By Aaron Feld, University of Illinois College of Law
Aaron Feld went from working as a summer associate with a Chicago-based law firm to working full-time in the firm’s Corporate Law area after graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign. Here’s why he credits BARBRI 1L Mastery with helping him be successful throughout law school.
Right from the start, BARBRI was captivating
I was introduced to BARBRI Bar Review when I attended a video demonstration by the BARBRI student representative at the University of Illinois. It was a captivating presentation that led me to study using BARBRI 1L Mastery as a first-year law student.
BARBRI 1L Mastery is an in-depth suite of 1L success resources that includes detailed course outlines and on-demand video lectures paired with ample multiple-choice and essay practice questions.
Online lectures, outlines, and practice exams did the trick
I mainly used 1L Mastery materials for three classes: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law and Torts, although it covers all required 1L courses. The materials provided a good foundation for each course, especially to bring me clarity in Constitutional Law.
I listened to the online lectures prior to studying and creating outlines to learn key principles. The 1L Mastery lecturers were fantastic. And if I didn’t understand a specific topic, I would find a related lecture and listen to it again and again until I grasped it. I could speed up the videos to save time and hone-in on just what I needed. This served particularly useful in learning the rules of Civil Procedure.
When it came time to study Torts, BARBRI’s practice exams did the trick. The practice questions were well laid out and exams covered both issue-spotting and multiple-choice analysis. Even the low-hanging fruit, those topics that can often be overlooked during studies, was accounted for.
What I learned my first year in law school was that there was no set strategy for how things should be done as a 1L. You must first establish what you don’t know, and then figure out how to best learn. BARBRI allows you to be creative in your studies and the scope. You can speed up the video lectures, just read the coursebook from cover to cover or work through tons of practice exam questions. All the 1L success resources are there for you to use in a way that’s right for you.
BARBRI 1L study aids had a multi-year impact
Going into the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), I was confident that the free BARBRI MPRE Review prepared me for success on the exam. Everything was online and very convenient. The chapter summaries were compact and the practice exams were helpful in applying the information on the actual exam.
Best of all, I was able to implement my own study strategy based on what had worked during my time with the BARBRI 1L Mastery materials. Without that foundation as a 1L that helped me adjust to a new learning style and establish effective study habits, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to continue on strong.