Preparing for Your First Month

By Allison Roso

In racking my brain to figure out what words of wisdom I have about how to prepare for law school classes, my search came up rather empty. By the time you’re entering law school, you’ve had (at least) 17 first-day-of-schools, so a lot of the advice I could give is something that you probably had mastered by the end of elementary school. Instead of rehashing the basics, I jotted down my perspective on a few questions you might have:

1. Taking Notes…Type or Handwrite?

Many of you probably decided this question in undergrad, but it is worth a second look. The

material you are learning is going to be new to you and the concepts you learn during your first year are going to be the foundation. The bottom line is that it is important to pay attention and absorb as much as you can. For this reason (and because I have an honest appreciation for penmanship), I used notebooks through my entire first year. It allowed me to be less distracted by the inane wonders of the Internet and forced me to be engaged with the material. It is purely a matter of preference, but I would suggest trying both and deciding which works better for you. No matter which method you choose, be diligent about organizing and reviewing your notes as you go – it will make life easier preparing for exams!

2. First Assignments…what am I supposed to do?

You might feel overwhelmed when you crack open your casebooks for the first time and try to figure out how to tackle the pages your professor assigned for the first day. Don’t worry. You’ll learn how to “properly” brief a case later in the semester, but for the first assignment, just make sure you read everything thoroughly, try to figure out who is saying what and why, and don’t feel like you just wasted tuition dollars if you don’t understand the law right off the bat. Legal-ese is a tough language to learn and the style of legal writing can be all over the map, but I would advise you to take notes, write down any questions you have, and try not to skim (which I’m sure we’re all guilty of) so you can understand the material as much as possible. And if you still feel totally clueless on the first day, don’t be embarrassed to ask a question!

3. Study Aids…Flash cards? Hornbooks? E&E?

There are easily as many study aids as there are casebooks, and a good chance that there are even more. There is nothing wrong with using them to help you understand or clarify the information in the casebook, but it can be confusing to know if, when, and how to use them. The most important thing is to only use them to supplement your casebook, not replace it. You will probably have at least one casebook that is not ideal, but remember that your professor chose that casebook for a reason and that is where the exam is going to be derived from. To figure out what works for you, look through the various study aids in the Coop, order a few online (older editions are cheaper and usually haven’t changed significantly), or ask your professor what he/she would recommend.