Law School Academic Support Blog

Rewards as Motivators

Law students may find that providing themselves rewards for task completion during final assignments and exam studying will keep them motivated.  Students should match the reward to the accomplishment: large rewards for large tasks completed; medium rewards for medium tasks completed; and small rewards for small tasks completed.   

Students can determine their own definitions of large, medium and small tasks depending on difficulty of course material, type of assignment, and length of the paper.  In addition, students will differ as to the content of the motivators depending on their own tastes and lifestyles.

Here are some ideas to help students generate their own rewards lists:

SMALL REWARDS:

• Ice cream for dessert
• Chai latte on the way to school
• Popcorn snack mid-afternoon
• Chat in the student lounge for 10 minutes
• Sit outside and work on one's tan for 10 minutes
• Check e-mail for 10 minutes
• Walk around campus for 10 minutes

MEDIUM REWARDS:

• Watching a 1/2 hour sitcom.
• Phoning a friend for 30 minutes.
• Lunch with a friend in the student lounge
• Video games for 30 minutes
• Free cell for 30 minutes
• Playing Frisbee with the family dog
• Reading a story to a child

LARGE REWARDS:

• Lunch or dinner at a restaurant
• Going to the cinema
• Reading the Sunday paper cover to cover
• Reading a novel for several hours
• Taking a drive in the countryside
• Buying a new cookbook
• Taking one's children to the park

The rewards are only limited by the law student's imagination and finances.  By having something to look forward to, it is easier to persevere and finish a task.  (Amy Jarmon) 

    

Stress Busters

Exams start here in 21 days, so the stress level is increasing by the minute.  Many of my students are handling their stress well, but some have become so stressed that they are not able to get a perspective on how to help themselves.

Students sometimes think their stress comes only from studying itself, but stress can also come from friends, family, and personal responsibilities.  By dealing with both the law and non-law stress, students can cope more effectively.

The following list of stress busters should help students who are looking for quick and easy solutions for decreasing their stress:

• Tackle your most onerous task for the day as early as possible in your schedule.  That way, it won't "hang over" you all day long and add to your stress.
• Tackle your hardest study tasks when you are most alert.  Your brain will absorb material more easily for greater understanding and retention.  Consequently, you will feel better about your study session and lower your stress. 
• Decide whether you study better for exams by focusing on one subject or several subjects per day.  Some students need the variety to stay focused.  By working with your own style, you will be less stressed than trying to study the way your friends study.   
• Read through your outlines cover to cover each week in addition to any specific topics you are studying.  By keeping all of the material fresh, you will feel less anxious about forgetting things.    
• Take short breaks (5-10 minutes) every 90 minutes and longer breaks every 4 hours (45 minutes).  Your brain will keep filing information while you relax.  You will stay more focused by allowing some down time to de-stress.
• Explain to your family and non-law friends why you need to focus on preparing for exams.  Schedule some fun activities for after exams so they know you will make it up to them after this last push.  If you do not feel guilty about family and friends, you will be less stressed. 
• Exercise for 30 minutes at least 2-3 times per week.  You may not have time for your usual long workout at the gym.  However, taking time to go for a walk or jog will help defuse stress.
• Eat three balanced meals a day.  Resorting to junk food deprives your brain of much needed fuel and contributes to stress.  Cook large quantities over the weekend or in a crock pot so that you have meals for the week.
• Avoid caffeine overloads, including energy drinks.  High doses of caffeine can have serious health side effects: increased blood pressure, panic attacks, increased anxiety, insomnia, and more.  Drink ice water instead.   
• Avoid sugar highs and crashes from too many candy bars and sodas.  Too much sugar will add to irritability which will cause you to feel stressed.   
• Get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night.  Shirking on sleep means your brain cells do not work as well, your productivity goes down, and your ability to cope with stress decreases. 
• Stock up on all of your exam essentials now: pens, pencils, ink cartridges, healthy snacks, healthy beverages, foods with long shelf life.  Fewer errands to run as exams approach will lower your stress. 
• Complete a "whirling dervish" clean of your apartment now.  Then just pick up and spot clean for the remaining weeks.  Finding time for major chores every week can be very stressful. 
• Switch to low-maintenance clothing so that you have less ironing to do and fewer dry cleaning trips to fit in to your schedule.  Again, one less chore to worry about will lower your stress.   

By adding even one or two stress busters, students can increase their coping skills as the semester winds down and the stress winds up.  (Amy Jarmon)

Warning: Toxic Environment

As the exam period is getting closer, more students are telling me that they are having difficulty studying at the law school.  Stress seems to be in the very air that students breathe.  Some students are irritable and taking it out on others.  Some students are predicting gloom and doom.  Rumors about professors' past exams or grading curves are on the increase.

Law students need to escape negative vibes in order to keep their focus and lower their own stress levels.  For some students, their apartments are not good options because of distractions such as television, the bed, or video games. 

Here are some places that law students can consider for studying if they need to escape the law school but cannot go home: 

• Other academic classroom buildings on campus.
• The main university library on campus.
• Meeting rooms in the university Student Union. 
• The business conference room or other areas in their apartment complex clubhouse.
• Sunday School classrooms at their church (with permission of the church staff).
• Coffee houses, fast-food restaurants, or 24-hour restaurants (with purchase every few hours and a big tip for the wait staff).
• The branch locations for the public library.

Some students will find that changing locations every few days will help them stay motivated and focused.  Others will thrive on a routine and prefer to go to the same location regularly.  (Amy Jarmon)

Getting Control of Exam Studying

This week is four weeks before exams for my students.  A number of them have spoken to me about their feelings of being overwhelmed.  Our calendar changed this year, and 2L and 3L students were bit surprised to realize that exams start earlier than usual. 

I have been working with many students on strategies to get control of exam studying rather than letting it control them.  A Chinese proverb seems appropriate: You can eat an elephant one bite at a time.  Depending on a student's difficulty with a course, we may be talking about a baby elephant, an adult elephant, or a legendary elephant of massive proportion.

Four types of review are needed each week for each course throughout the remainder of the semester: intense review of subtopics, cover to cover outline review, memory drills, and practice questions. 

• "Intense review" is accomplished through the subtopic lists described in the steps below and prepares students to know the material as if the exam were tomorrow.
• "Cover to cover outline review" is reading through the entire outline at least once each week for each course.  This type of review keeps everything fresh in memory and will take relatively little additional time each week.  
• "Memory drills" are for those rules and elements that still need to be learned more precisely.  The additional time needed will depend on the course and the student's adeptness at memorization. 
• "Practice questions" should be done a day or two after the intense review to see if one really understood the material and can apply it.  Most students need 1-2 hours per course each week for this task.   

Here are the steps that I suggest they use to gain control through the "intense review" process:

Make a list of every topic with all of the subtopics to be studied for the final exam..  Each coure should have its own sheet of paper for this step.  The subtopics are the critical pieces in this scheme.  Number all of the subtopics down the list.  If the student has a syllabus for the whole semester, then the entire list will be numbered.  If a professor gives out the syllabus in pieces, then more topics/subtopics may need to be added later and the numbering continued.

For each subtopic that has already been covered in class, write down an estimate of the amount of time needed to know the material for the exam.  Some subtopics that are already understood may only take 15 more minutes.  Others may need 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour or more.  If the estimate is a range (1 - 1 1/2 hours), then always choose the higher time.  It is better to have more time than too little time estimated.  Estimates will be added for new subtopics as they are covered in class.

Total the amount of time needed for each course for all of the subtopics so far.  This total gives a student a realistic idea of the intense review time needed for the course up to this point in time.  Courses will vary in the amount of time because of the amount of material covered and the difficulty of that material for a student.  The total will increase as estimates are added for new subtopics covered in class. 

Decide regular hours that can be used for each course for exam study time.  Students who use structured weekly time management schedules will find this step very easy because their routinized study schedule already shows blocks of time that are open.  For students who have not been structured, this is a good time to become more structured so that each week's schedule becomes more routine and predictable.  For this step, a student might decide that she can spend 3-5 every Monday and 2-4 every Saturday on intense Property review, every Tuesday 8 - 10 and every Sunday 3-5 on intense Crim Law review, and every Saturday 9-12 and 7-9 on Con Law intense review.

Use monthly calendars to scheulde subtopics for the regular exam study times for each course.   Now pencil in the subtopic numbers for each course that will be completed during those regular times.  Every Monday 3-5 will have Property subtopic numbers as will every Saturday 2-4 (3/28 P1-4, 3/30 P5-7 etc.).  Frontload the subtopics for the material already covered because new material subtopics will be studied as they are covered.

As a subtopic is completed, visually indicate on the list that the intense review is finished.  Some students like to use highlighters; some students like to draw a line through the subtopic.  The idea is for the student to see her progress as she conquers the list. 

The goal is to have all subtopics except the last 1 or 2 weeks of new material ready for the exam by the last day of classes.  Students will be less stressed about exams, feel more confident about the material, and have less to learn during the exam period this way.  (Amy Jarmon)

Condensing Monster Outlines

A number of law students spent their Spring Breaks catching up on outlining for each course and beginning to review specific topics for exams.  Some students will have lengthy outlines that include a great deal of detail (probably over 60 pages with 6 weeks to go still).  

Students who are prone to making lengthy "monster" outlines are often insecure about what they can safely leave out of the outlines.  Part of this dilemma may be a misunderstanding as to the purpose of the outlines.  Some students believe that course outlines need everything included because they will depend on them to study for the bar or to remember the law once in practice.

The purpose of a course outline is to manage information and to pass the final exam.  When it comes time to study for the bar exam, the bar review course will provide an enormous box of books with "everything you need to know for the bar exam."  Few students actually use any course outlines to study for the bar because 1) no professor can cover every topic that may be on the bar; 2) a law school course may have been too specific or not specific enough about state law, common law, or a uniform code; and 3) the law may have changed by the time one graduates.  Recent graduates tend to keep their bar review course outlines hidden in a desk drawer at work (rather than their personal outlines) for those anxious first months as a new lawyer.  After that time period, neither resource is used because they have "graduated" to other library resources that are state-specific or more updated as well as a personal foundation in their practice areas. 

Another reason students may have lengthy outlines with too much detail is that they are sequential-sensing learners who learn first through the parts, facts and details.  Only after they are comfortable with these stages can they begin to seek the bigger picture of a course.  However, they need to get to that overview with an understanding of the inter-relationships among the parts in order to succeed on their exams.  If they stay bogged down in details, they may miss issues, write about phantom issues, and run out of time on exams.  

It is more efficient to condense class notes and briefs before they are put into an outline.  That way the outline contains the essentials in a topic and sub-topic format rather than bogging down in details of cases.  Also, it takes less time to construct the outline if it is pre-condensed, so to speak.  However, this type of condensation is often easier for 2L and 3L sequential-sensing learners because they have more experience of what is unnecessary for exams.

Assuming that one is not able to let go of the details for the first outline stage, let's consider how to condense it afterwards.  Whether you will have an open-book exam where your outline is allowed or a closed-book exam where you have done extensive memorization, there is no time in an exam to leaf through a monster outline to find something - whether the leafing is done mentally or in real time.  Thus, one wants to have as few outline pages to consider as possible.

Someone once described the process of condensing outlines to me as a family tree.  The long first version is MASTER OUTLINE.  It should then be condensed to Son of Outline (approximately half the original size), then Grandson of Outline (half the size of the second version), Great-Grandson of Outline (5 - 10 pages at the most), and Great-Great-Grandson (the front and back of a sheet of paper).   

If memorized for a closed book exam, the one-pager is written on scrap paper as soon as the proctor says "begin."  It acts as a checklist for all exam answers.  (For the open book exam, it goes on top of the outline.)  The Great-Grandson of Outline is the next mental outline stage to think through for a missing rule or step of analysis.  One works back mentally through the versions if one needs more depth of information.  (In the open-book exam, the outlines are arranged from shortest to longest in a binder.)

I have never had a student tell me that she had time to go back further or needed more detail than Son of Outline during the exam.  And, many students admit that everything they needed was in the Great-Grandson of Outline.  Thus, staying tied to the monster outline is inefficient in the end.

Although a student may still start with the monster outline, it should be condensed in stages as indicated as one learns each section.  The most successful students will study the outline throughout the semester (or the remainder of the semester for those who have just started) and condense old material as they add new topics.  Thus, the outline will shrink and expand simultaneously until the final versions are produced.

If your students are skeptical that these methods will work, have them go back after their exams and highlight anything that they actually used in the monster outline on the exam.  They should then evaluate how much information they slaved over including that was ultimately unnecessary.  This exercise should help them learn what is essential for an outline and what is unnecessary.  (Amy Jarmon)

        

When concentration is an issue...there is not a magic solution

About this time of year, I hear a lot of students complain that they can not get through the reading each night. They drift off, they are distracted, they can't follow the arguments. This is not an unusual phenomena; law school reading is difficult, requires intense mental effort, and sometimes, it's just boring. Not every case is going to be personally interesting to all students; literature majors don't expect every book they are assigned to be spellbinding, and law students should not expect every case to be compelling. One of the toughest messages for students to hear is that lack of concentration has no magic solution.  There is no fairy dusk I can sprinkle on their case books to make the cases more exciting, nor do I have a potion that will help them concentrate when they are studying late at night.  I do, however, have a set of behavioral changes that I suggest to increase concentration and retention of the material:
1) Reading: Start with your least favorite subject when you are most alert.  If you find Civ Pro (or Torts, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Property, etc etc etc) to be the dullest subject, read it first; otherwise, you will put it off and it will be even more dreadful when you are reading it while you are only 1/2 awake. 
2) Schedule breaks into your reading. Even if you get into a "flow" state, you need to take a break to get the blood pumping and to give your brain a rest. Break does not mean two hours of video games; a break is a trip to the bathroom, a snack, or one game of spider solitaire. 
3) Find your optimal studying environment. Everyone has a different optimal study environment; for some people it is a quiet coral in the library silent study area, but for others, it is in their bedroom at home with classical music playing. 
4) Your parents were right: save the fun and games until after the homework is done, or you will never get to it.  That doesn't mean don't take a break after a day of classes; a break is good for you if you have been thinking all day. Go running, take a short nap.  But if you start watching hours of television, playing video games, or finding other methods of procrastination in the name of "break time" you are going to find it very hard to switch gears and read. 
5) If you absolutely can not read a word on the page, take a break and come back to it after you have napped, eaten, or done whatever you need to do in order to focus. 

None of my suggestions are groundbreaking; all the student have heard them before at different points in their life.  But they are suggestions that are easy to hear and hard to implement; they require the discipline and commitment that many students are lacking now that grades have come out and they are burnt out of the law school experience.  It is only in very rare cases that the lack of concentration signals a bigger problem, like a learning disability or ADHD.  As a mentioned in my post last week, students need to forgive themselves and give themselves extra time.  They are exhausted, and that is to be expected at this time of the year.  But there is a line between exhaustion and lack of effort that is easy to cross and hard to come back from.  But concentration doesn't come in a magic potion.
(RCF) 

Two resources for non-read/write predominant learners

As students are gearing up for finals, I have received a number of requests, and corresponding reviews, of help for students who are not predominantly read/write learners.  Here are a couple of my suggestions for these students that have received positive reviews from their peers:

For aural learners: The Gilbert's Legends Series and the Sum and Substance Audio Series.  One of the neat suggestions a students gave me was to "talk back" to the CD's, and turn the listening experience into an argument, or discussion.  When something on the CD is confusing or leads to an ephiphany, stop the CD and talk  to yourself about it. Ask questions of the material, like a dialogue with the CD.  Students often have the answer to their own questions, but need something to spark their understanding.  A caveat for law students reading this post--these CD's are NOT a replacement for class, but a chance to review and condense the material.

For visual learners: Inspiration software. For students who like to create diagrams, mind maps, and charts, Inspiration turns traditional outlines into these visual learning tools, and can change visual tools into a traditional outline. The Inspiration software has a free 30-day trial. Attached is my intentional tort chart, created with Inspiration software; you may need to load the Inspiration software on your computer to see the chart Download intentional_torts.isf

(RCF)

The Last Week of Classes

It is the last week of classes here at Texas Tech School of Law.  3L students are counting down in minutes now. 2L students are anticipating summer jobs while still worrying about exams.  And, 1L students are surprised at how fast the semester went.

The 3L students have commented on how difficult it is to concentrate on this last set of exams.  Some have frankly told me that all they want is C grades.  3L students often state their stressors in terms beyond law school: chasing their outstanding job possibilities, planning for their move to a new job, finding housing in their new city, or worrying about the bar exam.

For these students, I often suggest that they become list makers.  By making task lists, they can see the progress that they have made on finalizing their plans as each task is crossed off the list.  For those stressed by decisions about which job to accept, which city to move to in hopes of a job, or which house is the best to buy, I talk about making tallies of the pros and cons for each option.  For those worried about their studying for the bar, I recommend Pass the Bar! by Denise Riebe and Michael Hunter Schwartz.  Once they have a plan of attack for these future concerns, I bring their attention back to planning for exam studying.

Despite their summer plans, the 2L students are very much still focused on this set of exams and doing well.  For many, they are struggling with "burn out" because they have worked part-time, participated in student organizations, been officers in some organizations, done pro bono work or other community activities, and taken some very hard required courses. 

I suggest that these students talk to their employers about shortening their hours or not working at all over the two weeks of exams.  Most employers understand that grades have to be a priority.  I also suggest that these students schedule adequate breaks into their studying so that they can avoid being too tired to concentrate.  Fortunately, most student organizations finished their end-of-the-year events last week.

The 1L students are often uncertain as to how they need to schedule their study time for this week and the two weeks of exams.  I have been working on study schedules with many of them.  In addition to group workshops where students build a schedule as we consider strategies, I work with students one-on-one as needed. 

I encourage them to think about each day as having 3 potential study segments: morning, afternoon, and evening.  I suggest alternative strategies for them to consider depending on their individual abilities to focus: one course per day; two courses per day; three courses per day.  I also suggest that they choose an option for studying this last week of classes: alternate days for courses in the order of the exams; begin with the course in which they feel least prepared and then add in the other courses.  Finally, we discuss the exam period itself and determine the days that need to be focused on one course and the days that need to be focused on two courses.  We also talk about breaks after each exam before they return to studying for the next exam.

The relief on students' faces once they have a plan of attack for their own stressors tells me that planning pays off in a big way.  Modifications may occur, but having an initial plan goes a long way to turning anxiety into action.  (Amy Jarmon)

      

The Elephant in the Room

It is three weeks away from the end of classes at my law school.  Most students are feeling the pressure right now.  Many students are telling me that they are having the blahs, the blues, bouts of depression, or burdens of inferiority. 

In short, it is time for me to help them regain perspective and become motivated for the final haul.  (Obviously, the ones who need counseling are referred to our Student Wellness Center for additional assistance.)

Here are some ideas that I discuss with each student to help increase motivation and get perspective back. 

• Remember the Chinese proverb that "You can eat an elephant one bite at a time."  It is easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of material to learn in each course.  Focusing on an entire course means you are looking at the elephant.  Focusing on pieces of the course means taking the individual bites.  A student gains control by listing the subtopics in a course, estimating the time needed to know each subtopic well, and laying out a study schedule for which subtopics will be done each day.  As each subtopic is crossed off the list, the elephant is gobbled down.
• Think of exam study as covering two time periods.  The first period includes the weeks remaining in classes when one keeps up with the usual tasks (reading, briefing, outlining each week) and carves out time to study for exams.  The second period includes the actual reading and exam periods.  By front-loading as much exam study as possible into each class week, you feel as though progress is being made toward the ultimate exams.  Then, by planning the reading and exam period for the remaining tasks, you can focus on the final crunch.
• Have a three-track study system each week for both time periods.  Read each course outline through cover to cover to keep all the material fresh.  Focus on specific subtopics to learn them in depth for the exam.  Finally, do practice questions on subtopics that have already been studied.
• Remember that you are the same unique, talented, bright, and special person that you were when you came to law school.  If you have lost sight of this fact, it is time to ask a relative, friend, spouse, or other mentor to agree to become your "encourager" for the remaining weeks in the semester.  Either telephone that person when you need a boost or have the person telephone you every day with words of encouragement.
• Use inspirational quotes, scriptures, or other sayings to motivate yourself.  Whether you keep them in a binder that you read each morning and evening or post them around your apartment, these sources can inspire and encourage you to keep working hard.
• Visualize yourself making progress on your review for exams and taking the exam with confidence.  An athlete visualizes success regularly before the actual swim meet or the actual pole vault at a new height.
• Do your best rather than trying to be perfect or an expert in a course.  Law school is about learning to analyze areas of  law that are new every semester.  You cannot become an expert in every course in law school.  You can only ask yourself to do your best each semester.
• Focus on the positive each day rather than the negative.  By giving yourself credit for what you have accomplished rather than bemoaning what you should have done, you are more likely to move forward in your studying rather than stalling.
• Set up a reward system to motivate yourself for tasks.  Set small rewards for small tasks (10-minute phone call, walk to the vending machine for a snack, playing 4 games of solitaire).  Set medium rewards for medium tasks (half hour break; playing frisbee with the dog; reading a bedtime story to your child).  Set large rewards for large tasks (dinner with friends; a movie; a long bubble bath).

In addition to discussions of study strategies, I find that I often give "pep talks" during this time of year.  I praise students for what they are doing right in their study efforts.  I encourage students who need to change some strategies to become more efficient and effective.  And, I focus on managing the elephant's parts rather than being overwhelmed by the very large elephant in the room.  (Amy Jarmon) 

Excellent Piece on Willpower (Related to Studying for Exams)

Important reminder for our students as they get ready to prepare for exams; willpower requires practice and energy.  We know multi-tasking, regardless of age, does not work.  Now scientists are learning that we are better tackling only one task at a time that requires willpower.  This is especially important for 1L's, not all of whom have "practiced" willpower enough throughout the year to concentrate on more than one task that requires discipline.  Unfortunately, many 1L's are focused on looking for summer employment at the same time they need to be focused on studying for exams.  A targeted campaign for a summer job after 1L year requires willpower; writing endless cover letters targeted to specific employers, double-checking spelling and grammar, as well as researching the employers.  If they can put off the job search (not possible for all 1L's) until exams are finished, they will do much better at each task, and practice their willpower skills in the process. 

From the New York Times, Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Op-Ed Contributors: SANDRA AAMODT  and SAM WANG, 
Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/opinion/02aamodt.html?ex=1364875200&en=f5df03cfd6225f41&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

"On the other hand, if you need to study for a big exam, it might be smart to let the housecleaning slide to conserve your willpower for the more important job. Similarly, it can be counterproductive to work toward multiple goals at the same time if your willpower cannot cover all the efforts that are required. Concentrating your effort on one or at most a few goals at a time increases the odds of success.
Focusing on success is important because willpower can grow in the long term. Like a muscle, willpower seems to become stronger with use."

(Rebecca Flanagan--I apologize--I keep forgetting to add my name!)