UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[20141023]

.

[Mal Reynolds]

UChi Current Students Taking Applelover's Questions

[applelover]

Did any of you do some sort of prep before law school (i.e. LEEWS)?

Don't waste your time on LEEWS. Buy Getting to Maybe and read that if you're bored enough to do any 0L prep.

Thanks. I have an hour subway commute every day, so i figure I should do something? Is that all you read?

[applelover]

UChi Current Students Taking Applelover's Questions

I like being prepared

[WheninLaw]

Did any of you do some sort of prep before law school (i.e. LEEWS)?

Don't waste your time on LEEWS. Buy Getting to Maybe and read that if you're bored enough to do any 0L prep.

Thanks. I have an hour subway commute every day, so i figure I should do something? Is that all you read?

GTM is the only credited response, and even then, eh. Do as little law related reading as possible.

[applelover]

Did any of you do some sort of prep before law school (i.e. LEEWS)?

Don't waste your time on LEEWS. Buy Getting to Maybe and read that if you're bored enough to do any 0L prep.

Thanks. I have an hour subway commute every day, so i figure I should do something? Is that all you read?

GTM is the only credited response, and even then, eh. Do as little law related reading as possible.

It was written in 1999. Have exams really stayed the same since then?

Edit: I just put this and 1L of a Ride in my amazon cart. Has anyone read Law School Confidential?

[WheninLaw]

It was written in 1999. Have exams really stayed the same since then?

Probably. Even if not, the underlying principles have stayed pretty static. I found it marginally helpful (because most of it was painfully obvious), so YMMV.

edit: Those books are mostly worthless. But terrified 0Ls cannot help themselves. As long as you're not buying an E&E, whatever.

[applelover]

Thanks everyone! I just purchased GTM. I wasn't planning on doing any prep, but I keep seeing people post about it, so I feel like I should do something.

[elterrible78]

Thanks everyone! I just purchased GTM. I wasn't planning on doing any prep, but I keep seeing people post about it, so I feel like I should do something.

I guess if you're going to do something, that's what it is. I highly recommend doing nothing, though. For real.

[2014]

Best thing you can do to prep is get all of your school shit bought at a leisurely pace like suits, biz cas, books (to the extent you can - I know this info isn't out yet), any housewares, etc. It's annoying and a distraction from either school or social things if you let that bleed over into fall.

GTM was kind of useless since your fall exams are a non-law law class and an 8 hour take home so neither follow standard exam taking procedures. It doesn't hurt though if you want to read something I agree.

[midwest17]

Speaking of books, when will that info be available?

[beepboopbeep]

Thanks everyone! I just purchased GTM. I wasn't planning on doing any prep, but I keep seeing people post about it, so I feel like I should do something.

Yo I want to intervene real quick. Get this "I saw other people doing it so I felt like I needed to" shit out of your system as fast as possible. I'd say 90% of the unnecessary stress people put on themselves 1L year is just because they heard/saw/assumed that their classmates were spending all their time in the library, so then they feel like they're not doing enough work/are unprepared/etc. It's crap and you see so much of it first year. Do what you need to do for yourself, don't worry about what other people are doing, and you'll be much more relaxed throughout the year. More relaxed = better grades. And just a better experience overall.

Along the lines of 2014's post, the one thing I wish I would've done before fall classes was to get my resume updated and maybe write some bullshit-but-serviceable cover letters. The last thing you want to do around finals is start applying to jobs, but that's when it all starts fall quarter. The less work you leave til then, the better.

FWIW I read literally the first three pages of the intro to GTM before starting 1L, and then said fuck it.

[elterrible78]

Thanks everyone! I just purchased GTM. I wasn't planning on doing any prep, but I keep seeing people post about it, so I feel like I should do something.

Yo I want to intervene real quick. Get this "I saw other people doing it so I felt like I needed to" shit out of your system as fast as possible. I'd say 90% of the unnecessary stress people put on themselves 1L year is just because they heard/saw/assumed that their classmates were spending all their time in the library, so then they feel like they're not doing enough work/are unprepared/etc. It's crap and you see so much of it first year. Do what you need to do for yourself, don't worry about what other people are doing, and you'll be much more relaxed throughout the year. More relaxed = better grades. And just a better experience overall.

Along the lines of 2014's post, the one thing I wish I would've done before fall classes was to get my resume updated and maybe write some bullshit-but-serviceable cover letters. The last thing you want to do around finals is start applying to jobs, but that's when it all starts fall quarter. The less work you leave til then, the better.

FWIW I read literally the first three pages of the intro to GTM before starting 1L, and then said fuck it.

This is all great advice.

[applelover]

...

[elterrible78]

Thanks everyone! I just purchased GTM. I wasn't planning on doing any prep, but I keep seeing people post about it, so I feel like I should do something.

Yo I want to intervene real quick. Get this "I saw other people doing it so I felt like I needed to" shit out of your system as fast as possible. I'd say 90% of the unnecessary stress people put on themselves 1L year is just because they heard/saw/assumed that their classmates were spending all their time in the library, so then they feel like they're not doing enough work/are unprepared/etc. It's crap and you see so much of it first year. Do what you need to do for yourself, don't worry about what other people are doing, and you'll be much more relaxed throughout the year. More relaxed = better grades. And just a better experience overall.

Along the lines of 2014's post, the one thing I wish I would've done before fall classes was to get my resume updated and maybe write some bullshit-but-serviceable cover letters. The last thing you want to do around finals is start applying to jobs, but that's when it all starts fall quarter. The less work you leave til then, the better.

FWIW I read literally the first three pages of the intro to GTM before starting 1L, and then said fuck it.

Some people thrive under stress. I am one those people.

So am I, but I have thrived this year because I didn't let other peoples' bullshit get to me. I would pay close attention to what Boop is saying, which I think is to not let *others people's* stress get to you, and not let your perspective get warped by what you see (or hear, or think you see, or think you hear) going on around you. You will not do yourself any favors by feeling like you need to "keep up" with what other people are doing. Stress can be a great motivator, but I have also seen it do an absolute fucking number on some people around here this year. Just try to keep perspective.

[Mal Reynolds]

Thriving under stress != running the 1L rat race.

[applelover]

...

[applelover]

Excuse all of my edits. My stupid iPhone keeps sending my posts while I'm typing them.

[Neal Patrick Harris]

The stuff you two are saying is sound advice, and I'm sure it will be beneficial to me in law school, but that's one of the main things I use to drive myself and I can't guarantee it will change before law school. I see what other people are doing and not doing and it's pushes and motivates me. It would require a whole novel about my primary and secondary educational background to explain why I do that, but thanks for the input. I appreciate how willing you all are to answer my questions and offer advice.

The posters giving you advice are 1Ls in spring quarter, but it is good advice. Be careful! Everyone studies at different times, so you don't automatically need to freak out when someone else says they are working. There's a lot of gamesmanship that goes on during 1L w/r/t working, grades, who's smart, who's not, etc etc. Don't let it get to you (this goes for the 1Ls as well). Almost universally, those who like to talk about how much they are working have poor(er) grades when compared to those who work but don't feel the need to pressure others.

As a side note, it's fun to watch 1L status updates on facebook get 1000 likes because they talk about NOT studying. Everyone is implicitly breathing a sigh of relief that someone else is just like them (not studying 24/7). The atmosphere around this place during 1L year is not a positive one... (the next two years, however, are awesome.)

[elterrible78]

The stuff you two are saying is sound advice, and I'm sure it will be beneficial to me in law school, but that's one of the main things I use to drive myself and I doubt it will change before law school. I see what other people are doing and not doing and it's pushes and motivates me. It would require a whole novel about my primary and secondary educational background to explain why I do that, but thanks for the input. I appreciate how willing you all are to answer my questions and offer advice.

I'm sure you will be just fine. The main point that at least I am trying to make is that my experience here has not been that more work = more reward. So when some people are killing themselves 18 or 20 hours a day or whatever, it doesn't mean that's what you *should* be doing to succeed. In many cases, if that's what are you are doing, you're just straight up doing it wrong. So just do your own thing, and don't put too much stock into being "pushed" and "motivated" but what others are doing.

I think it's very hard to understand what we're all getting at until you've seen/lived it. I know I heard all the same stuff before I came in, and imagined that it was mostly overblown, but it turns out that it wasn't. Also, as kind of a corollary: I don't know you, where you've been, or what you've done, but it sounds like you have a competitive streak. It's okay, so do I. So do most of the people at this school. Just buckle yourself in and get ready to be forced on a curve with people who are largely just as smart and driven as you are. It's a humbling (and traumatic) experience for a lot of first year students.

[WhiteyCakes]

God damnit this thread took a hard turn toward ASS BURGERS

[random number]

Any recommendations for short term car rental services (e.g. zip car)? I'll be living in Hyde Park w/o a car, but would like to make occasional high volume grocery runs to Costco/Sam's club.

[applelover]

Thanks Elterrible and Neal. I will keep all of that in mind this year.

[applelover]

God damnit this thread took a hard turn toward ASS BURGERS

[elterrible78]

Any recommendations for short term car rental services (e.g. zip car)? I'll be living in Hyde Park w/o a car, but would like to make occasional high volume grocery runs to Costco/Sam's club.

Either ZipCar or Enterprise (formerly iGo) work fine. I have an iGo membership and use it probably once a month or so to do just what you're describing, and the cars are all over the damn neighborhood.