Do What Works For You

Written by Sara Jane Koste (’22)

Beginning in orientation and throughout my first semester, I was advised to “do what works for me” many times. At first, I didn’t quite understand what older students meant by this. I was brand new to law school – I had no idea what worked for me! Now, with one semester under my belt, I understand that there really is no one way to “do” law school, and I’m grateful my professors and mentors encouraged me to forge my own path.

Study Spot

Before law school started, I had a picture in my head of the ideal law student. She would sit in the law library, alone with her books, in absolute silence for hours at a time. I tried this the first week of class, but it turns out, this had nothing to do with how I actually work. While this strategy does work for some people, it ended up not working for me. When it comes to study habits, “Do what works for you” means understanding yourself and how you work the best, because everyone is different. One friend of mine woke up before dawn and read cases in her home office until it was time to go to class. Lots of people found that they could focus best in their library carrel, while others studied in groups. Midway through my first semester, I discovered that all I needed was to read in a different place each day. Eventually I turned it into a rotation: Saturdays I read in a loud coffee shop, Monday nights in my living room, Tuesdays in the library, and so on. When it comes to studying, if one setting doesn’t work, keep experimenting. Even if it’s unconventional, don’t question it, just do what works for you!

Case Briefs

At the beginning of the semester, case briefing felt like an alien form of note taking to me. At orientation, we were shown a lot of different kinds of case briefs. I wanted to ask, yes, but what do the BEST students do? Turns out, as usual, there’s no right answer. Though most case briefs include a brief summary of the case facts, the rule, analysis, and holding, from there each may vary widely depending on the class and the professor. Some create a detailed chart, some write simple paragraphs, and some rely exclusively on book briefing. Tinker with your briefs over the first few weeks. Ask yourself, which brief is most useful to me when I get cold called? Are seven highlighters too many? (Yes.) Like so many other things, case briefs are a tool to help you understand the material, and you need briefs that work for your learning process.

Class Notes

Especially because I started law school 6 years after leaving undergrad, I felt very rusty at taking notes in class. Again, I thought that I had to do everything a certain way in order to succeed. I started my first semester taking entirely handwritten notes. Not only did I take notes in my notebook during class, but I also briefed my cases in my notebook. This turned out to be impractical and unnecessarily time-consuming. After trying a few different methods, I found that I did still enjoy taking handwritten notes, but instead of in a notebook, I took notes on my printed reading notes. Other people relied heavily on their computers for note taking, which worked as well. One friend of mine used her tablet to make a combination of drawings and typed notes. Though a lot of people say that handwritten notes are the “best” way to learn, the truth is, it doesn’t matter how you copy down notes from class if you aren’t also engaged and paying attention to what the professor is saying.

Figuring out what works for you

Ultimately, doing what works for you is a process of trial and error. Even though the stakes feel high to start your first semester off perfectly, it’s important to recognize when something isn’t giving you the results you’re looking for. If you are paying attention to yourself, you can make small adjustments, focus, get the work done and learn the material. So, when you hear “do what works for you,” remember that learning what works for you is a process. Keep an open mind, and you will end up just fine.