Law school is structured very differently from other forms of higher education. What worked in the past is unlikely to serve you well in law school, unless you adapt your existing study techniques to the new law school pedagogy.
Read on for lots of advice on studying effectively and how to think about law school, so you can be as successful here as you’ve always been in the past!
(And if you find you want a bit of help along the way, check out our law school tutoring options on Law School Toolbox.)
Studying Effectively in Law School
- How to Get Your Law School Study Group to Actually Study Some people swear by them, others find them a waste of time. Here are some tips on making sure your law school study group (should you decide to have one) is as effective and efficient as possible!
- Can the Right Type of Music Help You Study? What's in the background as you study? Make sure it's helping you focus!
- Should You Listen to Music While Studying? John Passmore discusses whether or not music is helpful to studying. Spoiler alert: it depends.
- Surviving 1L: Should You Join a Study Group? A perennial question: should you join a law school study group? For some people, they’re great. For others, not so much. Get the pros and cons and learn about alternative approaches, if you’re not sure a full-fledged study group is right for you.
- Why You Should (Probably) Read the Cases in Law School I know, it’s tempting to skip boring, tedious reading assignments and just look at a commercial outline. That’s generally a bad idea (but there are times when it makes sense).
- Two Reasons You Need a Law School "Outline" (Loosely Conceived) Lots of people tell you to make outlines in law school, but few people explain why. There are actually two, largely unrelated, reasons you need a law school outline.
Learning Like a Lawyer
- Thinking Like a Lawyer: IRAC For the Real World IRAC isn't just for law school exams! Find out how to put your IRAC skills to work in the broader world.
- Items to Consider Adding to Your 3L Year To-Do List If you're going into your 3L year, it's a good idea to get prepared during the summer before. Jaclyn Wishnia looks at some things to keep in mind to start 3L year right!
- Why It's Okay to Study Differently Than Your Classmates If You Have A Learning Difference If you have a learning difference, it may be important to study differently than your classmates, and Alexandra Muskat looks at the ways she got comfortable with this and how it helped her succeed.
- Taking Advantage of Academic Support If you're struggling a little (or a lot) with your law school classes, consider visiting your school's academic support office. Here's some advice for making the most of the experience.
- What Should You Be Learning in Law School? Not sure exactly what the point of law school is? A law professor shares some thoughts on what you should be learning, and why.
- Are You Willing to Look Stupid to Learn? How are you going to learn things? Probably by looking like a person who doesn't know something! Sadly, a lot of lawyers struggle with this, so they stagnate.
- 1L Tip of the Day: Good Confusion and Bad Confusion As one of my favorite law school professors was fond of saying, “There’s good confusion, and there’s bad confusion, and it’s important to know the difference.” One’s useful, one’s problematic, but both are quite normal as a law student!
- Ultimately, You Always Have to Teach Yourself News flash -- you're going to have to teach yourself much of what you learn in law school! Here are some strategies for success.
Law School Academic Lessons Learned
- The End of the Academic Year: A 1L Perspective Don't miss this first-hand account of 1L year, just as second semester draws to a close and the summer is almost here.
- Law School Midterms: How Effective Preparation Can Also Set You Up For Final Exam Success While not all law students get the chance to even take midterms, if you do, consider yourself lucky. Christen Morgan is discussing how preparing for those midterms can be the first step to preparing for finals.
- Advice From the Trenches For Incoming 1Ls: On Outlining and Exam Preparation Kala Mueller completes her series on advice for incoming 1Ls by discussing study habits - from outlining to exam prep.
- Law School Study Abroad: To Go or Not To Go? Contemplating study abroad during law school? There are a lot of pros and cons. Here are some things to consider before you book your tickets.
- How I Avoided the 2L Slump Afraid the 2L slump will happen to you? Here's how one 2L managed to avoid it.
- Law School SOS: Help! I Might Fail My Final! As finals approach, Shirlene Armstrong looks at what to do if you feel like you're panicking about it and don't think you're prepared.
- Think Everything's Great Because Your Law School Grades Are Good? Wrong. If you did well your first semester, you might think everything is going to be great from here on out. Hopefully that’s true, but I have to share a cautionary tale.
Want some one-on-one help in law school? Check out our law school tutoring options on the Law School Toolbox.