THANKSGIVING BREAK STUDY PLANS
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 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. 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 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 and total 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.

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 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. Be specific about what you will do. Do not just say "STUDY CONTRACTS." Instead, say "COMPLETE CONTRACTS OUTLINE AND WORK TWO PORBLEMS" OR COMPLETE THE ESTATES SECTION OF MY PROPERTY OUTLINE AND DO ALL OF THE CALI'S ON THAT TOPIC." 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 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 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.

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.

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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.

These are taken from the Suffolk School of Law webpage.

If you are unsure about the court system, read Succeeding in Law School, pp. 6-22 or check out www.abanet.org and click on Public Resources, About the Law, and read the piece on How Courts Work, including Steps in a Trial. You do not need to memorize this information; as you work through cases, this material will become familiar to you and you will learn what information you do need to memorize.