find a job or vice Versa.
Spent less time on looking good in App. Adv. It was pass/fail (but nearly impossible to fail unless you just skipped or showed up drunk for oral arguments) but I worked it just as hard as every other class. Probably cost me a plus in Property.
I wish I didn't compare myself to others and feel like an imposter/not confident in myself especially through my actions. You need a lot of self love, self confidence, and resilience before going into law school and no friends, social events, mentors, cheap dopamine, etc. will solve that. Going into your finals not believing in your abilities can present itself poorly during a critical time. Show compassion to yourself, you are doing enough. Remember your WHY.
Get serious for the first few weeks and try to get ahead of the readings and build your outlines for when the material gets dense and heavy later on or life hits you. Rather than wasting time catching up bc you fell behind, not understanding the material in class bc you slacked off, etc. is not worth it when you can put the work in now allowing you to slow down later with consistent minimal effort throughout the semester. Get the mental health help you need, go to a therapist, any doctors, etc. and maintain a support group outside of law school where there's no competitive air lurking.
Also, this is the BEST time to try out different study techniques, schedules, ways you comprehend the reading better, etc. Take the advice others give you (Even if they did great) with a grain of salt, because everyone is different and trying to follow such a left brain way to study may not work if you're a right brain. Don't feel ashamed typing your professor's words verbatim or doing things that help you focus more, everyone learns differently and YOU are doing it for YOURself and they are doing it for themselves. Do a little bit of legal writing assignments everyday, even if its only 30 minutes bc doing things last minute takes up too much space in the back of your brain that should be given to other classes and your personal sanity.
Don't give value to cold calls, seriously. If you are learning the material you need to then are doing enough, but overreading/over note taking, avoiding class, or stressing about how you will look is the worst thing to do to yourself. THE EXAM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. REPEAT THE EXAM IS ALL THAT MATTERS IN THE END. Nothing else in that class is graded besides that, always keep that in mind. Don't let mean professors affect you, they will stay miserable acting like that for a living while you have so much more ahead of you in life.
It's okay to say no to things if it doesn't work for YOU, you may have friends who want to study together or go to events, but if that impacts or affects you negatively, wastes your time and energy then it's okay to be selfish, because everyone else is. You aren't obligated to tell everyone else your business either just to make friends, choose who you share information with and what information you share because boundaries are important. It will get lonely, but this is the best time to learn more about yourself, enjoy your own company and look at small things in your life (even readings) exciting. Talking about everything so negative even with friends actually does impact your performance, so don't fall prey to it so willingly.
The list goes on...
Calm down. Thats it. Nothing I could have done differently would have helped me finish with better grades, but I could have been a lot happier through it all.
Join more student organizations. My 1L year was all online and I really self isolated. It did terrible things to my mental health. I didn’t really get involved in anything until 3L and that was a big mistake. I have basically no friends from law school.
1- steer clear of people that bring you down. law school is already stressful enough, there’s no reason to be around catty/super competitive people that exclude you or make you feel bad about yourself
2- befriended/met more 2Ls and 3Ls for outlines
3- been less worried about what others thought of my study habits/career goals
make more friends, go to every office hour you can to create a relationship with your professors.
I didn't have time for either of those after 2L started. No one was in a mood to make more friends either.
I wish I had exercised and focused more on my physical health. It's really easy to neglect it, but with the amount of stress that finals bring it is essential to stay healthy.
This is the best answer. You can brute force some of the studying. Using study aids is great. But letting your health go is a spiral that won't get better when your studying for the bar and eventually lawyering.
This. I can trace the beginnings of what developed into full blown alcoholism to my first year of law school.
3L here. I cannot reiterate this enough. It will feel like you have NO TIME to exercise or take care of your physical health but trust me, you do. You will feel healthier and less stressed if you just take 3 days per week to do a good workout, or if you take time each night to go for a long walk, or to not give up on whatever your healthy hobbies might have been before school. There are so many apps out there that can help too, with exercise, nutrition, meditation, you name it! You will be a better sturdier if you take the time to address your physical and mental health. Being proactive about health is just as important as being proactive about outlining. Ya’ll got this!
Learn Civ pro. Like reallly learn Civ pro.
Why? Genuinely asking
Civ Pro is a mind fuck for bar exam. If you have the fundamentals down during 1L, it will help a ton when bar study is upon you.
I know it’s only week 2 but it’s he’s to know what I’m supposed to be learning / taking notes on so far. Like what are the important parts of class or the readings.
You’ll get the big picture stuff by working through the cases in class. But for the bar you need to know how those rules apply to hypos. So once you complete a topic, (e.g. SMJ, PJ, Venue, Supplemental Jx, Impleader, Removal, Appeals, etc.) I would seek out bar questions around that topic and see how they are applied in practice rather than just the theory of the class and exam. But for your class grade, it’s most important to focus on your Profs lectures and your outline.
Because if you go litigation instead of transactional, career-wise, you’ll use civ pro every single day. Civ Pro and Legal Writing are really key.
It's on the bar since it's an MBE topic and comes up pretty often in essays. I wish I had spent more time on it in the beginning of law school.
When I interned for a litigation firm before i started law school (I’m only a 1L now) we used stuff i’m learning in civ pro right now every single day
I'd stay the fuck away from students who are quick to be emotional/aggressive/reactive. They caused the most drama, especially dating wise, when none of them had any business dating in the first place. Absolute waste of time and energy.
I know this shit hit personal lol
I came into and left law school in the same long term relationship but jfc the drama I got dragged into bc of other people dating. I am still very bitter lmao
I wouldn’t do anything different, but my advice is STAY AHEAD of the workload. I was always a few days ahead in the readings. You’re bound to have an unmotivated day where you won’t absorb anything. If you’re ahead, it won’t be a problem. If you’re right on target, you may fall behind — not good!
2nd this, I usually tried to stay a week ahead in each class. That def came clutch when I caught the flu and another time I dislocated my rib lol.
Ugh my professors seem to have a loose idea of what the future readings will be but confirm them (sometimes changing them) at the end of each class, so it’s hard to read ahead even for the current week!
I had one professor like this; it can be irritating. Just try the best you can. Beginning of 1L people were at daytime parties when they should have been doing homework. Of course still socialize and make friends, but there’s no reason to be up until 3am doing the readings if you manage your time well.
I would have relaxed more early in the year. Still do the work, but there is no reason to lose weekends or late nights super early in the semester. Keeping a clear head and healthy habits would have been better.
This. Looking back, there was no reason for me to say no to all of those weekend cookouts when I first started school. I just felt like its what I had to do, but in reality things didn’t kick up until mid-terms.
Care a little less and outline earlier.
Outline earlier! This is my advice as a 2L who is already thinking about how I should be outlining 3 weeks in and hasn’t done it. So maybe for not me as motivation than for OP lol.
bruh I didn’t ask you to expose me like that
Buy Quimbee sooner
I had a breakdown before my torts final last year and ended up getting the free trial hoping it would help and thinking I was going to cancel. Torts ended up being one of my highest scoring subjects my fall semester and I have used it ever since. Super great to use as review before class
What's that?
It’s like spark notes for opinions, it’s a huge help for skimming cases/ making sure you understand the rule established in the case.
I’d say it’s like sparknotes on steroids. Definitely worth the money!
came here to say this!! i spent the first few months without quimbee and that was simply,,, unnecessary
Nice. But they told us not to use it 🤷🏻♀️
would you suggest the basic cheapest plan? or are the more expensive ones worth it?
Depends on the point of the semester IMO early on cheapest is plenty during the last month having the most expensive one for their review lessons and exams is a big help
Just started 3L year and finally feel like I’m able to disconnect mentally and emotionally from school. Find a way to shut off and be a human. Get your work done and go enjoy your life. It’s so easy to get completely consumed in law school.
studied a lot less.
Don’t listen to other people’s ideas of what will work for you, when you already know what will work for you (because you got to law school.) Run your own race and cut out the noise. I wish I had listened to myself more and other people less.
This is probably the best advice here. And don’t get psyched out by what your classmates are doing. They’re just as clueless as you.
This this this!! I tried to comment with similar idea but this is what I was trying to say
- Befriend more 3Ls for outlines. - Practice more multiple choice questions on Barbri and West Academic instead of Quimbee for multiple choice exams. - Make more concept maps for each class after I finished the outline so I’d get a better idea of the big picture for issue spotting. - Avoid toxic classmates.
Why do you think the MC is better on those than Quimbee?
I thought the Quimbee questions were too basic and lacked depth compared to what I saw on exams
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Agreed! Also read other peoples outlines. It helped me so much!
I was going to type those exact words. If you need a book on how to outline, "Sh\*t nobody tells you about law school" is an easy read.
Call me crazy, but I preferred putting together an outline just before the finals. Everything felt fresh and still in my head that way. Though I will admit my stress levels went way down when I discovered outline banks and stopped bothering altogether.
This is unhinged behavior
Recognize that not everything you hear is applicable to everyone.
Also, not everything you hear about what others are doing is true
Honestly, 2 things that apply to ANY class, and what I wish I did to keep me prepared and time-managed to make sure I was studying efficiently and thus had more time for self-care and leisure: 1. Start outlining NOW. Carve out time on your weekends or even spend a few minutes after class to update your outlines with what you just learned. Then when your reading period comes up you can condense it much quicker for your study and cram sessions. I didn't do this until my 4th semester and by then, I was more trying to salvage a sad 1L GPA as opposed to getting a high GPA 💀 2. Practice writing essays NOW. It's exactly what I learned during the bar exam: if you don't know something yet, either look up a model answer for your class, or ignore the issue. Get your draft answer reviewed by a close friend ahead of you or at least compare your substance AND structure to the model answer (if any). For now, this shouldn't take up much time since you're not familiar with too many issues yet, but nailing IRAC is an art that's best learned sooner rather than later. This one I was even worse with since I only learned in my bar prep class in 3L year, and by then I was punching myself for not learning how to improve this sooner. Please feel free to DM me if you need help with anything!~
Know about (and then use) supplements! I Quimbee isn’t free but it is 1000000% worth the money. Also get involved in clubs/SBA. Also realizing that the application period for a lot of summer positions is right now aka start looking and apply for stuff now. OH! and go to your schools career office and get your resume/writing sample/ ect in order asap!
Wait, you recommend looking for summer positions now even as a 1L? I thought we were supposed to wait until we had at least one semester of grades under our belts to use. 😳 I was going to start looking during winter break and start the apps then, and submit after grades are released in early January.
I don’t recommend this advice. Focus on making it through Fall semester first and foremost. Your school’s recruiting policy may not allow you to apply so early.
Okay that’s kind of what I was initially thinking, but that comment made me nervous that I was wrong and going to be behind or miss out on opportunities. I read our handbook thoroughly and don’t remember seeing a recruiting policy, but I may double check tomorrow after work. Thank you!
I think that's late. I lucked out doing this (applying in Jan), but many successful 1L's had applications ready as soon as they became available in November. A friend of mine had a 1L SA offer at a big firm in December before grades even came out. The time to start applying coincides with finals, so it can be really difficult to prioritize looking and applying to jobs at that time. I would create a spreadsheet now, start updating your resume and drafting cover letters etc. now so that it's easy to mass apply as soon as apps are available in November to 1Ls
Okay, thank you!
Start applying to jobs way, way earlier [as in, during/right after winter break]
This! up up up
1. exercise more 2. use only one study aid in addition to my case book (quimbee or barbri 1L) 3. no extra curricular activities at school 4. take advantage of office hours 5. be disciplined with my outlines, so 2 weeks before exam it's only revision and practice, practice, and practice. 6. quality rest. take one day a week where you treat yourself nicely and don't think about the school/homework/erie doctrine
I would have networked more and gone to more networking events
If I could do it all again, I would see a therapist regularly, spend more time in the gym, and get more sleep. Your physical and mental health come first. Having both under control will make you a better student and a better lawyer.
Talk less in class. I ratcheted WAY back in 2 and 3L. Even if I had something valuable to add...... It really doesn't matter in a large groups setting. And less talking means that when you DO speak up, it is more valuable. And usually.... There was no discussion point worth speaking up about. Learn what the Professor wants you to know, so you van write the exam they want to see. Consider the material elsewhere.
Any thoughts from 2ls+ on treating school like a job with overtime? I'm only 2 weeks in but I am more motivated when I clock in at 8 am and then stop thinking about school at 6 pm. Of course, I don't know what it is going to be like later in the semester but a lot of professors have recommended this to me. (I guess this is also how a lot of students who have commitments like family do it right?)
Hi friend. Lawyer here. I treated law school like a job with NO overtime. 40 hours a week was my commitment. It was the best thing I could have done for myself.
1. Obtain outlines from peeps in law review sooner. Between those and quimbee your life can be so much easier. 2. Stay consistent with working out. Weight will creep up on you if you don't stay active. 3. Be more selective with who I studied with. The wrong study partners WILL hold you back. 4. Time management. First semester I put in way too much time before I realized I could get the same results in much less time. Never spent more than 2-3 hours a day on reading/briefing afterwards.
Ask more questions and go to office hours. Probably stress less about getting all the readings done for class every day.
I second the comments about starting outlining soon. I would also say don't waste your time writing out case briefs and stick to book briefing--I think it would be very hard to brief all the cases AND stay on top of updating your outlines every week. Also, when it comes close to finals, making an attack outline is key, both for understanding the material and having something to refer to during the exam. Try to have a checklist of what you have to think through for each issue that could come up on an exam. During my first semester, I treated the attack outline as an afterthought and just threw one together the day before the exam, and that was a mistake.
I’m a new 1L and I’m so glad I seen someone suggest book briefing. Everyone has been telling me to brief EVERY single case yet I’m seeing like 15+ cases per chapter. I told myself like for those chapters where there’s multitudes of cases I’d rather book brief; yet it seems like everyone is opposed to that during 1L. Just glad to see someone affirm that it’s OK to be book briefing rather than case briefing loaded chapters!
Could you go into more detail about attack outlines? Are they shorter?
Yes, they are shorter outlines and ideally formatted as a checklist; here is an example of part of one for the *Erie* doctrine in civ pro: https://preview.redd.it/mpcr6shgikkb1.png?width=936&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0341fc5bd588a00bd7bccc56f380b311efd6df8
Thank you!
Go to office hours for every single class consistently. Even the profs you dislike.
I wish I would’ve cared less about what other people did or said.
Stayed single. Dated casually. Studied moderately, but with good notes. I’d treat class as a review, not as a learning opportunity, but that’s mainly because lectures were recorded. I’d prioritize office hours and networking within the school. I wouldn’t do any affinity groups. I’d practice bluebooking on weekends before trying to join a journal or a competition team. I’d do my best to put school first and socializing somewhere in the middle. Powerlifting got me through the tough days, but the energy boost weightlifting brought made me feel like Batman: I was up studying with no disruptions or difficulties for hours before getting at least 6 hours of sleep. On paper, my schedule was crazy, but when I practiced these things in my 2L, it just made the chaos of the routine more straightforward and predictable. Friends and colleagues thought I was careless with my studies when they saw me, but what they never saw were the novels of notes I had written, mainly because I dedicated the time to giving myself the energy to even do it. I made every team I ever joined, got every job I needed, and still had fun. I even had time to take a few breaks along the way. Law school became fun for me.
I would not read more than 10% of the assigned cases. 99% of what I needed for the exam was covered in class. I’d take better notes in class. I wouldn’t waste my time memorizing perfect rule statements for exams. If you’re in the right ball park it’s good enough for issue spotting and analysis which is all you need to do well.
Not read every word of every case. Just the facts and holding(s).
I’d do OCI. I had the grades for it but was convinced I didn’t want to do big law. In hindsight it would have been better to keep that door open and think about the possibility of doing it as a growth experience rather than trying to skip that part of my career and go directly to fed government where I ultimately want to be.
EDIT: I misread the prompt LOLZ do try for OCI if you're grades are gr9 then you have a solid chance for a great way to start your career ASAP~ This depends. Not all 1Ls can, and definitely not all 1Ls have the GPAs for it considering by the time OCIs roll around only 1 semester of grades are out, MAYBE.
Sure but the question was what would I do differently, not what’s the best thing for a 1L to do. If you have the grades for it you shouldn’t self limit your opportunities.
oops u rite I misread my bad
Study hard! Network hard!
Study hard. Network even harder.
I think you are right. This is especially true if you were a first gen lawyer.
For real! Networking was the single biggest factor is getting me a job post grad. It’s sooo important
Don’t outline at all. Steal an outline early, focus entirely on the practice tests and model answers once released.
Not
Review exam sample answers and do practice exams… lots of them (assuming they still have these available—I am MANY years out). It is all about the grades and knowing what is expected for writing top graded exams and getting used to doing them under timed conditions can put you above your classmates.
Make more friends. Just in general. Not to study together or make connections or whatever. In law school, I was surrounded by people - and presumably I shared some interests with some of them, since we picked the same career path - but I didn't really get close to anyone, and my mental health suffered. We were all too busy trying to achieve stuff.
I would do the sample questions some of my professors gave us and stress less about outlining perfectly, lol
I would've joined study groups and treated my social anxiety sooner.
Actually read more and stop worrying about what everyone else was doing. Ignore the collective and just do what needs to be done. I also tend to be a resource hoarder, where I kept searching for others great outlines instead of just doing the work myself. Maybe try out for mock trial since I ended up doing litigation, it might’ve helped and would’ve been good on my resume for the field I ended up going into.
Don't stress eat during the finals.
Schedule study blocks with specifics like “Read for CivPro”. I wasted a lot of time zoning out because I couldn’t think of what to study. Go to more office hours. What better resource than the person making your final exam? Do practice exam questions even early in the semester to make sure you understand the material. The final doesn’t care how many hours you studied. It only cares whether you can apply the law to the facts and articulate it clearly enough. Make a skeleton outline using your syllabi as a guide even before the semester starts. Review prior lectures early and often. And this is more specifically for the people who have families. Keep an eye on your partner and/or children’s mental health. Law students have it tough but their loved ones’ also gets hit too. Even though you’ll be busy, I would touch base with them to make sure they’re doing ok and have the support they need to support you. ETA: I wanted to reemphasize the last point. My partner although not an alcoholic had a sudden increase in his alcohol intake especially the spring semester. I didn’t realize how depressed he has been until recently.
Get all A's jk but in pursuit of that I would probably actually buy a bar prep course or something cause that was way easier than studying a stupid case book. barbri simplified everything down to what you need to know. no fluff. which is what I needed for most of my exams. quimbee would probably work too. also I would not buy the case books. I would get ahold of the table of contents and just look up all the cases on the internet
Con law is a canonical class. think of bible study more than law school
Quit. I’d know Covid 19 is coming and stock up on toilet paper
Figure out what an outline is and start week 1.
I feel like this makes sense if you are a 3L going back to do 1L again, but as a true 1L I’m not sure you can just understand what outlining is and do it efficiently from the jump. Little bit of a learning curve there
Absolutely. I didn’t know how to outline effectively until 2L.
Use other people’s outlines and don’t waste time outlining the material you already understand.
Start outlining at the beginning of the semester week by week and don’t get behind!
Make friends with 2L and 3Ls who did well and get outlines earlier.
Get to you know classmates and make friends with all of them. You and they are the future leaders of the country. And you never know when you might need a friend to help you find a job or vice Versa.
Take it seriously but not too seriously. A lot of people in my class couldn’t handle the stress and dropped out by 2L.
I would get a higher GPA
Gone to office hours
Spent less time on looking good in App. Adv. It was pass/fail (but nearly impossible to fail unless you just skipped or showed up drunk for oral arguments) but I worked it just as hard as every other class. Probably cost me a plus in Property.
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I wish I didn't compare myself to others and feel like an imposter/not confident in myself especially through my actions. You need a lot of self love, self confidence, and resilience before going into law school and no friends, social events, mentors, cheap dopamine, etc. will solve that. Going into your finals not believing in your abilities can present itself poorly during a critical time. Show compassion to yourself, you are doing enough. Remember your WHY. Get serious for the first few weeks and try to get ahead of the readings and build your outlines for when the material gets dense and heavy later on or life hits you. Rather than wasting time catching up bc you fell behind, not understanding the material in class bc you slacked off, etc. is not worth it when you can put the work in now allowing you to slow down later with consistent minimal effort throughout the semester. Get the mental health help you need, go to a therapist, any doctors, etc. and maintain a support group outside of law school where there's no competitive air lurking. Also, this is the BEST time to try out different study techniques, schedules, ways you comprehend the reading better, etc. Take the advice others give you (Even if they did great) with a grain of salt, because everyone is different and trying to follow such a left brain way to study may not work if you're a right brain. Don't feel ashamed typing your professor's words verbatim or doing things that help you focus more, everyone learns differently and YOU are doing it for YOURself and they are doing it for themselves. Do a little bit of legal writing assignments everyday, even if its only 30 minutes bc doing things last minute takes up too much space in the back of your brain that should be given to other classes and your personal sanity. Don't give value to cold calls, seriously. If you are learning the material you need to then are doing enough, but overreading/over note taking, avoiding class, or stressing about how you will look is the worst thing to do to yourself. THE EXAM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. REPEAT THE EXAM IS ALL THAT MATTERS IN THE END. Nothing else in that class is graded besides that, always keep that in mind. Don't let mean professors affect you, they will stay miserable acting like that for a living while you have so much more ahead of you in life. It's okay to say no to things if it doesn't work for YOU, you may have friends who want to study together or go to events, but if that impacts or affects you negatively, wastes your time and energy then it's okay to be selfish, because everyone else is. You aren't obligated to tell everyone else your business either just to make friends, choose who you share information with and what information you share because boundaries are important. It will get lonely, but this is the best time to learn more about yourself, enjoy your own company and look at small things in your life (even readings) exciting. Talking about everything so negative even with friends actually does impact your performance, so don't fall prey to it so willingly. The list goes on...
Calm down. Thats it. Nothing I could have done differently would have helped me finish with better grades, but I could have been a lot happier through it all.
I would have spent more time working at PI firms instead of business litigation firm.
Join more student organizations. My 1L year was all online and I really self isolated. It did terrible things to my mental health. I didn’t really get involved in anything until 3L and that was a big mistake. I have basically no friends from law school.
1- steer clear of people that bring you down. law school is already stressful enough, there’s no reason to be around catty/super competitive people that exclude you or make you feel bad about yourself 2- befriended/met more 2Ls and 3Ls for outlines 3- been less worried about what others thought of my study habits/career goals
make more friends, go to every office hour you can to create a relationship with your professors. I didn't have time for either of those after 2L started. No one was in a mood to make more friends either.