BRH Posted August 23, 2006 Posted August 23, 2006 I am now a 2L. My advice 1. Everyone will stop writing out briefs by the end of the first semester. The key thing is to note the BLL for the final and be able to recall enough to handle the professor's questions. 2. Remember that it's the final that matters, not memorizing the facts of the case. 3. Don't freak out. It's hard to know how well you are doing b/c you don't get much feedback until the final. Work hard, but realize that most people are feeling the same as you. 4. Get plenty of sleep. It's much easier to read cases and recall what's in them when you can focus. 5. Ignore the gunners. The people talking all the time in class are often not the best students. Don't worry if you have trouble coming up with pithy reparte w/ your professors. 6. Make sure to have a life separate from law school. I found it was important to have an escape outside of school. I was glad I lived off-campus. 7. Find a mentor whether he be a professor or someone else. 8. Don't be a dick. Yeah, you are on a curve and competing with everyone else, but don't get caught up with how well everyone else is doing, don't hate on others accomplishments. Worry about yourself, the curve will take of itself. 9. The best method for preparing for finals is to get a hold of an old outline and update it w/ the new material as well as customizing it to your own liking. It seems the most time-effective and it allows you to avoid the cramming that others do. 749795[/snapback] A great list. My #10 would be to find two or three people you like (a difficult task in law school, to be sure) and form a study group. That's really key for first semester, not so much afterward. While you should meet to review cases before class, work on outlines, etc., be sure to leave time in study group for bitching about the "gunners," the profs and everything else. Feeling that you're not alone will really help you get through the day. Keep the group small. Any more than four is unwieldy and also raises trust issues about people piggybacking on others' work. Don't run around first week looking for people to start a group with. Make friends first. Take a few weeks to look around. It's not worth hanging around with a bunch of dicks during what's going to be one of the most stressful times in your life (first semester finals).
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