Academic Success

THANKSGIVING BREAK STUDY PLANS

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:28:05 -0600

We are pretty lucky here at SIU Law to have an entire week off for Thanksgiving break. With such bounty, I know there are visions of working on outlines, doing practice problems, prepping for class and other study related activities dancing around in your heads. If so, you are thinking about the right things, but you also need to think about how you will execute your plans. I know you all want to work hard and get things done. Here, I offer a few suggestions to help you make plans and set goals so that you get your work done and have some time to enjoy your holiday.

Before you go into the Thanksgiving break period, consider the following:

1. LIST ALL THAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THANKSGIVING BREAK

Possible tasks include

i. Updating your outlines to include all the information covered before Thanksgiving break
ii. Working practice problems
iii. Determining what questions you still have for your professor about the exam (technical and substantive)
iv. Reviewing any supplemental material (podcasts, videos, handouts) recommended by your professor or study group leader to help prepare you for exams
v. Prepping for class
vi. Spending time with family

2. NOW THAT YOU HAVE LISTED ALL THAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH, THINK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH THESE THINGS

Outlining – I know, it feels voluminous and like it will never end, but take it one course at a time.

Think realistically about the amount of time it will take you to get your outline updated for a particular course and allot the appropriate amount of time to the task.

For instance, if you are several weeks behind on your Torts outline, but you just need to add one week of material to your Contracts outline, then spend more time on the Torts outline than the Contracts outline.

Also, if there are courses you are having trouble understanding, you should plan to spend time reworking your outline and working practice problems so that you broaden your understanding or at least determine what questions you need answered to broaden your understanding.

While outlining, if you feel like you are getting stuck or that you are not making a enough progress on a particular course outline, move on to outlining a course you are more on track with and save that outline for last. It may be that you need to consult your professor, study group members and/or a supplement to help you to marshal the material.

If you use a supplement, don’t try to read the entire supplement. Pick the chapters that discuss the topics you are experiencing difficulty with (e.g., if you need help with future interests, pick the part of the supplement that discusses that topic).

Working Practice Questions – After your write and review your outline, work practice questions. No study is complete without working practice questions. This will help to ensure that you know the rules and that you can complete an analysis by appropriately applying the rules to the given facts. Memorizing the rules is a necessary component of study, but it is only the first step to complete exam preparation. A student who only memorizes the rules and who does not practice analysis (applying rules to facts) is not fully prepared for the law school exam which puts a premium on a student’s ability to analyze.

So, memorize the rules, but do also spend significant time working practice questions. This will ensure that your outlining and thus understanding is on track. After you work a question, ask yourself whether your outline and/or study process in general has helped you to answer the question appropriately. If it has, great! If it has not, then figure out where the problems are and adjust your outline or studying appropriately.

Determining what questions you still have for your professor about his/her exam (technical and substantive) – Although you want to fully update your outlines, review and do practice questions, you may also still have questions about substantive or technical matters. Start pinning those questions down. Make a list and plan to get your questions answered via email or by visiting your professor when your return.

Reviewing any material (podcasts, videos, handouts, etc.) recommended by your professor or study group leader to help prepare you for exams – If you have not done so, make sure you review any supplemental material suggested by your professor or study group leader. There may helpful information there to assist you in outlining, reviewing, memorizing, exam writing, multiple choice answering, etc.

Prepping for class – Don’t forget that you have one more week of class after Thanksgiving break. When making your plans for the week, don’t’ forget to include the work you normally do to get ready for class (case reading and briefing). Don’t stop doing these important tasks now. What you do in preparation for class will go a long way in helping you to outline the material and ultimately doing well on your exams.

Spending time with family/friends – It’s last on the list, but it is still very important. After all, it’s Thanksgiving! I expect you will want to spend time with your family/friends and they will certainly want to spend time with you.

If you have kept to your schedule and have kept your promises to yourself about what you want to accomplish, then don’t feel guilty about taking Thanksgiving day off to spend with your loved ones. If you feel you need the time to accomplish your tasks, then rise early enough on Thanksgiving day so that you can get a few hours of studying in before the festivities begin. You’ll have to make the decision about what is appropriate for you, but making that decision is easier and less guilt ridden if you plan ahead and execute accordingly.

3. MAKE A THANKSGIVING WEEK STUDY SCHEDULE – Just like you made a schedule for attending class and studying at the beginning of the school year, make one for the Thanksgiving break. This will ensure that you maximize the time you have. But, be sure to make a realistic schedule.

4. CHOOSE THE RIGHT STUDY ENVIRONMENT – If you will be in a house filled with people (or even one person who doesn’t fully get that you’re not really on vacation), then find an alternative place to study. When I was a 1L, I studied at my great aunt and uncle’s house. They never bothered me except to offer me food and drink. It was the perfect study place. If you don’t have a great aunt or uncle, try a local library or other quiet place where you can get things done.

5. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF – A steady pace is what you want to accomplish here. Make sure you are still getting enough sleep and rest time. Use your Thanksgiving study schedule to make sure you pace yourself in accomplishing your tasks. Exams are approaching and you do not want to exhaust yourself to the point of not being able to get through the rest of the semester and the exam period. Yes, you are a law student, but you are still a human and humans function better when they get an appropriate amount of sleep and rest. I know that some of you can exist on a few hours of sleep, but the stress of preparing for exams can take its toll. So, try to sleep at least eight hours a night so that you are prepared each day to tackle the tasks before you.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Professor Johnson at tjohnson@siu.edu.

SOURCES: Alex Ruskell’s Blog: Alex Ruskell, http://law.rwu.edu/blog/thanksgiving-break, last visited November 16, 2011; Fall Finals Study Plan: Dennis Tonsing, Law School Academic Support Blog http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/academic_support/2011/11/fall-finals-study-plan.html, last visited November 16, 2011.

I’ve Taken My Midterms …Now What?

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:39:38 -0600

You have just received feedback on your midterms....now what? What can you take away from completing the process? First off, no matter how you scored on your midterms, just remember that you can improve from them. Compare your work on your midterms with your work on earlier assignments. You are much better now than you were before. So, it is clear that with practice, you WILL improve. Consider these steps when looking to improve your exam writing performance after the midterm experience:

Look over your midterms and analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Figure out where you did well, where you did not, and what specific areas you would like to target.

Review both your study process and your writing by asking yourselves the following questions?

PROCESS
1. Am I studying appropriately (focusing on the correct things, spending enough time, spending too much time, etc.)?
2. Am I outlining in a way that will help me to answer exam questions?
3. Am I approaching IRAC correctly?
4. Is my own study group that I formed really working?
5. Should I see my professor more?
6. Would a supplement help me?
7. Did the supplement I use lead me down the wrong path?
8. Have I consulted my study group leader or taken his/her advice?
9. Would a meeting with Professor Johnson help me to sort things out?
WRITING
1. Have I written clear and concise issue statements that clearly identify the topic I will discuss?
2. Are my rule statements for each those topics clear and easy to follow? Do I include all the relevant information to help the reader understand the rule and how it works?
3. In my analysis for each topic, do I use the rule parts together with the facts?
4. Overall, have I achieved a clear IRAC sequence for each issue that I discuss?
5. Overall, is my writing clear and not plagued by technical errors that distort what I am attempting to convey?
6. Do I detect that there will be any timing issues for me as I work through exam questions?

After you have identified what you need to do to improve, take your midterms to your professors with questions to ask them. If you still have questions after talking with your professors and implementing their suggestions, take your midterms to your study group leader for suggestions. You can also use your midterms to update your outlines. Keeping your outlines updated will only help you when studying for and taking your exams.

Make sure you are doing everything possible and using all your resources to help you learn from your midterms. Whether you did well or poorly, you CAN improve and become a better exam taker.

Judge Capshaw presentation

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:14:35 -0600

http://media.law.siu.edu/Professional_Development/ProDevJudgeCapshawSP09.wmv

bar admission info for 1Ls

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:55:28 -0600

IMPORTANT BAR EXAM INFORMATION FOR 1Ls

To become an attorney, you must: 1. pass a bar exam and
2. pass a character and fitness review.
Admission is governed by each state, not by the law school; each state has its own rules.

Some states require or recommend that you begin the character and fitness review as a 1L. In most instances, you may begin the process later, but will pay higher fees to do so.

We believe the following states require or recommend early registration, but you will want to check on your state or other jurisdiction:
IL MO AL CA FL IA ND OK OH TX VA

You save money by registering as a 1L and getting pre-approval –
• register in Illinois as a 1L, by March 1, pay $100 and save about $350.
If you do not register as a 1L, you cannot do so until late in 3L year at higher rate.
• register in Missouri as a 1L by April 1, pay $250 and save about $325.
If you do not register as a 1L, do so later at higher rate.
• many states pre-approve your character and fitness or start investigating if there are “red flags.”

The registration process is time-consuming and challenging.
• list every job - last 10 years, plus name and address of employer;
• every address - last 10 years;
• every arrest, whether or not expunged or convicted;
• references from undergraduate as well as personal references;
• you may have to contact the Secretary of State or other Driver License offices for your driving record; your Social Security record for past employment. You do want to obtain a credit report.
• do not send personal check; see instructions.
Illinois requires on-line registration - www.ibaby.org.
Missouri requires electronic fingerprinting - www.moble.org
See your state’s webpage for more information.
We highly recommend you complete these forms over the break.

Questions?
• www.ncbex.org and click on the bar admission office for your state or jurisdiction.
• www.law.siu.edu and click on Curriculum and Schedules and then click on Bar Exam Information for more information on the entire process as well as areas tested on the bar.
• Staff of Illinois Bar Examiners will be here in January to answer questions so you will want to have gathered most of your information by then so you can ask informed questions.

Final advice: retain a hard copy of the form - in case the state does not receive it; in case you choose another state; for your use as a 3L when you update the information.

Other money-savings tips:
• Most students take a commercial bar review course, after graduation, currently costing from $1600 to about $3000 plus tax.
• Typically, students can save about $200-300 or more by paying the deposit as a 1L. Both PMBR and BarBri raise rates every November. See their tables in the lounge areas.
• We do not promote any commercial review course nor receive any benefit from them, but we do recommend you consider a course and this savings. Because 99.9% of you will take a commercial course, you might as well save by making the deposit now. And when you pay the deposit, you receive materials. See the table reps or go online.
• Start saving now for costs during your third year - interviewing (clothes and travel) and bar registration fees and bar review courses. See over.

Financing the bar:

You will likely need $10,000 during and after your third year for bar-related expenses. Below is a break down of what those costs are and when they occur. Remember that the federal loan regulations do not consider most bar-related expenses to be educational expenses. Most students borrow privately for the bar; but the more you can save now from each year’s budget, the less you will have to borrow. Working while studying for the bar is extremely risky.

Calendar Amount Explanation
prior to Nov. 1 of 1L year $200 deposits to lock in rates of bar courses to be taken after graduation
Feb. 1 of 1L year $100 bar registration fee, paid to state bar authorities to register as 1L; reduces fees later
summer or fall after 2L $250 fee to take bar review course for ethics exam taken summer after 2L year or fall of 3L year
summer after 2L year or fall $60
fee to take the ethics exam
prior to Nov. 1 of 3L year ~$ 500 deposit for bar review course if not already paid
Feb. 1 of 3L year $450-700 registration fee to state to apply for bar exam; $450 if registered as 1L; $700 if not
April 1 of 3L year $3095 + tax costs of major bar review course, less any deposits paid to date
~$4004-4854 total over 3 years of law school
May 15-Aug. 15 individualized summer living expenses while studying for the bar:
housing, utilities, food, car payments, car insurance, gas
extend health insurance
interview expenses
travel to Chicago, Jeff City, etc., to take the exam
moving expenses after law school or after bar exam

multiple choice tips

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:01:22 -0600

http://media.law.siu.edu/success/20061110multiplechoice.mp3

Multiple Choice Workshop on October 18, 2007

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:17:56 -0600

http://media.law.siu.edu/schmitz/schmitz2pm18oct07rm202.wmv

slides re multiple choice workshop

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:23:59 -0600

While listening to the workshop, view these slides.

Download file

note-taking workshop

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:28:40 -0600

http://20060216notetaking.mp3

Workshop on note taking

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:12:30 -0600

http://media.law.siu.edu/schmitz/Schmitz10am14sept07rm202.wmv

Procrastinating? just can't get started?

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:00:56 -0600

If you just cannot get started or find every reason to put off outlining or finalizing that brief or preparing for exams, try listening to this 16-minute podcast on Avoiding Procrastination.

Download it right now to your I-pod or other equipment. Listen while you take a break.

Or visit this blog entry:

Help with Legal Research

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:01:30 -0600

Help with Legal Research is helpful to fill in the gaps in legal research. It provides a good background understanding for Legislative and Administrative Processes that you will take your second semester.

Tps for the stressed

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0600

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.

Are you tired?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0600

If your answer is yes, if law school is wearing you down, then you should consider some time saving tips. The following article from the American Bar Association, titled Time Is Of The Essence For Smart Studiers, by Amy Jarmon, may help you catch up on your sleep & better yet, save you some time for social activities.

Time Management

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Here are some time management tips, some of which will be very helpful during the last weeks of school and of preparation for finals.

These are taken from the Suffolk School of Law webpage.

To Study Group or Not to Study Group

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Should I be in a study group?