20 tips on success on law school

8/10/2019 20 Tips on Success on Law School

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20 Tips for Success in Law School1. DO THE READING. Do all of the reading assigned for your courses. Do not fall behind; you

may never catch up. Do your reading at times of the day when you are most alert. Also, do yourreading in a location where you will not be distracted or tempted to do something else.

Otherwise, you will find that it takes you far longer than necessary to prepare for class.2. BRIE THE !ASES. ake notes while reading. !or each assigned case, write down the legally

significant facts, the holding of the case, and the rationale for the court"s decision. his is whatis referred to as #briefing# cases. $our case briefs should be %ust that&brief.

'. RE"IE# BE ORE EA!H !LASS. (eview your reading notes )case briefs* right beforeclass. hat way, the cases will be fresh in your mind, and you will substantially increase yourability to follow the class discussion )not to mention avoid the embarrassment associated with

being unprepared when called upon by the professor*.+. GO TO !LASS. ost professors cover some material in class that is not discussed in the

reading, so failure to attend class will put you at a big disadvantage when you take the finale-am. Also, you will receive an #! # if you miss more than 2/0 of the sessions of a course.

his is factored into your grade point average as an #!# and is never removed from youracademic record, even if you retake the course.. $A% ATTENTION IN !LASS. ome misguided students use class time to shop on the

3nternet, play computer games or catch up on their e&mail. $ou are paying a substantial amountof money for tuition. Do you really want to spend your tuition money #surfing the net# or

playing computer solitaire instead of paying attention to the class discussion45. $ARTI!I$ATE IN !LASS. tudents learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning

process.6. TA&E !LASS NOTES. Do not, however, get so caught up in trying to take down everything

your professor says that you are not actively engaged in the class discussion. (eview your classnotes before starting your ne-t reading assignment and analy7e how the new cases you read

affect those cases you already have reviewed in class.8. $RE$ARE AN O'TLINE OR EA!H O %O'R !LASSES. Outlines prepared by moresenior students or commercial outlines are not acceptable substitutes for making your ownoutlines. he analysis necessary to prepare a course outline helps you determine the rules of lawapplicable to the sub%ect matter of the course, as well as determine how the rules relate to oneanother. 3f you do not go through this process, you are less likely to master the sub%ect matter.Also, not all professors teach a sub%ect the same way. 3n fact, many professors do not even teacha course the same way from one year to the ne-t. he only way to get an outline tailored to your course is to make it yourself. Do 9O wait until the reading period to prepare your outlines;you"ll never get them done in time. ome students like to outline once per week, others once per month. till others prefer to outline whenever a topic is completed. :ick whatever schedule

works best for you and stick to it.. !ONSIDER OR(ING A ST'D% GRO'$. tudy groups can be a valuable learning tool.alking through material with classmates can increase your understanding and retention ofcourse material. $ou also can obtain helpful study tips from your peers. 3f you decide to form astudy group, seek out other students who are well&prepared for class and have similar academicgoals. Do not let your study group meetings become social or gossip sessions. Also, do not usestudy groups as a way of sharing the workload.


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semester does not mean that you should wait until the reading period to begin your review. hisis not undergraduate school. $ou cannot cram right before finals and get good grades.herefore, make time for fre>uent review over the course of the semester.

11.ATTEND RE"IE# SESSIONS !OND'!TED B% %O'R $RO ESSORS AND*ORTHEIR A!ADE(I! ELLO#S. ome professors and?or Academic !ellows hold reviewsessions prior to e-ams. his is a great way to clarify the issues about which you are confused

without having to stand in line outside your professor"s office. oreover, helpful tips regardinghow to write your e-am answers in a way that will earn you the most points are often sharedduring review sessions.

12.TA&E AD"ANTAGE O EEDBA!& RO( %O'R $RO ESSORS. 3f your professordistributes a practice >uestion and says that she will review your answer if you submit it by acertain time, DO 3 @ his is a great opportunity to get your professor"s input and make anynecessary ad%ustments before your performance is graded.

1'. ATTEND THE #OR&SHO$S !OND'!TED B% THE A!ADE(I! A!HIE"E(ENT!ENTER. hese workshops cover a number of topics such as outlining, time and stressmanagement, and how to prepare for and write law school e-ams&skills essential to success inlaw school.

1+.TA&E $RA!TI!E E+A(S.


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2/. GET HEL$ I %O' NEED IT. 3t is not uncommon for students to be confused about thesubstantive law covered in their classes, how to prepare for class, how to study for e-ams, howto manage their time or how to take law school e-ams. 3ndeed, it is the rare student who doesnot have >uestions about these sub%ects from time to time, particularly during the first year oflaw school. 3f you have >uestions, there are a number of resources available to you. very

professor holds weekly office hours. he Academic !ellows for your courses also are available

to help you, as is :rofessor !aulkner. :lease visit us if you have any >uestions. e"re here tohelp.


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How To Be A Goo S/u en/

Goo S/u en/s (a e or Born1

A good student is made, not born. e learned to walk and talk, and then most of us learned to sit downand shut up and listen. ome of us even learned to listen without interrupting.

ow does one become a good student at college or university4 ith a sports coach, you know that thecoach is trying to help you improve yourself. ith his outside eye, and his e-perience of other athletes,he will guide you towards general fitness and your chosen sport. hen he gets you out of bed at +amafter a heavy night drinking, he is not being sadistic. !irst, you should be up and running at +am everymorning. 3f you cannot bree7e a +am 1/&mile run after a night in the bar, he is helping you to recognisethere are choices in life and you made the wrong one. As you were stupid enough to make the wrongchoice you need to feel the pain and discomfort to underline to yourself )1* you are an athlete and )2*athletes cannot drink like that )'* you still have to run the 1/ miles at +am come rain, come sun, orcome deathly hangover.

HO# TO BE A GOOD ST'DENT

3 know a :hysical ducation course where students who are late do / full body press ups in front ofthe class before they can %oin the class. he teachers tell me that even the dim students learn >uickly.

ow much do you want to be a good student4 here are choices to be made. hese choices involve

G $our time

G $our finances

G $our social life

Ti e

hen 3 was a law lecturer 3 used to start the academic year by asking the class how many hours onenormally worked in a full time %ob. he class discussed and usually said that '8 hours was aboutaverage.

hen 3 asked how many hours a week a full time law student should work. here was always a crashingsilence because they could all see the correct answer was H'8I.

3 would then suggest that the class should rethink their priorities to achieve a '8 hour week every weekincluding holidays. 3 always had students come to me at the end of the class to thank me for that. heyhad thought they were hard working but now they realised they had not been working nearly hardenough.

%our Ti e

veryone, good student or not, has demands on their time. $ou need to plan your week. 3f you have todo paid work, plan those hours. 3f you are on a full time degree, plan to use '8 hours or so in classesand study. 3f you are on a science or engineering course you may need more hours. 3f you are in animportant relationship you need to plan >uality time with your loved one. 3f as well as study you havesome other activity plan that time.


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A good student will still have half a day in reserve. 3t comes in handy for illness, e-haustion, being agood neighbour, or %ust chilling.

o who are the friends of a good student4 3n your first week at college, like minded people are meetingup. veryone knows the %ocks, the fashion >ueens )male and female*, the politicos, and the disruptiveelements. he good students also float together. uestions to display their knowledge or ignorance but many do not.ry to form a study group of people who are brainier than you are. ake it a social event to discuss thesub%ect of the lecture you have %ust attended. Be a bore, a nerd, or an anorak. An anorak in your sub%ectcan %ustify which is the best te-tbook and why, has read all the academic writing your professor has

produced, has analysed the last si- annual e-amination papers your professor set, and knows where andwhat to study after this >ualification. e can actually show you the syllabus and tell you what elseshould be on it. 3f you cannot be an anorak, sit ne-t to him and you too will become a good student&seriously@ As a lecturer 3 have been surprised how often it works.

A nerd has all the charm of an anorak, but less actual knowledge and less organisation. e can still be agood student.

(ana3e %our Ti e

veryone has times when they find it easier to study. ome people love the peace of a library after5pm. Others like to study after their +am run. stablish a regular pattern that works for you.

One friend surprised everyone who knew him by obtaining a very good law degree when we allthought he was a drunk. e e-plained that from 1am to 5am, 6 nights a week, he read law books

because he could not sleep. e was doing ' hours a week more study than any of us had realised. 3still cannot call him a good student, but he was an effective student.

On most courses, you will be set e-aminations and assignments. hen 3 was a good student, 3 thoughtthe professors could ask >uestions about anywhere on the syllabus and 3 had to revise it all. hen 3started to set e-amination papers, 3 realised 3 had to set papers covering the entire syllabus. 3f you lookat the past e-amination papers, you will see there are patterns. he same >uestions come up again andagain. $ou can practise answering past e-amination papers, and ask the anorak to mark them.

3n most colleges, there are marking criteria. Ask to see them. hen you get a mark, ask the marker toe-plain why that mark4 hat would you have to do to earn a mark 0 or 1/0 better4 3f you are luckyenough to receive written feedback, read it. (ead it again before you hand in the ne-t piece of work

because you are probably still making the same mistakes. !ind out who gets the best marks and ask toread their assignments. hat are they doing differently4

Lac4 of &nowle 3e

he most common problem is simple lack of knowledge. A good student should not have that problem.

he typical good student problem is structure. omehow the knowledge in your head is not getting onto paper. he way round that is to take a big piece of paper and throw down the points you want tomake. Once you have done that, which are the key ' or + points you want to make4 9umber them1/,2/,'/,+/. here are subsidiary points you want to make. 9umber those , 15, 2', 25 etc., whereverthey logically fit in. 9ow you have got all the points you want to make in the order you want to makethem.

Cet on with it.

hen it is written, ask a friend to read it for style and clarity. Ehoose someone who is not on your


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course.

Another good student mistake is not answering the >uestion that was set. $ou spend a third of your permitted words on something that can only gain '0 of the marks at best. hat is the >uestion about4Answer that.

%our inances

ork out what it costs you to be at Eollege for a year. Add the tuition fees, your living e-penses, andhow much more you could earn if you were not a student. 3t is a lot of money. Divide into that figurethe number of classroom hours you could attend. ach classroom hour is costing you a lot more moneythan you had realised. A good student will ma-imise the value s?he gets out of every classroom hour. ow4

:repare for the class thoroughly. $ou usually know what will be covered, so read that chapter of thete-tbook before the class. hen when the professor tells you things he is consolidating the knowledgeyou have, not trying to convey raw information in a lump. 3f you are lucky enough to have seminarsand tutorials, they are red meat for a good student. $ou prepare well, you work with the informationyou have, and you bounce information around with the professor and any students who have also

prepared. $ou really get something out of it.

3f you can, get a %ob that fits in with what you are studying. 3t builds your EJ, helps you network, andyou are being paid to gain useful e-perience. A good student can make the time for relevant paid work.

$ou may have some activity or sport. At Eollege activities and sport are often subsidised, so use thatsubsidy to get really good. 3t adds to your EJ.

hat library4 3f you are there 8 hours a day instead of 1 hour a day, what is the e-tra cost to you4 owmuch do you save4 hat do you lose4

Social Life

veryone needs a social life. $ou may not want the company of nerds and anoraks 2+?6. Co bowling.Do something mindless or fun and meet people. ven a good student is interested in meeting a possiblelife partner. hen 3 was young 3 would have settled for a considerably shorter period@

Drinking, drugs, and relationship problems will adversely affect your studies, so try to find other waysto fill your time. 3f you must spend time in bars, be there as paid bar staff or musician.

A good student is usually a good person. 3f you are not a good person, that again is a matter of choice.

Rea Also httpK??www.uklawstudent.com?how&to&be&an&e-cellent&student? httpK??www.uklawstudent.com? -am&9erves? httpK??www.uklawstudent.com?Dissertation&Advice?

$ou will lose marks if your nglish is ropy. =udges will chew your ears off if your letters pleadings andarguments do not say what you were trying to say.

his is the classic modern book on grammar etcetera. And it is fun to read@ Buy it@
http://www.uklawstudent.com/how-to-be-an-excellent-studenthttp://www.uklawstudent.com/how-to-be-an-excellent-studenthttp://www.uklawstudent.com/how-to-be-an-excellent-studenthttp://www.uklawstudent.com/Dissertation=Advice/http://www.uklawstudent.com/how-to-be-an-excellent-studenthttp://www.uklawstudent.com/Dissertation=Advice/http://www.uklawstudent.com/how-to-be-an-excellent-student

20 tips on success on law school

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