s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
December 5, 2021
Announcements
Winter 2022 – Holiday Highlights Form: The Student Bar Association and Student Diversity Council would like to share some personal highlights and traditions from our student body as we head into the Winter break and many are celebrating at this time of year.
Do you have something you’ve enjoyed or are looking forward to that you’d like to share?
Complete this form to send photos and/or notes as we put together something fun to share with students at the end of the Fall 2021 semester. You’ll get an email confirmation when you complete the form.
Student Tech Survey – Extended Access: The Chicago-Kent Tech team would like to thank the students who have responded to the Fall 2021 Tech Survey and wish you all the best with your exams this semester. To include as many students as possible, we’ve extended access to the survey through Tuesday, 12/7 – it should only take a few minutes to submit and is completely anonymous (though you need to use your kentlaw email to validate your student status).
- Survey link: helpdesk account, which includes our IT, audiovisual, and digital education support staff. The survey won’t allow individual responses.
Study Resources for 1Ls (and everyone!): Hello, 1Ls! Congratulations on completing your first Fall semester of law school! I know, I know. You’re thinking: but it isn’t over yet, there are exams! You are correct. However, you’ve endured an entire semester of taking multiple law school classes. Be proud of yourself! The fact that you are still here (and reading this) speaks volumes! You can do it!
As we head into the days before finals affectionately known as “read period,” SBA wanted to make you aware of the following resources that may help in your final exam preparation. Most of these resources are FREE to you as a law student.
1) West Academic Study Aids – As law students, we have FREE unlimited access to West’s database of academic supplements. This includes popular series books like “In a Nutshell,” “Quick and Happy Guides,” “Sum and Substance,” and MORE. Think of it as a bunch of free electronic supplements on every law school subject you can think of! You can access it through the Library’s Electronic Resources > Databases page through Kent’s website. Just login with your Kent IIT username and password! You don’t need to make an account, but you can easily make a FREE account with your Kent email. This allows you to create a list of favorites, bookmark and highlight books. They also have apps for both the books and the audio lectures, and once you create an account, you can download anything and access it directly from the app. Studying with free supplements has never been easier! Check it out HERE.
2) CALI (Computer Assisted Legal Instruction) – CALI not only sponsors those coveted “top score” awards you see listed in the Record after semester grades are issued, but also offers TONS of free interactive lessons FILLED with those hypotheticals our law professors love. Hypotheticals are a great way to practically apply the law you’ve been learning all semester to a set of facts, with feedback! They also offer podcasts on law school subjects, so you can study anywhere – the train, in an Uber, while working out, grocery shopping, walking your dog…just about anywhere you can listen to a podcast! CALI information is typically provided to students at the beginning of the semester, however, feel free to email refreq or stop at the service desk in the library for Kent’s school access code. The link to the database is HERE.
3) Chicago-Kent’s Exam Database – One of the greatest resources for knowing what to expect on a law school exam: looking at previous exams! Many (but not all) of Chicago-Kent’s courses and professors provide previously-issued exams (and often, answer keys) for students to use as a study tool. Professors may also provide their old exams on Blackboard, a personal website, TWEN, or through a Teaching Assistant. Taking an old exam under simulated, timed testing conditions is an excellent way to prepare yourself for the real thing day-of! Find the Chicago-Kent exam database HERE.
4) BARBRI 1L Mastery – BARBRI isn’t just for the bar exam…they also offer an excellent, FREE 1L Mastery program covering all required 1L courses: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Real Property, and Torts. The program includes incredibly detailed, comprehensive outlines for each of these courses, downloadable for free online. Your friendly neighborhood BARBRI representatives may even have extra printed copies of these outlines if you prefer paper – don’t be afraid to reach out and ask! Sign up for the FREE 1L Mastery resources HERE.
5) Quimbee – There’s a reason so many law students rely on Quimbee for their go-to supplement database. Quimbee is a one-of-a-kind educational resource providing a comprehensive database of law school study aids, including case briefs, case videos, outlines, flashcards, quizzes, video courses, practice essay exams, key terms, multiple choice questions, and more. There’s both a website and an app component, so you can study anywhere! Quimbee isn’t free (unfortunately), but the cost varies on subscription tiers and timing. (We recommend the Gold membership purchased annually to get the most bang for your buck!) Quimbee offers a 7-day free trial through their website. Alternatively, as a law student, if you sign up for a free ABA law student membership, you can get a FREE 30-day Gold membership to Quimbee – just in time for exam season! Access this great deal HERE.
SBA is cheering you on and hopes this list of resources serves you well in the upcoming weeks.
You’ve got this! SBA (and Magic Cat) believe in you!
Birthdays & Special Days – December:
December 1
Mairead DeWitt, 2L
December 2
Shiny S. Patel, 2L
December 4
Donna Elias, 3L
December 6
Greg Kelley, 3L
December 10
Alyssa Lanier, 2L
December 12
Madeline Moore, 2L
December 13
Alisha Panthier, 1L
December 13
Devin Ross, 2L
December 16
Eleni Galanopulos, 3L
December 17
Carmen Otubsin, 2L
December 18
Teona Pipia, 2L
December 19
Vanessa Makris, 2L
December 24
Julia Veeser, 2L
December 29
Haley Zobel, 2L
December 30
Hayley Loufek, 2L
*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, click here