Canadian Lawyer 4Students

C A N A D I A N L a w y e r 4 s t u d e n t s F a l l 2 0 1 4 7 C A N A D I A N L a w y e r 4 s t u d e n t s F a l l 2 0 1 4 7 4 3 Having gone to the effort of reading all those cases, you need a system that allows you to make use of that stored data when it comes to exam time. Everyone's will be differ- ent, but "the key is to have ways to fi nd the information again," says MacKinnon, who used Excel spreadsheets to track cases, with keywords attached for easy sorting. Doug Sarro, Osgoode Hall Law School's 2013 Gold Medallist, says the facts and holdings of individual cases are less important than the legal tests they applied. "Instead of organiz- ing my notes case-by-case, I organized them topic-by-topic. I'd start each topic sum- mary by listing the general principles and tests that applied, and then go through the test element-by-element to talk about how the cases dealt with each element," he says. GET ORGANIZED FIND YOUR STUDY SPACE OPEN YOUR MIND PROFS ARE PEOPLE TOO Whether it's holed up alone in your bedroom or grouped around a library desk, everyone has an optimum study environment. Spend some time fi nding out what works for you. MacKinnon developed a system of coffee shop hopping, fi nding herself "reinvigorated" by a change of scenery every couple of hours. Sarro joined a study group closer to exam time. They "would work through two or three old exams and e-mail each other their answers. This helped me to see gaps in my summary and fi gure out what I needed to do to improve," he says. With a couple of hundred other students surrounding you, it's easy to feel detached from the person at the front of the class. MacKinnon says that barrier is easily broken down. "In my experience, they generally love what they do, and like all humans, they like to share the things that excite them. I think they appreciate it when students are engaged," she says. Bonus: they might just remember your name when you're looking for a summering or articling reference. Some classes get a bad rep, but "don't write off courses as 'too boring' or 'too hard' until you know more about them," advises Diana Ginn, a professor at Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law in Halifax. And she doesn't teach tax law, so you know it's sincere. "You will likely end up studying some areas of law that don't excite you, but you may also fi nd yourself becoming interested in areas you could not have predicted. And some of the things that don't excite you now may be very useful in your future career," adds Ginn, who has won teaching awards for her fi rst-year classes. 5 6

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