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October 06, 2008
Tps for the stressed
We are posting the attached from Dr. Jarmon at Texas Tech U School of Law. Her tips may be helpful to you. Where she suggests you see her, obviously, you should see me instead. Suzanne Schmitz, sschmitz@siu.edu; Rm. 230; 453-8712.
Tips for the Behind and Stressed
Dr. Amy Jarmon,
Assistant Dean, Academic Success Programs
You have just finished the third week in which classes have been held. Are you getting behind? Are you losing sleep? Are you feeling stressed? If so, the following tips may help you get back on track.
Catch up on your back reading in chunks. It makes more sense to find time to read 10 pages a night for four nights to catch up than to try to find time to read 40 pages at one time. Prioritize the back reading by importance to current class understanding. For example, background reading may be of lower priority than cases that are on your current class topic.
Tackle your most difficult (or least enjoyable) tasks first. By focusing first on your hardest tasks, you are more alert when your brain cells are doing a heavy workout. By doing the least enjoyable task first, you do not have it hanging over you all day.
Do not let your level of studying be affected by whether you will be called on in class. If you have assigned days for the “hot seat” in a class, do not stop reading the material and slack off once your day has passed. If you do, you will have to spend more time learning the course later. “A” and “B” grades are more often won by the tortoises that plod along consistently throughout the semester than by the hares that race through a cram at the end.
Distribute project or paper time over several weeks rather than using one long stretch at the very end. If you have been given two weeks for an assignment, break it down into smaller tasks that you work on during separate days throughout the two weeks. It is easier to get motivated to work on a specific small task than to get motivated to write an entire paper in a few days.
Outline for each class every week. Finding time to outline one week’s material is very easy. Finding time to outline six weeks’ material is very difficult. You will forget 80% of what you learned within two weeks if you do not review. So, why put off outlining until you have to relearn the material before you can outline it?
Learn more by processing material yourself. You will remember more and gain a deeper understanding if you make your own outline, flashcards, flowcharts, etc. The struggle of processing the material will increase your learning. If you use study aids (either commercial or from others), use them to check your own processing or to compare your own results rather than as substitutes for your own hard work.
Increase your hours of sleep to no less than seven per night, and preferably to at least eight per night. Research shows that getting minimal sleep will negatively affect your memory, your concentration when reading, your attention level in class, your stress level, your interpersonal relationships, and your outlook on life. Need I say more?
Get help now if you are confused in a course. Go to your professor on office hours or after class. Go to your tutor’s office hours for individual help. Ask classmates for help in understanding the material. Do not wait thinking the fog will lift eventually. It may become denser and engulf you completely.
Start now to study for exams. Memory only works for you if you distribute learning and review over the entire semester. If you wait until the last half or third of the semester to study for exams, you will need to relearn that segment of the course while you are trying to learn the rest of the course.
Use your learning preferences/styles to advantage. Learning preferences are critical to using your study time efficiently and effectively. There are a myriad of useful tips that can help you study with your learning preferences in mind. If you want an appointment with Dr. Jarmon to assess your learning preferences, e-mail her for a day/time.
Use weekend time wisely. By sleeping to noon or two o’clock, you lose valuable time that is needed on reading or outlining or other study tasks. Likewise, endless hours of television or video games only make you guilty about studying you have not done. Use the morning and afternoon hours productively.
Keep balance in your life. Exercise. Eat healthy and regular meals. Spend time with family and friends outside of the law school (on the phone if not here). Schedule down time to read a novel, see a movie etc. If you are saying there is not time, make an appointment with Dr. Jarmon ASAP – you need help with time management.
Remember your goal is to know the law when you get to the bar review at the end of law school. If you manage to cram at the end and do okay in a course, you are ultimately cheating yourself as a graduate. Students who learn the material at a deep level of understanding during law school will be more likely to remember material when they take the bar review course. Students who remember material only long enough for their law school exams will have to relearn more material prior to the bar exam.
Remember your goal is to be a competent attorney when you graduate and pass the bar exam. You are making your professional reputation right now. If you are known now as a person who cuts corners (using scripts, outlines from other people, or notes from other people; not doing the reading; leaving research and writing assignments to the last minute; cutting class more than the allowed absences; surfing on the web during class), your classmate attorneys will be unlikely to feel comfortable in referring clients in the future to you as an attorney. Bad study habits in law school often translate into bad work habits as an attorney.
Posted by sschmitz at October 6, 2008 08:00 AM