Most entering law students seem to believe that one of the toughest chores awaiting them in law school is the production of "outlines." Not very many of these students know what "outlines" are, or what their purposes are. They soon learn that their self-produced course summaries (a much more descriptive and accurate name than "outlines") provide the backbone of their study efforts.

Herb Ramy, a colleague at Suffolk University Law School, has suggested that creating your course summary "...is a journey, not a destination. Outlining is a process that should begin fairly early in the semester and one that should continue until the end of the year." He's absolutely right.

The time to begin summarizing each course is the day you finish covering your first substantive chunk of material. Usually that's more than a few days into the semester for 1Ls. But waiting until Thanksgiving break is a serious mistake. That's because preparation of a course summary in each course is so important for your continuing progress in that course. Do not make the mistake of putting off this Component of Assessment Targeted Study. Check this site's blog and the links we've provided for you for more on this essential aspect of learning law.