Buying books for 1L? Forum

[taxman14]

If I want to buy my books for 1L is it possible to do so during the summer ? I'd like to have them before the year starts but wasn't sure if it made more sense to wait for the year to start before doing that.

If so, which ones do I buy and where can I find that info ?

[UVA2B]

If I want to buy my books for 1L is it possible to do so during the summer ? I'd like to have them before the year starts but wasn't sure if it made more sense to wait for the year to start before doing that.

If so, which ones do I buy and where can I find that info ?

You won't be able to do this unless you know your professors and what casebooks, etc. they'll be using. Once your list of professors comes out and they publish their reading list, go nuts and buy all of them. But no two law profs are alike, and they mostly use different resources to teach the same topic.

[taxman14]

If I want to buy my books for 1L is it possible to do so during the summer ? I'd like to have them before the year starts but wasn't sure if it made more sense to wait for the year to start before doing that.

If so, which ones do I buy and where can I find that info ?

You won't be able to do this unless you know your professors and what casebooks, etc. they'll be using. Once your list of professors comes out and they publish their reading list, go nuts and buy all of them. But no two law profs are alike, and they mostly use different resources to teach the same topic.

Oh ok thank you then how do people study during the summer haha? Not that I'm interested in doing so...

[NoDayButToday]

Oh ok thank you then how do people study during the summer haha? Not that I'm interested in doing so...

There are numerous threads that cover this, but the gist is:
a) By reading 1L prep books that aren't really focused on substantive law, but more about how to be a successful law student generally (how to brief a case and understand the structure of a case; how to outline; how to write a law school exam). 1L of a Ride, Law School Confidential, Getting to Maybe, etc.
b) By reading substantive overviews or supplements of 1L course matter, e.g., Law 101 or an Examples & Explanations (EE) supplement, Acing supplement, Nutshell, etc..
c) Through a course like LawPreview that does both of these things--1L success and substantive overview (I did it; I'm glad I did it; most people think it's a waste of money/time; reasonable minds can disagree on this)

Most people would caution you against doing much substantive preparation. I think that's generally right. Profs have different ways of teaching material and it's not the material itself you have to master, but rather your prof's understanding/presentation of it.

Of the above, I would recommend 1L of a Ride (I found it to be both thorough and readable) and Law 101 (because has an engaging but condensed substantive overview of each of the 1L courses without going into too much depth in any area) OR if you can get a scholarship, do Law Preview. I don't think you need to do both. I did and it felt like overkill.

Re: buying books, I would wait even if you find out your profs and their book list over the summer. Even if you get their syllabi and know what they're going to assign, I'm not sure it's a good use of your time. Also I second UVA2B and add that sometimes profs will request different editions and sometimes that makes a difference/requires a little comparison.

[UVA2B]

Oh ok thank you then how do people study during the summer haha? Not that I'm interested in doing so...

There are numerous threads that cover this, but the gist is:
a) By reading 1L prep books that aren't really focused on substantive law, but more about how to be a successful law student generally (how to brief a case and understand the structure of a case; how to outline; how to write a law school exam). 1L of a Ride, Law School Confidential, Getting to Maybe, etc.
b) By reading substantive overviews or supplements of 1L course matter, e.g., Law 101 or an Examples & Explanations (EE) supplement, Acing supplement, Nutshell, etc..
c) Through a course like LawPreview that does both of these things--1L success and substantive overview (I did it; I'm glad I did it; most people think it's a waste of money/time; reasonable minds can disagree on this)

Most people would caution you against doing much substantive preparation. I think that's generally right. Profs have different ways of teaching material and it's not the material itself you have to master, but rather your prof's understanding/presentation of it.

Of the above, I would recommend 1L of a Ride (I found it to be both thorough and readable) and Law 101 (because has an engaging but condensed substantive overview of each of the 1L courses without going into too much depth in any area) OR if you can get a scholarship, do Law Preview. I don't think you need to do both. I did and it felt like overkill.

Re: buying books, I would wait even if you find out your profs and their book list over the summer. Even if you get their syllabi and know what they're going to assign, I'm not sure it's a good use of your time. Also I second UVA2B and add that sometimes profs will request different editions and sometimes that makes a difference/requires a little comparison.

This is obviously a YMMV situation, but I tried reading GtM before getting to law school and I didn't find it particularly helpful. The big issue with 0L prep generally is that you have zero context for understanding any of the material, so any advice on processing/synthesizing the information is pretty much useless to a 0L. So while a book or class that explains how to brief a case or create an outline or take an exam would be helpful in theory, this also doesn't really get at what law school is really about: catering your learning style to the professor's teaching style. You may get to Torts and need to brief cases extensively, while taking Civpro and not needing to do it at all because the professor teaches the topic in a way that makes briefing cases a less useful exercise.

The time best spent during 0L summer is doing things that interest you, spending time with friends or family, and mentally preparing yourself for what you're about to embark on in the fall. There aren't really any head starts in law school. You've just gotta roll with it once it starts. It's pretty fascinating how quickly you learn to adapt to your professors and read/understand the material in a way that is conducive to their teaching of the material. That can't be done in advance though.

[cavalier1138]

Just want to reiterate that "studying" from casebooks over the summer is a horrible idea. I actually found "Getting to Maybe" helpful as a 0L, but a lot of people find they can't really absorb the message until they've been in classes for a bit. No matter how they teach it, all your professors will cover the substantive law, and there's nothing you're going to pick up reading the casebook in advance that will help you.