Adviser
Ensuring your success
in law school
BY AMY L. JARMON
TUDENTS CAN AVOID
academic problems in la,v
school by implementing some
practical strategies. A new
perspective on academics is
needed because of the differences between law school and prior education.
Realize that law school prepares you for your profession and
not just an isolated set of exams.
UI1dergraduate courses that fulfilled
general education requirements may
have been unrelated to a student's future goals. In addition, students may
have chosen majors as a means to an
end rather than for any practical use in
future employment or graduate study:
Consequently, students may have seen ,
no long-term benefit to learning the
material deeply. They may have been
tempted to rely on cramming and
short-tennlworking memory; "brain
dumping" provided them withinformationatthe exam point, but information
was lost for any future reference.
In law school, most courses are directly applicable to later success on
the bar exam and in practice. Information that becomes part of long-term
memory rather than just short-tennl
working memory is available for such
future use. Consequently, students
should study for retention and not
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just immediate performance on a set
of exams.
Go beyond rote memorization
to understand the law and then apply it to new situations. Professors
in prior educational settings may have
lectured and given students everything
that needed to be memorized and
spouted back on exams for hlghgrades.
That type of rote memorization task
unfortunately did not prepare students
for the exam tasks ahead of them in
law schooL Knowing the "black letter" law is an essential foundation for
any law exam, but will not be enough.
The students who excel on law school
exams understand the law, are able to
"spot the issues," and can apply the law
to new fact scenarios with
in-depth analysis. Completmultiple practice questions throughout the semester hones skills in these
important exam tasks.
Take responsibility for
your own learning. Students excel in law school
when they accept personal
responsibility for learning
the material and being the
best law students they can
be. They avoid excuses
such as "the professor isn't
a good teacher" or "the tutor
didn't tell us that tip" or "I
don't really like the course. ~
Expert learners exhibit
behaviors that emphasize their commitment to learning. They ask questions of themselves when reading.
They stay focused in class and think
critically about note-taking. They
outline every week to condense material. They discuss topics with other students. They self-monitor their
learning with practice questions. In
short, they work consistently hard
on aspects of each course.
Plan study time carefully each
week. Law students should study 50
to 55 hours per week outside of class
to achieve higher grades. It is more
November 201 0 I STUDENT LAWYER I 11
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productive to repeat a routine schedule every week with specific time
blocks for each task in each course:
case briefs, outlines, project time,
exam review, and practice questions.
By adding a few time blocks for ":flexible use, " tasks can be shifted if an
emergency disrupts the schedule.
Students should realize that even
relatively short periods of time can
be productive. An hour slot can be
used for reading several short cases,
outlining a sub-topic, completing
a practice problem, or editing a paper section. A 3D-minute slot can be
used to review class notes, complete
memory drills, or discuss several
cases with a classmate.
Study for exams throughout
the semester rather than cramming near the end. The amount of
material covered in each course cannot be learned successfully during
the last few weeks of the semester.
By spreading studying over the entire semester, a law student is able
to monitor her llilderstanding of each
topic, complete practice questions
after each topic, and comfortably
memorize material in smaller increments. Reviewing material shortly
after it is covered in class is far more
efficient than having to re-Iearn it
weeks later in the semester.
Begin projects a.nd papers
when they are assigned rather
than waiting. It is easy to procrastinate when the deadline is weeks
away. However, paper and project
tasks often take much longer than
expected. Students who are savvy
studiers will begin assignments
as soon as they have the instructions for the first tasks. Good task
management will ultimately be less
stressful and result in a higher quality work product.
A time management schedule with
consistent hours each week will ensure that assignment tasks are not
overlooked. Depending on the complexity of the assignment and the individual's research and writing abilities, six to eight hours every week
may be a good estimate. Setting artificial deadlines for two days prior to
12 I STUDENT LAWYER I November2010
any actual deadlines will allow time
for llilexpected problems that arise.
Avoid distractions and multitasking. Many law students waste
enormous amounts of time each
week. They socialize in the student
lounge between classes rather than
study. They spend hours on e-mail,
Facebook, Twitter, phone calls,
text messages, or other electronic
distractions.
Law study requires undivided
concentration and depth of focus.
Today's students often do not realize that multitasking is a myth when
it comes to legal education. They
However, law school comes with new
and often overwhelming demands. Students need to give themselves permission to seek appropriate help. Whether
it is academic counseling, personal
counseling, or medical attention that
is needed, students should not "tough
it out" because ofpride. All law schools
now have multiple resources to assist
law students. Law schools cormected
with universities tend to have additional resources on main campus that are
covered by law student fees.
Be realistic about outside commitments. Law students have previously been members and leaders in
1M and play computer solitaire in
class and watch television, chat with
friends, or surf the net while studying. As a result, important class information is missed-and every study
task takes longer than it could have.
Find balance in your life, but
make law school a priority. Students who are dissatisfied with their
grades often confide that they did
not make law school a priority. It is
not healthy to become totally consumed with law school studying, but
you must make it more than just one
more pursuit among many. There
are 168 hours in a week. Even with
the above estimate of 50 to 55 hours
per week for studying, the math still
leaves ample time for sleep, exercise,
meals, family time, and relaxation. A
routine time management schedule
can allow for all study tasks plus
guilt-free downtime.
Use the resources that are available to you for improving your
academic performance. Most law
students have succeeded easily on
their own without turning to professors, deans, or others for assistance
during prior educational experiences.
numerous campus organizations.'
They may also have worked full time
or part time during their undergraduate studies. Some have been involved
in service to their local communities.
During all these activities, they maintained excellent grades.
Thus, they assume that they
can be equally involved during law
school. However, law school comes
with more difficult workloads,
greater competition with equally
accomplished classmates; and onegrade assessment. Law students
would be wise to start small in their
obligations until they receive their
first-semester grades. You can always add organizations and leadership positions later, but you cannot
ameliorate bad grades due to overinvolvement too soon. ~\
Amy l. Jarmon (amy.jarmon@ttu.edu),
assistant dean for academic success programs at Texas Tech University School of
Law, is a professor and coeditor of the
Law School Academic Support Blog. She
has practiced law in the United States and
the United Kingdom.
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