1Ls: ASP Tip of the Week
Note–Taking with an Eye Towards Outlining
1Ls,
With your first semester in full swing, it may seem like everything is flying at you and you’re expected to do everything all the time. We’re not telling you that you should start outlining at this point, but you should probably start thinking about it. One thing you can do now is start thinking about how you are going condense your notes into an outline. Here are a few tips that you can start doing with your notes that will make outlining a little easier to tackle.
- Topics and Subtopics
It may be an obvious point to make, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant. Your outlines will be organized by topics and subtopics. Sometimes topics are obvious (e.g., Intentional Torts) while others may not be. When it does come time to start outlining, the logical starting point is to lie out the topics and subtopics that you have already gone over. One thing you can do is label each day’s notes by what topic you are going over (this can easily be done by looking at the class syllabus). Another thing you could do is organize your case briefs by topic. It will make sorting it out a lot easier down the road.
- After–Class Review
We know that your time is stretched pretty thin, but reviewing your class notes, and the notes you take prior to class, can really help out when it comes outlining time. Since outlining is consolidating your notes, it can be good to highlight, bold, or make comments on what the professor emphasized. This will come in handy in remembering what the important things were, which are what you will want in your outline.
- Incorporating Cases
One of the trickier parts of outlining is incorporating the cases. You want to find that there is a point where you’ve put too much information in your outline, and probably a point where there isn’t enough. Something you can do at this point is to write a two or three sentence “case brief” for each case after class. Obviously, the information the professor emphasized is fresh on your mind, and you can use those in your outline when it comes time to put pen to paper.
Additionally, note cases that “track” each other and build upon theories and processes. Put these in their own sections and take time to fully understand their evolution.
John & Gale
