What to do at the start of the semester

[MidgetFoot]

I just read LSC and it recommended that people begin outlining for their 1L courses day 1. That seems absurd because people won't know what to outline due to not having the big picture of what the professor is teaching. Using "study time" just to prepare for class seems wasteful since class prep doesn't matter for grades. What should 1Ls do at the early stage of the semester? Also, when should people start outlining?

[bl825]

I just read LSC and it recommended that people begin outlining for their 1L courses day 1. That seems absurd because people won't know what to outline due to not having the big picture of what the professor is teaching. Using "study time" just to prepare for class seems wasteful since class prep doesn't matter for grades. What should 1Ls do at the early stage of the semester? Also, when should people start outlining?

I don't see why you can't (in some instances) outline from the beginning.  Take the professor's syllabus, build all your notes on the reading/class notes into that file, then review it after each class and try to clean it up and make it more coherent.  It won't be in final form until toward the end of the semester, but at least a lot of the legwork will be done in advance so when you're doing your final revisions, you won't have to do stuff you could have done as you went along.

My thoughts, anyway.

[jsb221]

I started outlining about 2-3 weeks in. Before that, I didn't think I had a big picture. But then again, my outlines don't really look like what some people consider the standard outline, so I say do what it best for you. That is what is most important.

[UnbiasedObserver]

I see both sides.  For some people, outlining on day one would be a waste of time.  For others, it works well. 

The most important thing about an outline (at least for me) isn't the final product, but the process.  It's good, active learning, if you use it properly. 

I started outlining fairly early into the semester (2-3 weeks), and it worked for me, FWIW. 

[Ninja1]

Don't worry too much about outlining right out the gate. Your notes will, in no uncertain terms, suck for the first month. I'd say worry about it after that, when you have an idea of what you're doing.

[lyre]

Personally, I would not start outlining the first day of class.  It just won't make sense, and you'd probably have to go back and re-do it anyway at the end of the semester when you got more of a clue what was going on.

During my first semester, I did all my outlines over Thanksgiving Break.  We got a week off, and I just knocked out one outline a day (not on Thanksgiving, obviously).  Then, we had another week of class, so I updated all the outlines that weekend.  This worked fine for me because all the material was relatively fresh in my head when it came time to really study for finals because I had just outlined it a couple weeks prior.

But, some of my classmates starting outlining from Day 1, and more did about a month in.  It just depends on what works for you.  Another way some people do it is outlining every time you finish a chapter in a class.

[summerisnear]

I started outlining about 2-3 weeks in. Before that, I didn't think I had a big picture. But then again, my outlines don't really look like what some people consider the standard outline, so I say do what it best for you. That is what is most important.

i agree with this 100%.  my outlines look NOTHING like a typical outline, mostly because outlines i see from other people have way too much crap on them that will never show up on an exam.  i hate reading/studying useless material.

[M_Cool]

I didn't even outline til classes ended the first semester and last semester started maybe 3 weeks before classes ended?  Outlining is a learning process and I would just forget it all if I did it at the start.

[just dot]

I started outlining about 2-3 weeks in. Before that, I didn't think I had a big picture. But then again, my outlines don't really look like what some people consider the standard outline, so I say do what it best for you. That is what is most important.

i agree with this 100%.  my outlines look NOTHING like a typical outline, mostly because outlines i see from other people have way too much crap on them that will never show up on an exam.  i hate reading/studying useless material.

I 2nd both of these comments.

[MidgetFoot]

Thanks everyone, I will probably begin outlining within 2-4 after the semester started. I won't have a lot of time to play "catch-up" on my outlines because I have 2 children and will work part-time to help my husband (who is in grad school) with the expenses. I just wanted clarification because the LSC idea of outlining on day 1 seemed foolish due to one probably lacking knowledge of the big picture as well as what the professor will emphasize.