Law school stress vs. UG Forum

[Cupidity]

Even though they are generally despised on TLS, I come from a pre-law program at my UG. One of the things I've learned from all my time sitting in on classes is that once you understand the language of law, its not that hard to follow along. I'm not saying the concepts are easy or anything like that, but if you teach yourself how to properly read a case in order to spot issues and comprehend procedural history, you can follow along in most discussions.

[didionye]

Thanks. If you don't mind me asking, which law school are you planning on attending this fall?

[Cupidity]

Thanks. If you don't mind me asking, which law school are you planning on attending this fall?

BU

[didionye]

Thanks. If you don't mind me asking, which law school are you planning on attending this fall?

BU

Awesome.Well goodluck and thanks for answering my questions.

[PSLaplace]

Even though they are generally despised on TLS, I come from a pre-law program at my UG. One of the things I've learned from all my time sitting in on classes is that once you understand the language of law, its not that hard to follow along. I'm not saying the concepts are easy or anything like that, but if you teach yourself how to properly read a case in order to spot issues and comprehend procedural history, you can follow along in most discussions.

You are correct that teaching yourself to "spot issues" is key to law school success. However, the issue-spotting skill is not developed solely by reading cases (indeed, I contend reading cases hardly develops the skill at all).

In any event, a little confidence is a good thing, but you are significantly underestimating/understating the stress thousands of 1Ls are facing around the country as they prepare for their final exams. I promise you the intensity with which you must study for law school finals is unlike anything you did in undergrad. And I was an engineer.

[Cupidity]

Even though they are generally despised on TLS, I come from a pre-law program at my UG. One of the things I've learned from all my time sitting in on classes is that once you understand the language of law, its not that hard to follow along. I'm not saying the concepts are easy or anything like that, but if you teach yourself how to properly read a case in order to spot issues and comprehend procedural history, you can follow along in most discussions.

You are correct that teaching yourself to "spot issues" is key to law school success. However, the issue-spotting skill is not developed solely by reading cases (indeed, I contend reading cases hardly develops the skill at all).

In any event, a little confidence is a good thing, but you are significantly underestimating/understating the stress thousands of 1Ls are facing around the country as they prepare for their final exams. I promise you the intensity with which you must study for law school finals is unlike anything you did in undergrad. And I was an engineer.

I'm just excited for the academic focus, thats all.

[Cupidity]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

[superserial]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

why do you think we're in law school to begin with?

[Unemployed]

Even though they are generally despised on TLS, I come from a pre-law program at my UG. One of the things I've learned from all my time sitting in on classes is that once you understand the language of law, its not that hard to follow along. I'm not saying the concepts are easy or anything like that, but if you teach yourself how to properly read a case in order to spot issues and comprehend procedural history, you can follow along in most discussions.

This is absolutely credited. Legal academia ain't exactly creative - once you master the dozen or so ideas upon which the entire law school curriculum is built and learn to "talk" the law, everything becomes boring, easy, and repetitive. IMHO, where you fall on the 1L curve is significantly correlated to how quickly you master these ideas.

[macattaq]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

[Cupidity]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Yeah if you read my initial post, i said 40 hours per week, plus 19 credit hours, plus more. i'm prepared.

[Unemployed]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Actually if you are courageous enough, you can d*** around for the first three months (e.g. read case summaries and outlines other people created instead of doing any of the assigned reading) and still kick ass, as long as you get your act together during exam time.

[09042014]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Bro, he was a waiter, and he studied liberal arts. He's legit.

[Nom Sawyer]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Actually if you are courageous enough, you can d*** around for the first three months (e.g. read case summaries and outlines other people created instead of doing any of the assigned reading) and still kick ass, as long as you get your act together during exam time.

After doing this for 6 years I'm not quite sure I'll get away with it in Law School... guess I'll have to buckle down for at least a year

[Unemployed]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Actually if you are courageous enough, you can d*** around for the first three months (e.g. read case summaries and outlines other people created instead of doing any of the assigned reading) and still kick ass, as long as you get your act together during exam time.

After doing this for 6 years I'm not quite sure I'll get away with it in Law School... guess I'll have to buckle down for at least a year

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

The 1L class is full of people who are so scared (and rightfully so! God knows people on TLS and elsewhere try to scare the shit out of you about all the work, randomness of grading, etc.) that the only way they function is to do all sorts of unnecessary work, all the while missing the big picture.

Don't be a Lemming.

[macattaq]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Actually if you are courageous enough, you can d*** around for the first three months (e.g. read case summaries and outlines other people created instead of doing any of the assigned reading) and still kick ass, as long as you get your act together during exam time.

I'll let you know if it works when grades come back.

[Nom Sawyer]

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

Your sentence makes my head hurt... i'll post a reply once I figure out what the heck ur saying.. *dusts cobwebs off LSAT logic portion of brain*

[Nom Sawyer]

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

Your sentence makes my head hurt... i'll post a reply once I figure out what the heck ur saying.. *dusts cobwebs off LSAT logic portion of brain*

I figured it out... you were calling me a dumb

[PSLaplace]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Actually if you are courageous enough, you can d*** around for the first three months (e.g. read case summaries and outlines other people created instead of doing any of the assigned reading) and still kick ass, as long as you get your act together during exam time.

You can do well if you are sufficiently diligent come exam time and you are brilliant - but you will almost assuredly not be in the top 10%.

The reason why consistent preparation is important is because you need to be able to take informed class notes. The only way you can do this is by reading the material before class, so that you have a good enough idea to know what the hell the professor is talking about.

Without decent class notes, you can still teach yourself most of the material from supplements. However, I have found that professors have quirky understandings of certain doctrines, and no supplement is going to supply you with your professor's quirky perspective on it; only good class notes can do that.

Hence, you can do well, but don't expect to set any curves.

[Unemployed]

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

Your sentence makes my head hurt... i'll post a reply once I figure out what the heck ur saying.. *dusts cobwebs off LSAT logic portion of brain*

Reading poorly-structured sentences is a necessary skill... That is, if you are actually going to read the cases. From a random page of my Conlaw casebook, for example:

"An application of these principles to the question under review removes any doubt, if otherwise there would be any, that the contract impairment clause denies to the several states the power to mitigate hard consequences resulting to debtors from financial or economic exigencies by an impairment of the obligation of contracts of indebtedness."

Not such a difficult concept, but an unnecessarily difficult read.

Law books are full of them.

[Nom Sawyer]

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

Your sentence makes my head hurt... i'll post a reply once I figure out what the heck ur saying.. *dusts cobwebs off LSAT logic portion of brain*

Reading poorly-structured sentences is a necessary skill... That is, if you are actually going to read the cases. From a random page of my Conlaw casebook, for example:

"An application of these principles to the question under review removes any doubt, if otherwise there would be any, that the contract impairment clause denies to the several states the power to mitigate hard consequences resulting to debtors from financial or economic exigencies by an impairment of the obligation of contracts of indebtedness."

Not such a difficult concept, but an unnecessarily difficult read.

Law books are full of them.

that wasn't too bad to read, it was the triple negatives in yours that were getting to me... haha and the fact that i'm exhausted and sick but can't sleep

[Cupidity]

plz shutup kthxbie!

[Unemployed]

lot of people going to law school might not understand, but after doing 40 hours a week food service to get through undergrad, hours of work involving a library is a reprieve

No offense, but you you don't know what you're talking about. Law school requires more than 40 hours per week, and that's not counting weekends.

Actually if you are courageous enough, you can d*** around for the first three months (e.g. read case summaries and outlines other people created instead of doing any of the assigned reading) and still kick ass, as long as you get your act together during exam time.

You can do well if you are sufficiently diligent come exam time and you are brilliant - but you will almost assuredly not be in the top 10%.

The reason why consistent preparation is important is because you need to be able to take informed class notes. The only way you can do this is by reading the material before class, so that you have a good enough idea to know what the hell the professor is talking about.

Without decent class notes, you can still teach yourself most of the material from supplements. However, I have found that professors have quirky understandings of certain doctrines, and no supplement is going to supply you with your professor's quirky perspective on it; only good class notes can do that.

Hence, you can do well, but don't expect to set any curves.

If you are brilliant, reading the case summaries alone will enable you to follow along. If you are not (and I don't consider myself particularly brilliant among my classmates), you can still bypass the whole problem by obtaining and reading a comprehensive outline from the upperclassmen who had your professor.

FWIW, my sloth and contempt for the curriculum was amply rewarded. AND I had a great first semester.

Edit: It's also worth mentioning that since it's exam time, I am still up and studying (kind of) at 3:00AM. I suppose I would have been less stressed out now if I had done some of this work beforehand.

[Unemployed]

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

Your sentence makes my head hurt... i'll post a reply once I figure out what the heck ur saying.. *dusts cobwebs off LSAT logic portion of brain*

I figured it out... you were calling me a dumb

Hardly. Depending on the class, professor, etc. grading can be rather random. This is especially true for policy questions. If you don't do well even after doing everything right (by my standard), it will rarely be because you didn't read all the cases.

[Nom Sawyer]

You can get away with it. If you don't do well, it's not because you weren't diligent.

Your sentence makes my head hurt... i'll post a reply once I figure out what the heck ur saying.. *dusts cobwebs off LSAT logic portion of brain*

I figured it out... you were calling me a dumb

Hardly. Depending on the class, professor, etc. grading can be rather random. This is especially true for policy questions. If you don't do well even after doing everything right (by my standard), it will rarely be because you didn't read all the cases.

lol my sarcasm is not getting thru i think...

but anyways, your at NYU right? did you just have a game plan that you set out to follow early on and it paid off? or u just winged it and came out ok?