Welcome everyone! My name is Sovmya George and I am a 3L student. I thought it would be a great idea to create a platform where students, staff, and faculty are able to connect with each other on issues related to our legal education, current events and our global personal experiences. Therefore, the MSLAW Blog was created and is a new addition to our MSLAW community! Special Thanks to Professor Colby-Clements for her guidance in getting this started. Please use this to your advantage and as a stage for voicing your thoughts, questions, and ideas (respectfully of course). When I first started law school- I’m going to be frank with you- I was so lost! I felt that not having any relatives or friends who went to law school or were practicing as an attorney was a huge drawback for me entering into this profession. However, I have come to realize that you do not need to depend on your uncle to make your mark in the legal field. You have what it takes to become the best attorney you can be, without having to walk in someone else’s steps. I thought it would be a great idea to start off with a “Survival Guide” in honor of the first day to a new school year and to help you through your law school journey. This Survival Guide is meant to assist you along the way.
***STORY TIME***
When I first started as a 1L student, I had two (2) word documents pre-titled and saved on my laptop for each class. One was titled, “Outline” and the other, “Cases”. They are self-explanatory, but I basically had all the cases we had to read for each class, briefed under my “Cases” word document, and I would type away all my in-class notes, under my “Outline” word document. Then, at the completion of each week, I would go back and review all of the weeks’ worth of notes and edit my outline. I would read more, watch videos, talk to my friends, etc. until I made sense of any material I didn’t understand. I found this to work beautifully! However, I got too comfortable with myself during the 2nd semester of my 1L year and I stopped reviewing my notes weekly and I noticed the effects of that. I found myself trying to make sense of concepts we had learned about in prior months, while I still had to review topics we had just learned in the previous weeks. This leads me to Tip #1: BE CONSISTENT. I cannot stress that enough! Hoping the below guidelines help!
Survival Guide for your 1L Year:
- Create a document titled, “Outline” for each class on Day 1 of law school.
o In that Outline, write and organize all the notes you take in class.
o Use colors/highlight any important concepts the Professor stresses.
o Refer back to the Outline more than just during class-time.
o Organize your outline in a manner that best makes sense to you.
o Attend Academic Support sessions on outlining to help guide you.
- Create a separate document titled, “Cases” and have all your cases briefed and ready to go for each class.
- Review and update your Outline at the end of each day you have classes.
- Review and Study your Outlines weekly, for each class.
- By the time you get to “study week” you should be practicing old exams! Not reviewing outlines and still learning new concepts.
- Attend Academic Support sessions on Exam Writing.
- Do not be afraid to ask questions, whether it be in class or in your Professor’s office
- Refer to YouTube videos, Google, your classmates, and/or old outlines from upperclassmen to help you understand any and all challenging concepts
- I recommend the Emanuel CrunchTime series as an extra source to reference for your classes. You can find it on Amazon. I found the one for Torts to be helpful!
- Keep in touch with your Advisor and know they are there for you to help guide you through your law school journey.
- Be involved. Whether it be clubs, school fundraisers, school events, etc.
- Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to the students sitting around you. You may gain a life-long friend through that first, brave, “Hi, my name is…”
- Don’t forget to have fun! Law school is tough, but also a time to grow in happiness.
Survival Guide for your 2L Year:
- Be consistent with having your cases read for each class and be diligent in note-taking.
- Continue to participate in class, even if you’re unsure whether your answer is correct, because your effort is still noticed and admired!
- Schedule an appointment with your advisor to make sure you have a plan for which classes to take each semester for the remaining semesters at MSLAW. Mapping it out early, on paper, will keep you on track for graduation and for taking the bar exam.
- Sign up for Trial Team (trust me, this was way out of my comfort zone), as this will help boost your confidence and is the closest experience you will get in law school to being a real trial lawyer. *Highly recommend*
- Keep a look out for job opportunities around campus (Library) and/or volunteer opportunities with various BAR Prep Courses (Barbri, Kaplan, Themis).
- It would be a good idea to start finding an internship at a law firm which practices in the field of law you’re interested in.
- Contact Professor Colby-Clements about career development if you have questions about internships and clinics.
Survival Guide for your 3L Year:
- Take a deep breath! You’re almost through at the end!
- This is the time to take BAR Essay and Comparison, along with any electives you want to take specific to your favorite field of law or to aid in BAR preparation.
- Start looking at the BAR application. There is a lot of information you must pull together and you do not want to wait until the last minute!
- Focus on your classes and continue to participate, ask questions, and seek help when you find yourself struggling.
- This would also be a good time to enroll in any BAR course/BAR prep classes.
- Take a break in between and be sure to enjoy weekends to keep a fresh mind!
- Before you know it, you will just be one final away from graduation!
- Lastly, the BAR EXAM! Just remember, you are prepared, you are capable, and you will conquer!
Comment down below some techniques that you found worked/did not work for you during your 1L, 2L, and/or 3L year(s)!
(Your methods may be what inspires other students’ study habits!)
I am 1L. We had online orientation and I am no more oriented than I was before I started so what is my next step here? Go to school? Meet someone? who can I talk to?
ReplyDeleteHi Seema! Thank You for your comment. Being a 1L law school student can be overwhelming and especially with this pandemic still present amongst us, it makes it much more challenging; however, MSLAW is here to help you. I'm sure if you email your advisor or our school's Dean, you will have all your questions answered. First day of classes for 1L students is today! Feel free to give our school a call, if you would like to speak to someone about the school's re-opening process. Wishing you the best, Seema and hoping this Survival Guide is of an aid to you!
DeleteGreat first post Sovmya! I knew when you reached out to me about starting the blog how great it would be!
ReplyDeleteAll of the tips you have to both 1L’s and 2L’s was great! I also could not stress enough how important continuously updating your outline is. It truly makes studying easier when midterms and finals roll around.
Thank You so much for the sweet comment Kaitlyn! Yes, you are spot on with the Outlines. Definitely important to keep it updated throughout the semester!
DeleteThank you Sovmya for creating this! I completely agree with all the info that you and Kait provided. In my opinion, there is nothing more valuable than a well kept, up-to-date outline. Make sure that you stay on top of the cases and to incorporate them into your outline. Lastly and more importantly, try not to let your nerves get the best of you. Starting law school can definitely be intimidating and I'm sure this pandemic has added to it, but taking everything one step at a time really helps.
ReplyDeleteThank You so much for the informative comment! I'm happy you shed light on the common emotions almost every 1L student goes through at the start of their law school journey. You are so right, one step at a time, and everything will be fine!
DeleteThank you Sovmya for creating such a great platform for the MSL community to stay engaged during this challenging time. It is imperative to maintain communication with your professors and classmates to survive law school whether attending in-person or virtual classes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Rajae for your sweet and informative comment! I agree with you, it is important for students to consistently communicate with their professors and advisors to help them get through this rigorous process. They are here to help us! Thank you for pointing that out, it is great advice!
DeleteBest and most honest information for first year students! Well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Christine, I greatly appreciate it! I am happy you agree with the suggestions I've listed out. I have no doubt the incoming 1L students will succeed in their studies with the hard work they will put forth.
DeleteAre there any 1L students who might want to discuss courses to understand things and remember better? Is it ok to form a group of 203 students? Anyone interested please ping me.
ReplyDelete