i really need some advice on studying law llb at university
im a student going into my second year of university, and to be honest i really struggled in first year and kind of fumbled my way through getting a good grade in first year without really having a plan on what i was doing.
since second year counts towards my final degree classification, i really would like a plan now, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed that i don’t know where to start.
it seemed like during A-levels, i really had my strategy for acing my exams down pat. i always had an attack plan, and i knew exactly what to do. now i just feel quite aimless and i still haven’t figured out how i want to approach my degree, or my plan to get top grades. i quite literally have NO IDEA what i am doing.
it would be really lovely if someone could help me out and tell me what they did/are doing in their law degree as a routine method or ‘attack plan’ to achieving high grades.
do you do essay plans? flashcards? how do you plan when you do your readings? outlines?
please, any advice or direction would be seriously appreciated
since second year counts towards my final degree classification, i really would like a plan now, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed that i don’t know where to start.
it seemed like during A-levels, i really had my strategy for acing my exams down pat. i always had an attack plan, and i knew exactly what to do. now i just feel quite aimless and i still haven’t figured out how i want to approach my degree, or my plan to get top grades. i quite literally have NO IDEA what i am doing.
it would be really lovely if someone could help me out and tell me what they did/are doing in their law degree as a routine method or ‘attack plan’ to achieving high grades.
do you do essay plans? flashcards? how do you plan when you do your readings? outlines?
please, any advice or direction would be seriously appreciated
Reply 1
Hey, you got a good grade, don't beat yourself up!
I don't think there's one single study method that's gonna work for everybody. You just gotta be organised somehow, and put in the hours in the library. One of my tutors gave me a great session on how to gut a reading list, and how to shred through a book or article, focusing on the key stuff, and he says to max out on the cases more than the text books. If the tutor puts an article by a big name academic on the list, or even uses a quote from that article in an essay title, that's a big clue on what to read first. If the tutor's put one of his/her own articles on the list, or one by some big cheese in the faculty, that's a must read. Think themes, trends, big debates, public policy, all that stuff.
I don't think there's one single study method that's gonna work for everybody. You just gotta be organised somehow, and put in the hours in the library. One of my tutors gave me a great session on how to gut a reading list, and how to shred through a book or article, focusing on the key stuff, and he says to max out on the cases more than the text books. If the tutor puts an article by a big name academic on the list, or even uses a quote from that article in an essay title, that's a big clue on what to read first. If the tutor's put one of his/her own articles on the list, or one by some big cheese in the faculty, that's a must read. Think themes, trends, big debates, public policy, all that stuff.
Reply 2
Original post
by 17orourkelim a student going into my second year of university, and to be honest i really struggled in first year and kind of fumbled my way through getting a good grade in first year without really having a plan on what i was doing.
since second year counts towards my final degree classification, i really would like a plan now, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed that i don’t know where to start.
it seemed like during A-levels, i really had my strategy for acing my exams down pat. i always had an attack plan, and i knew exactly what to do. now i just feel quite aimless and i still haven’t figured out how i want to approach my degree, or my plan to get top grades. i quite literally have NO IDEA what i am doing.
it would be really lovely if someone could help me out and tell me what they did/are doing in their law degree as a routine method or ‘attack plan’ to achieving high grades.
do you do essay plans? flashcards? how do you plan when you do your readings? outlines?
please, any advice or direction would be seriously appreciated
since second year counts towards my final degree classification, i really would like a plan now, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed that i don’t know where to start.
it seemed like during A-levels, i really had my strategy for acing my exams down pat. i always had an attack plan, and i knew exactly what to do. now i just feel quite aimless and i still haven’t figured out how i want to approach my degree, or my plan to get top grades. i quite literally have NO IDEA what i am doing.
it would be really lovely if someone could help me out and tell me what they did/are doing in their law degree as a routine method or ‘attack plan’ to achieving high grades.
do you do essay plans? flashcards? how do you plan when you do your readings? outlines?
please, any advice or direction would be seriously appreciated
Hello @17orourkel
If you got a good grade in first year then that means you are more than capable! You just need to have confidence in yourself!
I think the best way to revise for exams depends on what sort of exams they are.
I have some that are open book, timed and online. For these exams, I condense my notes and ensure that I fully understand every bit of them. I tend to prioritise past paper exams more than reading for these sort of exams as we have a strict word count. I will do as many past papers as I can find and compare them to previous years feedback. We also have some revision guide books which have practice questions included on our university's online library and I use these if I run out of past papers. It may be worth having a look to see if your university has something similar!
For closed book, timed and in-person exams I prioritise flashcards! I will also write the answer to my flashcards in the way that I would write the sentence in the exam. This helps me to write and think quicker in the actual exam, and even though it takes longer to make the flashcards, it pays off! I also do as many past paper questions as I can. If I think I struggled with one, I will read the mark scheme and then try and answer it again. This may seem pointless as you already know the answer but I find it really helps me to figure out how to structure an answer well.
If you are really struggling I strongly recommend going to your lecturers with questions or examples of work that you have attempted to see if you are on track!
I hope this helps!
Claire
Law LLB Student
Reply 3
Original post
by 17orourkelim a student going into my second year of university, and to be honest i really struggled in first year and kind of fumbled my way through getting a good grade in first year without really having a plan on what i was doing.
since second year counts towards my final degree classification, i really would like a plan now, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed that i don’t know where to start.
it seemed like during A-levels, i really had my strategy for acing my exams down pat. i always had an attack plan, and i knew exactly what to do. now i just feel quite aimless and i still haven’t figured out how i want to approach my degree, or my plan to get top grades. i quite literally have NO IDEA what i am doing.
it would be really lovely if someone could help me out and tell me what they did/are doing in their law degree as a routine method or ‘attack plan’ to achieving high grades.
do you do essay plans? flashcards? how do you plan when you do your readings? outlines?
please, any advice or direction would be seriously appreciated
since second year counts towards my final degree classification, i really would like a plan now, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed that i don’t know where to start.
it seemed like during A-levels, i really had my strategy for acing my exams down pat. i always had an attack plan, and i knew exactly what to do. now i just feel quite aimless and i still haven’t figured out how i want to approach my degree, or my plan to get top grades. i quite literally have NO IDEA what i am doing.
it would be really lovely if someone could help me out and tell me what they did/are doing in their law degree as a routine method or ‘attack plan’ to achieving high grades.
do you do essay plans? flashcards? how do you plan when you do your readings? outlines?
please, any advice or direction would be seriously appreciated
I was in the same position after my first year, and it took me a while to find a study system that actually worked.
I've listed a few things which have helped me significantly:
1.
Creating a study and revision timetable: setting realistic blocks of time for reading, note-taking, and review helped me stay consistent.
2.
Annotating readings: I download the PDF versions of textbooks or journal articles and highlight key points directly, adding short notes in the margins to keep everything in one place.
3.
Summarising cases: focusing on the facts, issue, decision, and reasoning keeps them concise and easy to memorise.
4.
Compiling notes: I try and keep everything together into one document for each module, which makes revision far less overwhelming later.
5.
Organisation: colour coding, folders, and a clear structure for files (both physical and digital) saves so much time when deadlines approach.
•
Break large tasks into smaller chunks, for example, doing one case summary or one topic per study session rather than trying to tackle everything at once.
•
Keep a notepad next to me while studying. Whenever I had a random thought or remembered something I needed to do later, I’d quickly jot it down instead of getting distracted. It really helped me stay focused in the moment and stopped me from going off track.
– Jess 😊
University of Law Student Ambassador
First Class Law Graduate & MSc Legal Technology Student
(edited 3 weeks ago)
Reply 4
You are truly not alone in this situation! The change from A-levels to university law is significant, and it is normal to feel a bit lost at the start. It helps to create essay plans before you begin an assignment so that your arguments are organized. You might also find it help at The Academic Papers UK rather than trying to read through long texts. It will feel less whole, which is less scary. You are already doing well to have gotten through the first year!
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