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0L Prep

StellaBlueStellaBlue Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 185 karma

Hey gang,

I hope everyone is doing well! I have what I hope is a quick question...what's the deal with those law preview courses? I've been getting tons of brochures and emails, but I'm skeptical that they're worth the time/money. I don't want to show up being the only kid who hasn't done her proverbial homework, but I also don't want to get scammed.

What do people think? Are there certain books I should read before school starts?

I was so focused on getting in that I spent very little time sitting with the reality of attending, if that makes sense.

Any and all advice appreciated!

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Comments

  • LSAT_WreckerLSAT_Wrecker Member ⭐
    4850 karma

    Some good comments from a 7Sager in this thread.

    https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/15820/iama-uci-law-student-amaa

  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    Take advantage of the free resources and maybe ask for student references (which could also become a way to network, hopefully) when you're considering the courses (maybe pick 3-4 of the best ones).

  • Paul CaintPaul Caint Alum Member ⭐
    3521 karma

    I've toured a bunch of law schools and the most consistent advice I've gotten on "how to prep for 1L year" is: "Don't."

    Honestly just relax. Refresh your brain. Go travel - it may be the last chance you get to for a while. The past 22ish years of your life are what prepared you for 1L - a couple months of reading/studying isn't gonna make much of a difference and might just burn you out earlier.

    (personally I think those 0L courses are wastes of money)

  • Seeking PerfectionSeeking Perfection Alum Member
    edited April 2018 4428 karma

    I'm hoping to self study. The courses seem too short to actually contain much of value.

    The general consensus from law students seems to be that reading Getting to Maybe or some other book about how law school exams work can be good, but you shouldn't learn any substantive law.

    I am basically going to study for 1 or 2 classes by reading the Examples and Explanations and outlining and then taking practice exams. This isn't so that I can learn the substantive law though I will learn some, but so that I can better learn the skill of law school exam taking and learn to implement the advice in books like Getting to Maybe before Law School. I recognize that I am going to need to relearn these subjects during 1L based on what my profs focus on, but hopefully will be able to get a good enough grasp of them to start getting a feel for taking practice exams.

    I'm doing this because I'm having a hard time grasping exactly how to implement Getting to Maybe and similar book's advice in the abstract.

  • westcoastbestcoastwestcoastbestcoast Alum Member
    3788 karma

    There are good arguments on both side. @"Paul Caint" makes some good points. On the other hand, having some background knowledge on black letter law can help you start practicing the issue spotting exams earlier than your peers. Admittedly, the professor may emphasize some element of a claim or defense over another. At that point, you can adjust your knowledge. Just like the LSATs, law school exams are its own beast and it definitely helps getting as much practice on them as possible. I do believe this is a personal decision. If you feel you will burn out, definitely take the vacation. If you have been out of school for a while, it may help to warm up your brain and do some reading. Once law school starts, there will be very little time to breathe and you get very little time to mentally prepare for 1L outside of the couple days orientation. Law school will be the most intense and rigorous experience of your life. Doing well in your first year can set you up for a nice biglaw or clerkship bid in the second year. And if this go well in that summer internship of 2L, you will have secured a job and you would need to be focused on passing thr bar in 3L

  • twssmithtwssmith Alum ⭐
    5120 karma

    @westcoastbestcoast made really great points that parallel the conversations that I have had with fellow 7Sagers that are at the end of this year's application cycle.

    Because of my limited geographical situation, applying to the T-14 is not available to me. I have 3 different tiered schools as my options which has led me to really understand the difference between the hierarchy of schools whether they are theoretically based or just teaching to the state bar. Exciting that my friends on my BR groups are getting acceptances to T-14 which has led our conversations to the question you pose, is it a valuable investment for 0L prep?

    If accepted to T-14, I agree again with @westcoastbestcoast - especially if you do not have any background on law, I would at least gain exposure to black letter law and issue spotting.

    My recommendation is to reach out to as many people that you can that are currently attending the school that you will be attending and ask them about their background in UGrad law classes, what 0L prep they did and how they would advise you on whether it was beneficial. Every one is different in how they learn - I agree with @"Paul Caint" that this is a time for a break to refresh. For me, the carrot I use to keep at the Lsat is to finally start 0L prep and read Happy Torts.

    Your decision about 0L is all about the school you will be attending, your personality/background/financial situation and how preparing for the lsat impacted your life whether grueling or inspiring to evaluate if continued studies to prep would be in your personal best interest.
    Hope this helps :)

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