Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Welcome Guest Blogger Kristi McCart

Law school is a process.  Many people struggle through the first year and that's normal.  That's what's expected--it's kind of the entire point of 1L year.  The best analogy I can think of is it's like you are learning to swim and your swim instructor throws you in the deep end and just tells you to swim.  You're expected to figure out how to do it yourself--with an occasional guiding hand provided by your professors and ASP.  2L Kristi McCart describes the moment when she figured out how she needed to approach law school to be successful:
 Law School Doesn't Click for Everyone.

A few fortunate students understand law school and how to take tests the first day of classes. A couple more students understand after their first or second round of exams. After a full-year of classes, some students still cannot grasp the concept of law school and how to succeed.  I found myself in this group.  While I got mediocre exam scores, I felt unprepared for most exams.

I did not get my "Ah-ha!" moment until two weeks into my second year of law school.  It was not until Professor Homer and the ASP Grad Fellows gave my Legal Methods class a learning test called VARK. VARK provides students with detailed learning approaches based on their specifc learning type.  For the longest time, I thought I learned best visually; if it was written on the board or put in front on me, I would retain it.  Based on VARK, I found I am a kinesthetic learner, meaning I learn best by doing: working through hypos and applying rule statements and issues to real-life problems.  This discovery of my learning type made a world of difference. 

This second year, I better allocated my time from memorizing outlines to doing practice exams for each professor.  Instead of waiting to do outlines one week before exams, I had outlines completed in advanced so I could focus on answering multiple hypos and re-writing practice exams.  Because these approaches were better suited for my learning style, I was able to study more effectively and efficiently.

Once a student knows how to study, they can start focusing on how to produce an "A" exam.   During the first year, the Legal Writing professors constantly tell students, "When conducting your analysis, always state the legally significant facts plus why."  Well, this sounds simple enough.  In reality, it is simple once you master the skill, but it is difficult to master the skill when the only time it is practiced is on exams.  Legal Methods provided a judgement-free, grade-free environment to perfect these skills.  I found it was a lot easier to make mistakes during the learning process when my entire semester grade was not at stake.

All in all, do not feel ashamed if your first year grades are not above-average.  There is still time to do a self-assessment and find which approaches lead to your most effective and efficient studying. Contact the staff ASP and take advantage of the resources available now.  You'll thank them in the end.  Good luck in your law school endeavors. 
 Thank you Kristi!  The improvements you've made and your ability to self-assess is amazing!

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