Thanksgiving is almost upon us. Wow, the semester went by fast. As you go into Thanksgiving Break and exam study mode, here are some suggestions:
· Add any new material to your outlines on the last class day before Thanksgiving Break so that your master documents for exam study are ready to use during the break.
· If you are travelling during the break, consider whether you could get some studying done while on your journey:
o Could you listen to study aid audio CDs to review material in a course during your drive?
o Could you read through an outline while sitting in the airport?
o Could you work through flashcards during that layover?
o If travelling with another law student, could you discuss class material or quiz each other?
· Remember that each study day has three parts to it: morning (8 a.m. – noon); afternoon (1 – 5 p.m.); evening (6 – 10 p.m.). Determine which parts of the day are your optimal study times.
o When are you most alert and productive?
o When can you schedule study time around family activities if you are going home?
· On the morning of your first study day during the break, read all of your outlines through once. This read-through will accomplish several things:
o It will refresh your memory on everything you covered this semester in each course.
o It will give you a change to identify areas that you know well, need some work on, and need a great deal of work on before the exam in the course.
· If you will have trouble studying while out of town, consider leaving town later or coming back earlier to optimize your study time here.
· If studying at your family’s home will not work because of distractions, consider going to the local public or college library, the business center of your family’s apartment complex, or some other place to study.
· Take Thanksgiving Day off if you can afford to do so with your exam study. You will feel better for having a holiday. And if you are with family, they will be happier with you for joining them for the day’s festivities and traditions.
· Finish class preparation for the last class days after the break (if that is your law school's schedule) over the Thanksgiving Break if possible to open up more study time during the last class week.
o Then you will need to review the material to refresh your memory before you go to class each day.
o If you are flying home, photocopy the pages you have to read rather than take all of your casebooks with you.
· If you have papers or projects due the week you come back, try to finish a final draft by Sunday night of the break so that the remaining time can be devoted just to editing, citation checks, and printing the paper.
· Do a final update of your outlines for new material on the last class day after the break for each course. You want to be ready to study on the first reading day and not play catch up.
Have safe travels and a happy holiday this week. (Amy Jarmon)
