OLD SCHOOL (must be 30 and over ITT) Forum

[ScottRiqui]

HA! My high school graduation gift was a subscription to AOL and a brand new, blazing fast 56k modem.

AOL didn't even exist until I was a freshman in college.

That doesn't make sense. Then where the hell did you buy, errr, I mean look up info for your high school papers?

We used to have to go to a building called a library, use a filing system known as a card catalog to search for topics in the Dewey Decimal System to find objects called books which we would then have to read, synthesize data from several sources, then write the papers ourselves. Often on paper with pens in cursive (what you kids today call "joined-up writing").

Speaking of which, you younuns will never know the joy of lining up a college application on an IBM Selectric II and hoping that what you typed landed just above the line provided. Nor will you know the sensual pleasure of sniffing White-Out.

Remember what you used to have to go through just to register for classes? In 1988, my registration process for UT involved going to a big arena (I think it was the Erwin Center) with a blank schedule in-hand. Each individual department had a kiosk in the arena, and you went from kiosk to kiosk getting stickers for each course/section that you wanted and then affixed the stickers to your blank schedule. If you realized later that a particular class/section wouldn't work for you (scheduling conflicts, etcetera), you had to go back to the kiosk to return the sticker and (hopefully) get another one for a different course/section.

After you had run around and collected all the needed stickers to fill out your schedule, you went downstairs and got into a big Disney-style "common feeder" line and waited to check out, where they would enter your schedule into the computer.

Even if everything went well, it still took all morning - certainly a far cry from being able to roll out of bed, fire up the computer and register in your pajamas.

[nygrrrl]

I shall call him Bartleby

This has officially become my favorite thread.

[er doctor]

Remember what you used to have to go through just to register for classes? In 1988, my registration process for UT involved going to a big arena (I think it was the Erwin Center) with a blank schedule in-hand. Each individual department had a kiosk in the arena, and you went from kiosk to kiosk getting stickers for each course/section that you wanted and then affixed the stickers to your blank schedule. If you realized later that a particular class/section wouldn't work for you (scheduling conflicts, etcetera), you had to go back to the kiosk to return the sticker and (hopefully) get another one for a different course/section.

After you had run around and collected all the needed stickers to fill out your schedule, you went downstairs and got into a big Disney-style "common feeder" line and waited to check out, where they would enter your schedule into the computer.

Even if everything went well, it still took all morning - certainly a far cry from being able to roll out of bed, fire up the computer and register in your pajamas.[/quote]

In the fall of 1989 Georgetown decided to try out computer registration for the first time. Since there were no interwebs back then, you had to wait in line for a computer station to free up. I bet you can guess how well it all worked. It's a wonder I got a complete schedule before finals week.

[nygrrrl]

Remember what you used to have to go through just to register for classes?

I honestly can't remember. I THINK we filled out forms with our top 3 choices for each class and turned it in to the registrar?... and it was first come first served, but if you had specific seminar requests then it became a question of whether or not the class was germane to your major/whether you could get the prof to pull strings? Insanity. Oh! And the computer lab!!! lol

[homestyle28]

Remember what you used to have to go through just to register for classes? In 1988, my registration process for UT involved going to a big arena (I think it was the Erwin Center) with a blank schedule in-hand. Each individual department had a kiosk in the arena, and you went from kiosk to kiosk getting stickers for each course/section that you wanted and then affixed the stickers to your blank schedule. If you realized later that a particular class/section wouldn't work for you (scheduling conflicts, etcetera), you had to go back to the kiosk to return the sticker and (hopefully) get another one for a different course/section.

After you had run around and collected all the needed stickers to fill out your schedule, you went downstairs and got into a big Disney-style "common feeder" line and waited to check out, where they would enter your schedule into the computer.

Even if everything went well, it still took all morning - certainly a far cry from being able to roll out of bed, fire up the computer and register in your pajamas.

In the fall of 1989 Georgetown decided to try out computer registration for the first time. Since there were no interwebs back then, you had to wait in line for a computer station to free up. I bet you can guess how well it all worked. It's a wonder I got a complete schedule before finals week.

When I was a UG at Ohio State you used a touch tone phone along with like 7 digit class codes(suck on that UT!). On the first day of classes they would drop off these newspaper-esque things that had all the course location changes in them. So your first task was to hunt out a drop off location!

edit: for quote fail and typos

[run26.2]

Remember what you used to have to go through just to register for classes? In 1988, my registration process for UT involved going to a big arena (I think it was the Erwin Center) with a blank schedule in-hand. Each individual department had a kiosk in the arena, and you went from kiosk to kiosk getting stickers for each course/section that you wanted and then affixed the stickers to your blank schedule. If you realized later that a particular class/section wouldn't work for you (scheduling conflicts, etcetera), you had to go back to the kiosk to return the sticker and (hopefully) get another one for a different course/section.

After you had run around and collected all the needed stickers to fill out your schedule, you went downstairs and got into a big Disney-style "common feeder" line and waited to check out, where they would enter your schedule into the computer.

Even if everything went well, it still took all morning - certainly a far cry from being able to roll out of bed, fire up the computer and register in your pajamas.

In the fall of 1989 Georgetown decided to try out computer registration for the first time. Since there were no interwebs back then, you had to wait in line for a computer station to free up. I bet you can guess how well it all worked. It's a wonder I got a complete schedule before finals week.[/quote]
This is funny. I went to Georgetown a few years after you did, starting in the early 90s. I remember talking to my friends from other schools and thinking how slow the campus was to adopt technology. Even after I graduated, it was several years before they managed to get wired network access to the dorm rooms. Probably helped me do a little better in school, tho.

[run26.2]

I'm 38 with kids. My biggest consideration is quality of life for my family, and that does tend to complicate things. The issue I'm facing is deciding between attending the local T2 school (which is an excellent school, by all means), or packing up the family and moving for three years to attend a T14 school. Fortunately, my wife and I are very much on the same page. We haven't made any decisions yet, but we have a deadline and a plan.

It's difficult to admit that I'd consider choosing a school much further down in the rankings based on quality of life issues on a board that's populated with people who are at a very different point in their lives. But it's very, very hard to justify pulling my kids out of a school that they love (and we love, too) in order to move up the law school rankings.

As far as work experience goes, I have a pretty strong resume with lots of VP-level experience in web/software development. My hope is that this will come in handy if I pursue something in the realm of intellectual property law, or that all those years in management will work in my favor.

Didn't read through the whole thread to see if this was answered, but you should look into the Lower Merion school district. If you hunt, you can find reasonable housing out there-you'll get more for your money than in the city. Also, you would have about a 25 minute commute on the Paoli/Thorndale line in to school (15 minutes on the train to 30th St. Station + 10 minute walk).

If you wanted to be in the city and your kids are not yet in the 5th grade, you should look at the Julia R. Masterman school, which is near the Art Museum. This is a very good school but competitive to get into. Central is a good high school, if your kids are that age. That commute would be about 25 minutes on the train + 10 minute walk. It might actually be faster to take a bus.

My recommendation would be out in Merion, though. It's easy to get into the city, but it's not as busy as city life. That's what I would prefer, but just me.

[er doctor]

In a rare moment of seriousness (for me, at least) this thread has caused me to reflect on how much has changed in the years since I was last a student. Online applications, online status checkers (I hope everything I have read is false and nobody actually looks to see how many times a day I check to see if my status has updated) and this forum which has occupied more of my time in the last few months than any other activity.

I dread going to class because I still feel more comfortable scribbling notes in a notebook rather than typing. And I know if I have my computer on I will be tempted to play Bejeweled or surf the net or do anything other than listen.

In the last several weeks I have returned to my Facebook account - a failed venture that I abandoned two years ago when I realized that all the people I had lost touch with from high school could now fill me in on every detail of their lives and remind me why I lost contact with them in the first place. I even, God forbid, started a Twitter account, though I can't think of anything I have to say that other people would find relevant (doesn't seem to stop everyone else on Twitter though....)

I hope I can make it through law school without starting every sentence with "back in my day...".

And finally, I hope all those kids fresh out of college are ready to be totally smoked by my devastating combination of intellect, maturity and experience.

[nygrrrl]

In a rare moment of seriousness (for me, at least) this thread has caused me to reflect on how much has changed in the years since I was last a student. Online applications, online status checkers (I hope everything I have read is false and nobody actually looks to see how many times a day I check to see if my status has updated) and this forum which has occupied more of my time in the last few months than any other activity.

I dread going to class because I still feel more comfortable scribbling notes in a notebook rather than typing. And I know if I have my computer on I will be tempted to play Bejeweled or surf the net or do anything other than listen.

In the last several weeks I have returned to my Facebook account - a failed venture that I abandoned two years ago when I realized that all the people I had lost touch with from high school could now fill me in on every detail of their lives and remind me why I lost contact with them in the first place. I even, God forbid, started a Twitter account, though I can't think of anything I have to say that other people would find relevant (doesn't seem to stop everyone else on Twitter though....)

I hope I can make it through law school without starting every sentence with "back in my day...".

And finally, I hope all those kids fresh out of college are ready to be totally smoked by my devastating combination of intellect, maturity and experience.

LOL - hey, doc. If it's any consolation, I take ALL of my notes in a notebook. Several of my friends do, as well - and starting this semester, 2 more of our group have decided to try it the Old Fashioned Way. (In part, b/c we have a professor who adamantly discourages note-taking on a laptop.) Yeah, lots of things have changed... but in a good way. You'll be fine.

[kalvano]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

[er doctor]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

NO! NO! NO! We must resist change! Change frightens us!

[kalvano]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

NO! NO! NO! We must resist change! Change frightens us!

Make Bartleby use OneNote. He'll like it.

[er doctor]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

NO! NO! NO! We must resist change! Change frightens us!

Make Bartleby use OneNote. He'll like it.

Do you have any idea how much it costs to feed scriveners these days? And of course they want health AND dental insurance, paid vacations, weekends off...

Back when I was in school.....oh, wait.....

[Ford Prefect]

Just realized I have OneNote on my laptop. Greatest day of my life.

Except it wants me to reenter the product key. Crap.

[legal10101]

I shall call him Bartleby

This has officially become my favorite thread.

I so agree!!! There are others out there.....applying to law school.... that have aches and pains from going up stairs, instead of partying too hard!!!!!!!!!!!

[legal10101]

In a rare moment of seriousness (for me, at least) this thread has caused me to reflect on how much has changed in the years since I was last a student. Online applications, online status checkers (I hope everything I have read is false and nobody actually looks to see how many times a day I check to see if my status has updated) and this forum which has occupied more of my time in the last few months than any other activity.

I dread going to class because I still feel more comfortable scribbling notes in a notebook rather than typing. And I know if I have my computer on I will be tempted to play Bejeweled or surf the net or do anything other than listen.

In the last several weeks I have returned to my Facebook account - a failed venture that I abandoned two years ago when I realized that all the people I had lost touch with from high school could now fill me in on every detail of their lives and remind me why I lost contact with them in the first place. I even, God forbid, started a Twitter account, though I can't think of anything I have to say that other people would find relevant (doesn't seem to stop everyone else on Twitter though....)

I hope I can make it through law school without starting every sentence with "back in my day...".

And finally, I hope all those kids fresh out of college are ready to be totally smoked by my devastating combination of intellect, maturity and experience.

ER Doctor, are you in fact an ER doctor? I may be a lil late on this one.

[nygrrrl]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

I've been using CircusPonies Notebook which is the non-Microsoft Mac version - I freaking love this program. It made outlining a breeze (colors, fonts, sizes, indenting) and organizing notes, materials, etc is super easy. Also, re: notes in class? I need to diagram things so for me, being able to just sketch a flow chart was faster than using the laptop and I just made sure to transcribe my written notes into Notebook w/in 24 hours - that way, it was still fresh in my mind and if I'd missed writing something down it still came back to me.
(I'm still on the fence about this class notes thing - I think it's harder to do it by hand, but I take notes while I read and I feel like this lets me focus on what the prof is saying... so I actually take fewer notes IN class than many of my peers.)

[er doctor]

Legal10101:

Yes I am an ER doc

[ahduth]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

I'll definitely have to give it a try. I'd envisioned myself using pen and paper - for me personally there has always been this process of scrawling down pages of "stuff" as I initially absorb information, then the process of deciphering my notes, which forced me to re-learn or re-structure all that information. Bejeweled isn't a problem for me, but gchat definitely is. They had laptops when I was in UG, but people weren't really using them. That may have just been my college though.

[Ford Prefect]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

I'll definitely have to give it a try. I'd envisioned myself using pen and paper - for me personally there has always been this process of scrawling down pages of "stuff" as I initially absorb information, then the process of deciphering my notes, which forced me to re-learn or re-structure all that information. Bejeweled isn't a problem for me, but gchat definitely is. They had laptops when I was in UG, but people weren't really using them. That may have just been my college though.

I work online right now and can be easily distracted. I use Chrome as my browser, and downloaded StayFocused - it lets you block any of those problem sites for a set amount of time. It is sooooooooo useful and I know that Firefox has similar programs.

[run26.2]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

I've been using CircusPonies Notebook which is the non-Microsoft Mac version - I freaking love this program. It made outlining a breeze (colors, fonts, sizes, indenting) and organizing notes, materials, etc is super easy. Also, re: notes in class? I need to diagram things so for me, being able to just sketch a flow chart was faster than using the laptop and I just made sure to transcribe my written notes into Notebook w/in 24 hours - that way, it was still fresh in my mind and if I'd missed writing something down it still came back to me.
(I'm still on the fence about this class notes thing - I think it's harder to do it by hand, but I take notes while I read and I feel like this lets me focus on what the prof is saying... so I actually take fewer notes IN class than many of my peers.)

I like CircusPonies Notebook a lot. The best feature, IMO, is the index it makes of every word you type. Looking in the index allows finding a particular reference much faster than using Word or OneNote's search function. The mirroring of a physical notebook also makes using Notebook pretty intuitive. I really enjoy using the product and recommended the administrators mention that as a viable option for Mac users taking notes in class.

[stevededalus]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

I was thinking of using a fountain pen.

Seriously, the times I've sat in on law classes, it seemed like half the students had their laptops open to Facebook or computer games (and I'm sure more than one TLS post has been made during a class). It would be a pain to have to type notes back onto a computer, but I was considering using paper to avoid the temptation of distraction.

[nygrrrl]

I like CircusPonies Notebook a lot. The best feature, IMO, is the index it makes of every word you type. Looking in the index allows finding a particular reference much faster than using Word or OneNote's search function. The mirroring of a physical notebook also makes using Notebook pretty intuitive. I really enjoy using the product and recommended the administrators mention that as a viable option for Mac users taking notes in class.

Yes! The index and intuitive "feel" of the program totally sold me. Also love the fact that the developers have designed specific packages/uses for lawyers preparing cases. Really feel I'll be able to use this program for a long time, in many situations.

[haus]

I was thinking of using a fountain pen.

Seriously, the times I've sat in on law classes, it seemed like half the students had their laptops open to Facebook or computer games (and I'm sure more than one TLS post has been made during a class). It would be a pain to have to type notes back onto a computer, but I was considering using paper to avoid the temptation of distraction.

It is not a crazy idea. Taking notes via pen and paper seem to be recommended by several law professors. While it is easy to dismiss this as simple an antiquated notion, more then a few of us seem to be bending over backwards (lets not forget willing to pay a lot of money...) to be taught by some of these same professors, perhaps giving their advice some credence would be a worthwhile notion.

In my grad school classes, I normally leave my laptop in its bag during lectures as I sit there with a notebook and pencil.

[er doctor]

I started the semester taking notes on paper. It was such a pain in the ass, because professors jump back and forth, they don't give things linearly. I ended up switching to a laptop. I first used Word, but then finally took 30 minutes to learn OneNote.

OneNote is incredible. I highly, highly, highly recommend at least giving it a shot.

I was thinking of using a fountain pen.

Seriously, the times I've sat in on law classes, it seemed like half the students had their laptops open to Facebook or computer games (and I'm sure more than one TLS post has been made during a class). It would be a pain to have to type notes back onto a computer, but I was considering using paper to avoid the temptation of distraction.

Well that would certainly decrease the time I spent cutting my own quills...not to mention shooting the birds to get the tail feathers for the quills (American Bald Eagles make the best quills dontchya know)