. Forum

[Hikikomorist]

I started briefing again this semester because during finals I kept being all "I sure wish I briefed instead of annotating!! This would make outlining so much faster!!" Only now I'm remembering why I stopped briefing last semester. You guys, briefing suxxxx.

I was pretty modest and just told myself I would spend like a hour a week reviewing and start outlining the classes with midterms earlier

but I guess nah

Ew.

[zhenders]

briefing is way gross. I can't handle it.

[RSN]

I do partial briefs - one bullet for background on the case, with quick summary of the facts and how the dispute got started, and very short procedural history, and then another bullet summarizing the court's reasoning and holding. I found first semester that writing out procedural posture, issue, etc in separate rows was a waste of time, but this was helpful for retention from reading (notes in the book do nothing for me) and as a reference when I started outlining. I think the focus on traditional briefing and just having something to fill each row is kind of a crutch to make it seem like you understood a case without actually digging into it (although I always go back and add my class notes to my reading notes so I have down how the professor explained it, which was often pretty different from what I had, at least in what was important).

[DJM]

book briefing is the way to go

[buckiguy_sucks]

not-briefing is the way to go (although admittedly i underline and write brief notes occasionally)

any use you get out of individual cases later in a course can be entirely derived from what a professor emphasizes in the class discussion

the value of briefing is not sounding as dumb when you get cold called which is not that high of a value imo

[Kinky John]

Who cares

[RSN]

My thing is that my recall is terrible. I remember reading things in the cases when other people tell me or someone else says it on a cold call, but unless I write it down and bring it with me, if I get cold called I remember nothing. I'm not concerned about looking dumb, I just hate sitting there with a blank look like shit, I wish I had notes on this.

[accessislife]

I send out thank yous after firm receptions too.. too much?

my confidence in the networking queen shaken

edit: word order my high school english teacher would be ashamed of

But like thank you emails not letters, right? The latter's a little too Joel.

I think it's too much after a firm reception, unless you're trying to actually connect with a specific person. But, if anyone can pull it off, it's you. I'm pretty sure you could network your way into owning the moon if you needed to.

For PI, how long do you think it usually takes from interview to offer/decline? Like 2 weeks? 4 weeks? FOREVER?

Thanks for that vote of confidence!

From interview to offer I would say no more than 2 weeks *fingers crossed for you*

[tuxedocat]

I think it's too much after a firm reception, unless you're trying to actually connect with a specific person. But, if anyone can pull it off, it's you. I'm pretty sure you could network your way into owning the moon if you needed to.

For PI, how long do you think it usually takes from interview to offer/decline? Like 2 weeks? 4 weeks? FOREVER?

Are you saying that you think it is legal for someone to own the moon? I hope this is something you're discussing in your interviews.

[03152016]

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[Leonardo DiCaprio]

handwrite notes while reading OR type them? OR wait until i finish reading to start jotting down notes? trying to make adjustments for dat top 10% this semester.

[03152016]

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[RSN]

handwrite notes while reading OR type them? OR wait until i finish reading to start jotting down notes? trying to make adjustments for dat top 10% this semester.

I started last semester handwriting all notes, taking them as I read (or after I read a short case), handwriting class notes in a separate notebook, and then typing everything up together at the end of the week. I realized pretty quick this is a massive time suck, so now I take typed notes as I read and print them out for reference in class, take handwritten notes in classes that don't allow laptops, but do laptop notes for the ones that do, and just type up the handwritten notes. My problem now is I'm taking too many notes, but I'd rather have too much detail than too little as long as I'm not wasting too much time.

[RSN]

My thing is that my recall is terrible. I remember reading things in the cases when other people tell me or someone else says it on a cold call, but unless I write it down and bring it with me, if I get cold called I remember nothing. I'm not concerned about looking dumb, I just hate sitting there with a blank look like shit, I wish I had notes on this.

yea same, i have very bad recall so i take notes when i read
also helps me during crunch time when i'm trying to remember cases from like 3 months earlier

I actually psyched myself out so much on this last semester. People were skimming cases or barely reading and then acing cold calls and making really nuanced points about the policy questions in the holding and getting praised by the professors, and I was like shit did we even read the same book. Got pretty negative on myself for a while, but everything turned out better than expected, so now I barely worry about what anyone else says, which I kind of knew from the beginning was TCR, but had to see it actually borne out to believe it.

[Leonardo DiCaprio]

man i get too distracted when i try to type notes while reading. also, i get really anal about formatting and microsoft word is absolutely TTT when it comes to that. tried using onenote on mac last semester, but the formatting got fucked up while printing.

[RSN]

man i get too distracted when i try to type notes while reading. also, i get really anal about formatting and microsoft word is absolutely TTT when it comes to that. tried using onenote on mac last semester, but the formatting got fucked up while printing.

Yeah I get distracted too, but I also get distracted just trying to straight read, so either way it's not that efficient. I got this great Chrome add-on though called BlockSite that does what it sounds like, which has really cut down on my impulsive opening of Facebook and others. I'm anal about formatting also but I've had pretty good luck with Word 2011 on Mac, found OneNote too complicated though.

[03152016]

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[RSN]

oh shit i just realized you're not clearly

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... le&u=93261

Oh haha yeah, I should change my avatar, I changed it back to the generic Mets one after last season and didn't realize he had the same one

ETA: Nice ninja edit for tone

[PeanutsNJam]

My thing is that my recall is terrible. I remember reading things in the cases when other people tell me or someone else says it on a cold call, but unless I write it down and bring it with me, if I get cold called I remember nothing. I'm not concerned about looking dumb, I just hate sitting there with a blank look like shit, I wish I had notes on this.

yea same, i have very bad recall so i take notes when i read
also helps me during crunch time when i'm trying to remember cases from like 3 months earlier

I actually psyched myself out so much on this last semester. People were skimming cases or barely reading and then acing cold calls and making really nuanced points about the policy questions in the holding and getting praised by the professors, and I was like shit did we even read the same book. Got pretty negative on myself for a while, but everything turned out better than expected, so now I barely worry about what anyone else says, which I kind of knew from the beginning was TCR, but had to see it actually borne out to believe it.

I find it hilarious how it's the second semester and people still think cold call performance is any measure of intelligence.

[RSN]

My thing is that my recall is terrible. I remember reading things in the cases when other people tell me or someone else says it on a cold call, but unless I write it down and bring it with me, if I get cold called I remember nothing. I'm not concerned about looking dumb, I just hate sitting there with a blank look like shit, I wish I had notes on this.

yea same, i have very bad recall so i take notes when i read
also helps me during crunch time when i'm trying to remember cases from like 3 months earlier

I actually psyched myself out so much on this last semester. People were skimming cases or barely reading and then acing cold calls and making really nuanced points about the policy questions in the holding and getting praised by the professors, and I was like shit did we even read the same book. Got pretty negative on myself for a while, but everything turned out better than expected, so now I barely worry about what anyone else says, which I kind of knew from the beginning was TCR, but had to see it actually borne out to believe it.

I find it hilarious how it's the second semester and people still think cold call performance is any measure of intelligence.

I mean it's a measure of some kind of intelligence, just not one that's really relevant for law school. Some people are objectively good at reading and speaking insightfully about what they just read, which I am generally garbage at. It's obviously not any kind of predictor of exam performance, which is what actually matters.

[GreenEggs]

I find it hilarious how it's the second semester and people still think cold call performance is any measure of intelligence.

I enjoy the people who wouldn't shut up last semester, now shutting up.

[leslieknope]

The guy who, based on his cold call performance, I had pegged as basically future SCOTUS, ended up at median. I still think he's smarter than I am x1000, but law school exams really don't measure anything but how good you are at taking law school exams.

[unsweetened]

For a couple of my classes, I highlight important stuff as a I read, then type up notes in plain English on whatever I've highlighted. I print them with a 3.5" margin on the right side, so I can scribble and write additional notes. It's a lifesaver when you have a professor that bounces around 3+ cases. Makes information easier to access and allows time to write important stuff instead of restatements or case names. Lifesaver in classes where no computers are allowed.

[unsweetened]

I find it hilarious how it's the second semester and people still think cold call performance is any measure of intelligence.

I enjoy the people who wouldn't shut up last semester, now shutting up.

yessssss

[dabigchina]

I find it hilarious how it's the second semester and people still think cold call performance is any measure of intelligence.

I enjoy the people who wouldn't shut up last semester, now shutting up.

this definitely happened.