[Hey_Porter]

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Meh, I would buy them but I hardly ever used them. It was more of a comfort thing. Of course there is value to them, but I knew of way too many people who used the hornbooks/past outlines/etc. as crutches and didn't do the work on its own. The only time I used them was if I really didn't understand something or, in my second or third year, when I didn't go to class at all and had to learn it on my own. I'd still make the outline, but I'd use those things to help fill it in.


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This was my strategy as well. I would take the syllabus, make a basic outline structure, and fill in from horn books/other outlines. This all started two weeks or so before the end of the semester. As for whether you need to read, you need to realize that reading the case book isn't about learning the black letter, it's about FINDING the two-sentence black letter law in a 20-page case. Once you know that, there really isn't a reason to read all the cases (especially if your professor doesn't cold-call).

I hated group study sessions; I always felt that they were extremely inefficient. For going over practice exams, maybe, but not for studying and learning the material.

I have to reiterate, though, 1L is DEFINITELY not the time to cut corners. EVERYONE works their tail off first year, and you don't shouldn't gamble trying to figure out if you can succeed without going full force. You really just have to figure out what works for you.

That being said, I believe in spreading the wealth, so if anyone wants any outlines for pretty much any class (including upper level courses), let me know.