Now that you have had some time to settle into your courses, you can evaluate your plan of attack for each course. Here are some things that you want to consider:
• Re-read your syllabus yet again to make sure you understand everything that you need to know about the course: the learning objectives, suggested supplements, assignment details, deadlines.
• What amount of time do you need for really good class preparation in each course?
Really good class preparation means that you are focused on learning and understanding the material and not just skimming it.
Really good class preparation means that you are taking responsibility for learning and understanding the material and not expecting the professor to spoon-feed the information to you as many undergraduate courses do.
Class preparation can include a variety of tasks depending on the course; some of those tasks may be the following:
Reading and briefing cases
Reading articles
Reading code/rule sections
Answering questions at the end of chapters
Answering study questions handed out by the professor
Completing worksheets or problem sets
Preparing practice-like documents (contracts, business plans, interrogatories, closing statements, wills, etc.)
Class preparation should include answering the questions that you know your professor always asks every class period.
Class preparation should include thinking about the material on two levels:
In-depth understanding of the separate cases, articles, etc.
Synthesis of how separate cases, articles, code sections, etc. work together and give meaning to the subtopic/topic
Look ahead in your syllabus to see if future assignments will get longer and in your casebook to see if future topics look more difficult – plan accordingly for the time you need to add for class preparation.
• What level of difficulty are you having with the course material at this point?
If you are concerned about a course, talk to the professor about specific study strategies and supplements that might help you with the material.
Evaluate how well you are understanding the course material.
Look through your class notes and briefs to determine where you have gaps in your understanding.
Determine how you will fill in any gaps: study aids, talking to the professor, talking to classmates, or other methods.
Outline all of the material that has been covered so far and ask these questions:
Does my outline just cover the gist of the material without any depth of understanding?
Does my outline help me inter-relate cases/code/etc. into the subtopics and topics?
Am I too bogged down in detail and irrelevant material?
Will my outline help me solve new legal problems (example, fact scenarios) that I have never seen before?
If you outline is incomplete and unrelated to problem-solving, fix the problems now.
Plan on-going strategies that you can implement to improve your understanding for each course.
• What resources do you have for the course that will help you apply the material that you are learning throughout the semester as you review topics or subtopics? Remember to increase the difficulty of practice questions as you review topics more thoroughly.
Study aids with practice questions
CALI exercises
Practice questions on the professor’s course website
Problems or hypotheticals in the course materials
For 1Ls, tutoring practice questions
Draft-and-swap question opportunities with friends
Exam database for your law school
• For paper courses, plan out your research and writing and begin tasks now rather than procrastinating.
What deadlines are required by your professor: topic approval, paper outline, initial bibliography, drafts.
Break down larger tasks into small steps so that you do not get overwhelmed.
Set an artificial deadline two days before each deadline and work toward that earlier date. You will have more time for edits and rewrites if necessary rather than last-minute panic.
• Look ahead at your calendar and plan how you will get work done beforehand if you have weekends out-of-town, team or BOB competition weeks, or family events to attend.
Evaluate how well your plans are working periodically during the semester. Tweak or rework as needed. (Amy Jarmon)
