Academic Success

NO, if you truly learn best on your own and you have found some other way to check your knowledge to be sure you are on the right track. Many of you report that you did well previously studying on your own, but because you get little feedback in law school until the final exam, it is easy to believe you are on the right track in your analysis when you are not. If not in a study group, find some other check on your mastery of the material before finals.

YES, if you learn best by listening to others or by talking out the material or by trying to teach the material.

If you do decide to join a study group, carefully select the members by their agreement to the purpose and method of the group. If it is to be social and academic, choose those who want that. If it is to be business only, choose those. If you want personal support as well as a chance to learn, choose others like yourself.

Then set some rules - e.g., meet once a week and review notes in each course for 45 minutes per course. Meet once a month and work through CALI problems for property and Examples and Explanations problems for contracts.

If you know you want social time, build it in but set a time limit, then go to the study agenda.

Do not divide up responsibility for outlining. The value in outlining is in the process of doing the outline, not in the reading of someone else's product.

Do alternate leading the discussion. it is when you try to explain the material to your peers that you learn it or learn the gaps in your knowledge. Rotating this taks assures that everyone has a change to "teach."

Do use your time to review, fill in gaps in your notes, but most importantly test your knowledge by doing practice questions. This will help you master the law, master analysis and prepare you for the exam. Tips: use CALI exercises, problems assigned by your professor, problems in Examples and Explanations, Siegel's study aids, Lexis' Q and A series, or, best of all, old exams your professors gave or problems your professors post for you.

For more tips, see Succeeding in Law School, ch. X.