End of the Year Tips

We have arrived at the end of the year! With only a few weeks left until reading period, here are some of my final tips and comments for the end of 1L year:

• Study breaks are your friend. It's a fact that our brains retain more information during short periods of time versus extended periods of time. When you do marathon sessions of studying, you'll generally feel drained and exhausted at the end of the day. Conserve your energy and improve your memory retention by taking scheduled study breaks. A good method that works is taking a 5–10-minute break for every 50 minutes of study time.

• Your grades and exam scores are not a reflection of your intelligence. This sounds obvious but it's an area that many 1Ls struggle to understand. Law school exams and assignments require a level of thinking and reasoning that you have likely never done. Therefore, don't be surprised if your first few exam scores or graded assignments are not high. It takes time to adjust to the new demands of analytical thinking and reasoning in law school. Give yourself grace to grow, learn, and improve.

• Begin saving up bar study. When you're a 1L, the last thing on your mind is your 3L year, let alone the bar exam. However, your 1L year is the best time to begin saving money and setting aside funds for bar study. When you graduate, you'll be able to use this money for gas, bar exam materials, food, and other necessities.

• Argue Both Sides of the legal dispute! Once a dispute has been framed and a legal theory has been asserted, it is easier to identify problems surrounding the theory’s application as well as to detect the arguments that each side can make in support of their position.

• Just do your best! If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of either not understanding the issues presented or not remembering the rules related to such issues, don’t panic. Instead, just do your best to write the best possible answer. You may not receive top credit, but it will be better than the alternative. Good luck!