Semester Survival Tips For Law School

Can you believe it? We're approaching the end of summer and school begins in just a few weeks for many students around the U.S. As any past or present legal student can attest to, semesters at law school present a very unique set of challenges. If you are just starting law school for the first time (or if you are trying to recover from a prior semester that was perhaps not as successful as you would have hoped), the team at the Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C. are here to help you out!

How To Set Your Semester Up For Success

Unlike most courses at undergraduate universities, courses at law schools often build up to one final exam at the end of the semester. That means that your grade for the entire semester rides on a single exam - one single day! With so much riding on that one exam, it's critical that you begin preparing for the final exam on the very first day of class.

Study Tips

Of course, studying is the most important thing you can do to prepare for your final exam. The big test may be months away from now, but don't fool yourself into believing that you can wait to begin preparing! The sooner you get started, the more you will be able to internalize the material and the better you will be able to perform on the test. Here are some study tips to help you succeed:
  • Take Notes. The material covered in the classroom is vast and intense, but not as vast as your textbook! There is too much information in your textbook to possibly be covered in a single semester. By taking notes during class, you will be able to recognize which pieces of information are most important to the professor (and, thus, more likely to be on the exam).
  • Rewrite Your Notes. If you're like most students, the notes you take in the classroom will be jumbled mess. After each class period (while the lecture is still fresh in your mind), go back and rewrite your notes in a cleaner, more organized manner. Organizing the material will be make it easier to study later on, and going over the material again now will help cement the information in your mind.
  • Make Flashcards. Reading and rereading notes is helpful, but simply reading over information does not come close to the effectiveness of challenging yourself to reproduce the information on your own. You can make physical flashcards on index cards, or you can use online tools like Quizlet.com.
  • Start Today. You will likely take in so much information over the course of your semester that if you wait until the last minute to study for the exam, you might feel like your brain is going to explode! Starting to reread your notes and test yourself with flashcards early on, however, will let you approach the material in more manageable amounts. Not only will you perform better on the test this way - you will also stand a better chance of retaining the material after the semester ends.

Lifestyle Tips

Studying is critical, but the way you manage your time and your lifestyle during the semester will also have a big impact on your test-day performance. Here are a few suggestions to help you adopt a lifestyle that will contribute to your success.

  • Get Plenty Of Sleep. When we sleep, our brains compartmentalize all of the information it has taken in that day. This compartmentalization process is a critical part of retaining all that information. If you don't get enough sleep, your brain may struggle to remember everything you have learned.
  • Manage Your Time Effectively. There's a reason "time management" is such a hot topic among students and working professionals. Effectively balancing your time between work, play, studies, and chores is a crucial secret to success - and, unfortunately, much easier said than done. There are lots of different time management strategies you can use, and no one is better than another. You simply have to figure out which one works best for you and stick with it!
  • Surround Yourself With Good Students. Study after study has shown that we tend to adopt the personality traits, habits, and characteristics of the people we spend the most time around. By surrounding yourself with like-minded, good students, you will be able to use this influence to your advantage! Study groups are a great way to meet other students who are equally committed to doing well on the exams.

Good Luck!

We hope that you find these study tips helpful! If you should find yourself in need of legal representation at the Lake of the Ozarks any time in the future, we hope you'll keep PMCW Law in mind. Our team of experienced attorneys in central Missouri would be happy to assist you in any way we can!
Law Offices of Phillips, McElyea, Carpenter, & Welch, P.C.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising. When you need a knowledgeable attorney, we invite you to contact us to set up a consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available. We have access to interpreters.

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Location: Camdenton, MO 65020, USA

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