Studying Time and how to spend it

[TWUKaili]

I know that everyone on this board has asked very similar questions, but I'm still pretty concerned. I just started my 1st year at a tier 4 school. I really like it so far, but I feel like my classmates are spending way more time on things. People keep saying they are studying all the time and only getting 5 hrs. of sleep. I feel like i understand things pretty well....at least as well as to be expected at this point, but i certainly get more than 5 hrs. of sleep each night, and I don't spend every minute studying when I get home until I go to bed. I spend between 2-5 hrs. depending on the day, but I also do a lot of work on my weekends. I use those for working on and updating my outlines. Is this enough? Do I need to be doing what everyone else is? Also, I started out briefing every case, but I've stopped that in like 2 classes because it took sooo much time, is this a bad choice? Do I need to brief for at least my first sememster everything? Also, I have friends at other tier 1 schools telling my how much crazy reading they have every night. We usually do not have an unmanageable amount, generally if you are not behind of course, we have about 50 pgs. or so every night. Is this not very much? Are better schools a lot harder? thanks to all you for your advise.

[dkast]

I'm at a tier 1.  We all have the same casebooks and the subject matter is essentially the same.  This is life in the first year of law school you should be and will be studying all the time.  Remember its only a year and the rewards, not just monetarily, are going to be tremedous.

Trust me right now i've just spent all my time from when i got home from my civ pro class at 2pm reading the cases in my case book (i dont formally brief them just notate), looking at the relavent information and reading that in my primer, then incorporating that into my outline.

I still have to read my contracts assignment which will take about 2 hours and will have to goto the primer for it tomorrow after class.

Also have a legal proof in legal writing due at 4:30 tomorrow but i have most of that done and can accomplish the rest of it after my torts class at 1:00.

I really just want to have 4 beers right now, go over this swedish girls house, and "relax" the rest of the night.  Can't though remember its only a year.

Thanks.

[abclaw]

I'm at a tier 1... 

Tier 1?

http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/students/index.php/topic,2363.msg16290.html#msg16290

[MidWestLawGril]

I didn't read the whole message, but I wanted to say that if you have extra time, you should spend it reviewing each class and making sure you got what the teacher was trying to teach you. 

[eray01]

I am also at a Tier 4.

It sounds to me like you're on the right track. I do about the same things you do and I feel like I have a decent grasp on most everything. Wherever I feel like I'm slipping I will focus on that area for a day or two. For example, the last couple days of civ pro have been tough, so I plan on spending the rest of the day looking at each case again very carefully and unpacking it in baby steps.

I agree with what every other poster has said here. As far as T4 v. T1 schools are concerned, we are all learning the same law and will someday have to take the same bar exams and practice amongst each other pretty much as equals. Bradzwest says it all well though. I think the T4's spoonfeed more. They almost teach to the lowest common denominator in the class, but not quite. And, I have to say I've been shocked at the apparent ineptness of some of the other admits at my school. I am amazed that some of them are actually going to be handling people's serious affairs in three short years. We're playing with monopoly money right now, but I wonder what some of them are going to do when we have to start playing with real money. Sometimes I'm sobered by the fact that my class, and including me I guess, are among the lowest qualified students in American law schools this year.

[Mimimimi]

I'm at a T1 school and we also have about 30-50 pages of reading a night.  I have been spending maybe 3 hours a day outside of class tops right now, but I imagine this will increase because now we are getting more assignments for legal writing.  I don't brief, because really I can't see how this is useful for finals.  I see how it's useful in preparing for class, but since class participation isn't graded here, I don't think it's worth the time.  I seem to be able to answer the questions profs ask anyway just from doing the reading and highlighting the relevant areas.  I think when I am studying I may go back and do "mini briefs" like just state the case, super brief fact summary, issue and holding. 

I haven't started outlining yet but will probably start soon now that we are finishing up specific topic areas.  It seems silly to me to start outlining on the first day/week of class - like at that point, how can you see the forest for the trees.  Maybe I'm wrong but doesn't your "outline" then just end up being practically all your class notes + notes on the reading?  It doesn't seem like it would be very effective to have a gazillion page outline when it comes to the final.

[abclaw]

Yasou David.  What do you have to say for yourself?

[tacojohn]

I'm at a tier 1. We all have the same casebooks and the subject matter is essentially the same. This is life in the first year of law school you should be and will be studying all the time. Remember its only a year and the rewards, not just monetarily, are going to be tremedous.

Trust me right now i've just spent all my time from when i got home from my civ pro class at 2pm reading the cases in my case book (i dont formally brief them just notate), looking at the relavent information and reading that in my primer, then incorporating that into my outline.

I still have to read my contracts assignment which will take about 2 hours and will have to goto the primer for it tomorrow after class.

Also have a legal proof in legal writing due at 4:30 tomorrow but i have most of that done and can accomplish the rest of it after my torts class at 1:00.

I really just want to have 4 beers right now, go over this swedish girls house, and "relax" the rest of the night. Can't though remember its only a year.

Thanks.

To each his own, but the next two years might rough once you're labeled as "that guy that only studies and never tried to make friends."  If it's what you need to do to get buy, then by all means, but if you're just going over stuff again for the fifth time, there's something to be said for taking a break, blowing off some steam, and getting away from the work for a while.

[dft]

swedish girl??? nice. if this is true, you are very good at exercising self-restraint.

I'm at a tier 1.  We all have the same casebooks and the subject matter is essentially the same.  This is life in the first year of law school you should be and will be studying all the time.  Remember its only a year and the rewards, not just monetarily, are going to be tremedous.

Trust me right now i've just spent all my time from when i got home from my civ pro class at 2pm reading the cases in my case book (i dont formally brief them just notate), looking at the relavent information and reading that in my primer, then incorporating that into my outline.

I still have to read my contracts assignment which will take about 2 hours and will have to goto the primer for it tomorrow after class.

Also have a legal proof in legal writing due at 4:30 tomorrow but i have most of that done and can accomplish the rest of it after my torts class at 1:00.

I really just want to have 4 beers right now, go over this swedish girls house, and "relax" the rest of the night.  Can't though remember its only a year.

Thanks.

[abclaw]

Why would think it's true about the Swedish girls?  He lied about being at a Tier 1.  That should say something about Dkast's credibility.