DICTAadvice
How to Get the Most
out of Law School
Editor-in-Chief Nicole
Wong and Managing
Editor Jack Moulder
advise on how to make
the most of law student
opportunities.
Academics
Study smarter, not harder. Read your syllabus carefully and tailor
your study method according to your mode of assessment. Whether your
subject is exam or coursework-based should heavily influence where you
focus your time and energy.
Choose a textbook that best suits you. The recommended textbooks
are not always ‘the best’ – different people learn better from different
formats. Don’t be lazy; invest the time and browse through the various
options, especially in the beginning of the year when you still have the
time. They are usually all available in the Wills Library.
Check your university email on a regular basis. If an announcement
is made on Blackboard, you will automatically be sent an email containing
the same information. This is particularly important because these
announcements generally include changes in timetable, cancellations or
additional information regarding upcoming seminars or lectures - all of
which you’d want to know as soon as possible. Alternatively, you could
get the free Blackboard app on your phone, which can be set to notify you
when a change is made to any of your courses.
Don’t skip a class. No, not even one. The moment you do it once, it’s a
slippery slope to skipping them regularly. Even if you didn’t have time to
prepare, you’re still better off showing up than not showing up at all. You’ll
get some useful notes from the class discussion (and anything important
your tutor might say about upcoming essays or exams) and you’re bound
to absorb at least a little bit of the information by osmosis. This also goes
for lectures. I know they’re recorded and put online but don’t rely on that
because you’ll neve ȁ