1	Professor Randall’s Top Ten Reasons Why Some Law Students Fail to Achieve their Personal Best… and Other Students Just . . . Fail
2	10. Allow class discussion to pull you off target. In class, your professor will ask many more questions than she or he will answer. Often your Professor will give no indication the correctness of another student’s response.
3	9 Engaged in overkill in briefing cases or in preparing outlines Briefing cases and preparing outlines is essential to effective studying in law school. . . . . BUT remember that they are not the end. . . only an interim tool.
4	8 Don't read cases critically Cases helps a student to model court’s reasoning. . . The best students emulate the court’s pattern of reasoning on exams, in memos and in briefs!
5	7 Using Outlines Prepared by Others Inappropriately! Using NO outlines is not only very inefficient but you can also miss a lot of the law . . . .BUT exclusive use short circuits the main benefit of outlining. . . synthesizing the information!
6	6 Don't attend class regularly!! Class attendance helps you to know what the professor is looking for on exams. . . . In addition, you can be failed or your grade lowered for missing more than 15% of the class!!
7	5 Spend too much time on class preparation! Recommendation: Class Time: 15 hour Out of Class Study Time: 40 - 60 hours per week Class Preparation (Reading/Briefing) 15 - 30 hours Exam Preparation (Memorizing/Outlining/Hypos, Study Aids, Study Groups) 25 - 30 hours Spend Approximately 2 -3 Hours per credit hour in study Torts = 6 - 9 Hrs Legislation = 6 - 9 Hrs Contracts = 4 -6 Hrs Property = 8 -12 Hrs Legal Pro = 6 - 9 Hrs
8	4 Not using PRE-IRAC-C (consistently, naturally and thoroughly) Doing well on exams mean “thinking like a lawyer” “sounding like a lawyer” “writing like a lawyer” Problem Rule Elements not-at-issue Issue Rule Analysis/Application Conclusion on Issue Conclusion on Problem
9	3 Believe that other students are better than you!!! Conventional Wisdom High UGPA Above Average LSAT Political Science or Appropriate Major No disabilities or other problems Ability to Devote Complete Attention Don’t need to be the smartest. . . just the most diligent, determined and willing to address issues and problems
10	2 Believe that your cultural, educational background and previous learning experiences won't affect how you learn. Consider law school like undertaking study in a foreign country. . You need to learn the culture, the language, the custom. . . and. . .
11	1 Believe that serious financial, family problems, or illness won't affect your learning . Stress can cause changes chemical and electrical activity in the brain. can result in memory lapses, anxiety and difficulty regulating attention and emotional outbursts in a classroom setting. A student to be are less able to “hear” what is being said to them or asked of them, A student to misunderstand or distort what they do receive. The resulting downshifted, or survival behaviors can result in additional anger, punishment, failure or alienation, a cycle of reactions that compounds the problem. The brain’s main job is prioritizing information relevant to our survival. Anything that suggests the possibility of danger, whether real or imagined, becomes a higher priority than anything else that is going on at that moment. This data is processed first, shifting our attention from cognitive processes down to the faster-acting limbic system, while more complex cerebral operations shut down. Survival always overrides problem-solving, analyzing, remembering, pattern-detection and other rational processes.