Study Aids

[Maddie]

I'm going to try to buy some study aids off of eBay/Amazon while I still have income.  I figure I'll feel it less that way.   

Any current students recommend particular study aids for particular courses?

[goaliechica]

I should also do this... tag.  I think Glannon is the big one?

Glannon is unquestionably the best for Civ Pro. Less clear for other subjects.

I'll let others weigh in, as I'm not a big user of study guides. But definitely Glannon for Civ Pro.

I am a fan of the "Understanding (blah)" series. Understanding Contracts was helpful, IMO.

[goaliechica]

I should also do this... tag.  I think Glannon is the big one?

Glannon is unquestionably the best for Civ Pro. Less clear for other subjects.

I'll let others weigh in, as I'm not a big user of study guides. But definitely Glannon for Civ Pro.

I am a fan of the "Understanding (blah)" series. Understanding Contracts was helpful, IMO.

What about Glannon for Torts?

When do new editions get published?

Not sure about Glannon for torts, or when they come out. I have Understanding Torts, and think it's useful.

It's kind of hard to tell what study aids will click for you without checking them out, unfortunately.

Oh, I will say this - the most useful thing that I bought before law school was a used copy of some book full of multiple choice questions about property.

It was this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735500355

When you're learning all those messy rules for property, it helps to have bunches and bunches of hypos to work through. They had questions sort of scattered throughout the textbook, and our prof and TA gave us some sample questions, but it helped to have a supply of them to work through.

[jsb221]

There are many study aids and supplements out there. If at all possible, I would say wait to buy them until you get in class. Some profs (not many but a few) will recommend a particular one. For example, my civ pro prof recommended Glannon's, and I agree it was useful. Others will recommend a particular hornbook, which is more expensive than a plain study aid but they are usually keyed to a particular case book.
Personally, I like Crunchtime, but only to review right before finals. They are short and sweet and easy enough to read in one day or you can use them just to revieew matters you're struggling with.
I also like Law in a Flash cards not so much for the substance (though occasionally they are helpful). I like them for the hypos, and they're handy enough you can tuck them in your backpack and go over a few between class.
Another reason to hold off buying, if you try buying now, you're going to be competing with students already in law school trying to get them for finals, so you'll probably have to pay more. I would suggest waiting until summer after finals, if you don't want to wait until the fall.
Finally, take good care of your supplements that way you can resell them when you're done with them. I know I invested a lot into my study aids, probably too much, and now I can't wait to unload them and recoup a little bit.

[goaliechica]

There are many study aids and supplements out there. If at all possible, I would say wait to buy them until you get in class. Some profs (not many but a few) will recommend a particular one. For example, my civ pro prof recommended Glannon's, and I agree it was useful. Others will recommend a particular hornbook, which is more expensive than a plain study aid but they are usually keyed to a particular case book.
Personally, I like Crunchtime, but only to review right before finals. They are short and sweet and easy enough to read in one day or you can use them just to revieew matters you're struggling with.
I also like Law in a Flash cards not so much for the substance (though occasionally they are helpful). I like them for the hypos, and they're handy enough you can tuck them in your backpack and go over a few between class.
Another reason to hold off buying, if you try buying now, you're going to be competing with students already in law school trying to get them for finals, so you'll probably have to pay more. I would suggest waiting until summer after finals, if you don't want to wait until the fall.
Finally, take good care of your supplements that way you can resell them when you're done with them. I know I invested a lot into my study aids, probably too much, and now I can't wait to unload them and recoup a little bit.

Thanks for this advice.  I think I'll wait then.

Yeah, I'll second that. You can try to guess what might be helpful, but you can also waste a lot of money trying to buy things in advance.

[lawandethan]

The Glannon E&E for Torts was far more useful than the E&E for CivPro.  Granted, I got As in both courses - but the CivPro only was useful for about 120 pages - PJ/SMJ/Venue

I used the entire Glannon for Torts & the back of the Torts book has a section on tips on how to take a Torts Exam.  That was especially helpful.

[The Artist]

I heard hornbooks were a waste of money, and the only study aids worth buying for classes were E&Es and Gilberts/Emanuel. Any current student care to comment on that?

[Astro]

Glannon for Torts was the best of all the supplements I used, hands down.

[jsb221]

As for hornbooks, I definitely would not go out and buy one for each class. First of all, you won't have time to read them all. Second, it would probably be a waste of money because they are much more expensive than standard study aids. However, I did find the one keyed to my con law book very helpful. That being said, it was very repetitive of what was in the regular case book, which can be annoying because it seems like you're reading things twice. But at the same time it was in laymen's terms and made some connections I otherwise was missing. It also gave more background.
I say wait. Maybe if you see a couple cheap somewhere, get them. Try to get a sampling of what's out there since there are so many and see which you personally like.
Regarding Glannon, I liked Glannon's E&E for torts and Civ pro.But as I said, it is always a personal preference and the key is finding out what YOU like and what works for YOU.

[skeeball]

The Glannon E&E for Torts was far more useful than the E&E for CivPro.  Granted, I got As in both courses - but the CivPro only was useful for about 120 pages - PJ/SMJ/Venue

I used the entire Glannon for Torts & the back of the Torts book has a section on tips on how to take a Torts Exam.  That was especially helpful.

I went to an open house at Suffolk and he did a fake Torts class.  He was pretty fun.

I'm jealous! You know, there's a Facebook group called "Glannon is My Homeboy". Yep, I'm a dork. 

I'm with most people on the board, and think Glannon's Torts and Civ Pro E&Es are the best. The other E&Es are not that great, I would try to go with something else first. I like the Understanding series--it basically wrote my Crim Law outline, and it's been a nice supplement for Con Law too.

My favorite Property study aid is from the Concise Hornbook series. It has brief outlines of the major concepts followed by E&Es with very detailed explanations.