Advice for a 0L hell bent on being near the top of his class?

[hoping 1L isnt Hell]

Wow, I just spent over an hour reading a 10 page thread, some great advice in here.  I think I over prepared for my upcoming 1L year.  I read so many different books that they all seemed to contradict each other.  It seems like every law graduate that writes a manual or preparation book knows that all entering law students are scared and will pay $25-$50 for anything they think might help.

Do I have your permission to just print this thread, bind it, and sell it next year?  

Once again, thanks to all the former 1Ls, you helped clear up some of the notions I had (i.e. - I was going to be studying from 7am to 11pm, what’s better IRAC/LEEWS, outlining, class notes, etc.)

I will report back on how everything went, and also when I publish this thread, each will receive their royalties.

[J Five]

Lots of great info in here.  Thx.

[MiamiLaw]

So it's my first week and I am being assigned like 8-9 cases a night to brief. Should I actually be doing that though? It takes like all day to brief that many cases and after that, I have no time for anything else. Most of my professors claim that participation will affect our grades though.

[kilroy55]

So it's my first week and I am being assigned like 8-9 cases a night to brief. Should I actually be doing that though? It takes like all day to brief that many cases and after that, I have no time for anything else. Most of my professors claim that participation will affect our grades though.

Yep, it sucks.  But it is your first week.  You will get faster, and eventually you might decide that briefing is pointless.  While I never brief, now, it took me awhile to get everything down.  Once you know how to work better and more efficiently, you will have your free time back.

[4DClaw]

This may vary by school, but at my school, students with outstanding participation may receive a one-step bump in their grade if they are near the margin. So a high B+ may become an A-. One professor said he typically does this for 5-10 students in a 120-student class.
I've heard stories of students who are perpetually unprepared getting their grades reduced, but I think it's less frequent.
Seminars may weigh participation more.

So it's my first week and I am being assigned like 8-9 cases a night to brief. Should I actually be doing that though? It takes like all day to brief that many cases and after that, I have no time for anything else. Most of my professors claim that participation will affect our grades though.

[GA-fan]

Bump to see if this guy made it to the top of his class!

[juliemccoy]

he didn't -- later posts where he said he was in top 20-25%. I'm too lazy to search for the link.

[GA-fan]

yes, youre lazy. we all know it but the real question: are you drinking/cooking thursday?

[juliemccoy]

Yes and Yes!!! 

[lycan27]

To each and every one of you who contributed meaningfully to this thread -- THANK YOU!!!!!!