A Woman in Law School

13 Comments:

1. Anonymous said...
   September 17, 2008 at 11:30 AM  
   I never outlined until just before finals... For me, I needed my weekend time to relax and try and decompress. I'd use the book's table of contents or the prof's syllabus outline to start my outline and then go from there. It helped me review for finals that way. Honestly though, do whatever works for you. I know people who never outlined, people who would only make flashcards, people who would use someone else's outline... It's all personal preference and what works for you.
   A. Marigold said...
   September 17, 2008 at 11:48 AM  
   My first semester, I didn't start outlining until the week before finals started, because I had no idea what to outline (it ended up being a great study guide, but not so helpful on the tests). Maybe you've heard this already (nobody told me this), but when you start outlining, it should be a template for your essays on the test, almost like a flow chart (if this issue comes up, then these issues should be considered, etc.). You should be able to finish all of them in one week per class, so if you don't start outlining yet, it's not the end of the world.
   Anonymous said...
   September 17, 2008 at 2:02 PM  
   I have not started outlining yet. I'm beginning to think about it, because I take zillion notes and I know it's going to suck to pare them all down, but that's as far as I've got. The tutor for my contracts class said that people had been asking her about outlining and that she had waited for Thanksgiving, and she would NOT recommend that (it was too late), but she wouldn't start outlining yet, because we don't have a good enough sense of the big picture yet. I was talking to some people today who were thinking about starting in October sometime. But since they're fellow 1Ls, it's kind of the blind leading the blind!
   Kyle Hulten said...
   September 17, 2008 at 2:32 PM  
   I've just started outlining. I have an up to date outline for Contracts and I'm going to try to get one done for crim law by the end of the week.
   Krista said...
   September 17, 2008 at 3:46 PM  
   I'm waiting until October before I formally start an outline, but I have started turning each brief into a paragraph summary w/ key rules, etc., to plug into my outline.
   Krista said...
   September 17, 2008 at 3:48 PM  
   Oh, also I use Microsoft OneNote and you can tag parts of your notes. I created a custom tag called "Add to Outline" so when I start it, I'll have an easier time pulling info from my notes.
   Amanda said...
   September 17, 2008 at 4:21 PM  
   I'm thinking seriously about starting outlining - does that count? :) I intended to knock some of them out this weekend, but now I'm going out of town with family...we'll see what gets done. I'm not too panicked about it, but I'll probably dig in in the next week or so.
   Anonymous said...
   September 17, 2008 at 4:22 PM  
   I have definitely not started outlining. Frankly I don't know what I would put on an outline at this point. I'm still struggling to keep up with reading and understanding the concepts as best as possible. I'm also really trying to maintain my sanity by taking time to not do school stuff. I don't know when I will start outlining but I've basically heard people around here saying start in November.
   Mongrels are raising themselves. said...
   September 17, 2008 at 5:58 PM  
   Start now, yes. I'm a 2L, and I now outline from day one, just to simplify, but even as 1Ls you have plenty of info to start a good outline with - and you will be way ahead of the panicked game many of your classmates will face at Thanksgiving. Just make a doc with headings loosely based around your syllabus and/or book chapter titles. Fill in the rules you have so far. Nothing fancy - it isn't necessary or helpful at this point. But you will be oh so pleased to not be in the "what is an outline" group - because it's hard to really see what one feels like until you get a system going. And it's a lot easier to get a system going now - because believe it or not, the readings get longer at the end of the semester, or more complex, and you have to add in much more legal writing too. Happy outlining - don't be afraid, dive in!
   Silly Little Law Student said...
   September 17, 2008 at 7:24 PM  
   Making an outline from scratch is for suckers. Find a few 2 or 3Ls who had your prof in each class and get hand me down outlines from them. It will save you precious time, I swear.
   Anonymous said...
   September 18, 2008 at 4:38 PM  
   Oh my God, you haven't started outlining yet? You're so fucked!!!
   
   Just kidding. (It's me! Your pal that likes to read romance novels instead of outline!) Although in all honesty I would say start earlier than finals your 1L year. It took me a semester or two before I was with-it enough to crank out a good outline during finals week.
   Anonymous said...
   September 18, 2008 at 6:33 PM  
   I'm going to start this weekend for sure.
   K said...
   September 21, 2008 at 10:37 AM  
   Thanks for all your input! Any little bit helps!
   
   It's also nice to see how others approach the subject.

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