Chapter 7: Using Study Aids Effectively

[Erin Lain]

Comment 1:

My life got a lot easier when I discovered study aids. They can cut
the time in half and help you to understand what the heck is going on
in class. There are all types of study aids, there are case briefs
that give you the IRAC analysis of a case, there are outlines which
give you the rules that you are supposed to be pulling out of cases,
there are flashcards to help you memorize rules, and the list can go
on and on. My point is don’t feel like using study aids is cheating.
IT’S NOT. Law School is difficult, and I say that anything that helps
you through the process is a good thing (of course I don’t mean
anything illegal). I’m not going to go through each type of study aid,
because everyone learns differently and will find something different
helpful. However, I will mention that flashcards really helped me
memorize rules when it came to finals, and case briefs really helped
me not to have to read a case 5-10 times over just to understand what
the facts of a case were, much less anything else. I encourage you to
explore the many types of study aids we have in the Drake Law library
and bookstore.

Comment 2:

One thing a study aid will not tell you is what your professor covered
in class, or what your professor will test you on. That is why study
aids can never replace your own notes and outlines, they can only
supplement. You don’t want to waste time studying and memorizing the
rules for felony murder if your professor never mentioned it in class,
and will not test you on it! (Trust me, felony murder will be on your
criminal law final, it was just the first example that came to mind).

Similarly, study aids that provide you with a case brief will not give
you enough information to answer all the questions your professor will
ask you in class. The Prof will know when you can’t answer a simple
question like what the parties names are (which your study aid may or
may not give you).

Question:

Did it take you a painfully long time to read through the Katko case?
Did you have to read it 5 times over before you even grasped what was
happening? Read a commercial case brief first, before you read the
case, this will likely speed up your comprehension time. (I know I’m
going against what the book says, but I think if you are really
struggling it can be very helpful to read a study aid first and then
read the case.)