TheSeaLocust's 1L Anxiety Meditation Retreat & Spa Forum

[sublime]

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[thesealocust]

There's no getting around 1L being high-stakes and stressful. The hope is to achieve some semblance of serenity by accepting that fact, venting, opening your eyes and carrying on.

We all chose to do this to ourselves, and we have the ability to choose not to freak the fuck out all the time as it happens to us

[AlanShore]

There's no getting around 1L being high-stakes and stressful. The hope is to achieve some semblance of serenity by accepting that fact, venting, opening your eyes and carrying on.

We all chose to do this to ourselves, and we have the ability to choose not to freak the fuck out all the time as it happens to us

sealocust, you are an awesome person.

[nickb285]

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[06102016]

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[espressocream]

Anyone else here really far from home for 1L? The loneliness is a bit much on top of all the standard 1L crap. I can't wait till Thanksgiving, I get almost a week at home and I can't wait.

I'm all the way across the country, yeah.

Same, and I'm not even going home for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday). Add an LDR and I just am very very homesick.

Oh and I have a memo due Tuesday. Still confused with what to do with it.

[06102016]

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[smaug_]

I'm a 2L, but I could use TSL's (or someone else's) guiding words of wisdom. Feel free to tell me to retreat to a more appropriate thread.

I am fairly sure one of my professors hates me. Doesn't dislike me, like outright loathes me. I don't volunteer in the class. I've been cold-called in the class twice. Once (the first day, actually) I thought I did fine/nothing seemed off. The second time we were talking about a notable case and I flubbed it a bit.

Later in the term, I noticed I had a big ol' circle of doom around my face on the seating chart. Nobody else is marked, including students who have shirked the reading/declined cold calls.

I'm not really sure what to do. I'm not one to skip classes, but I don't know if there's a point in attending anymore. I wouldn't worry about my grade in the class but given the mark of doom, I'm afraid that I'll just pull and discretionary shitty grade no matter what I do on the exam.

Just laugh it off and focus on other classes? Try hard in that class regardless?

[KD35]

I'm a 2L, but I could use TSL's (or someone else's) guiding words of wisdom. Feel free to tell me to retreat to a more appropriate thread.

I am fairly sure one of my professors hates me. Doesn't dislike me, like outright loathes me. I don't volunteer in the class. I've been cold-called in the class twice. Once (the first day, actually) I thought I did fine/nothing seemed off. The second time we were talking about a notable case and I flubbed it a bit.

Later in the term, I noticed I had a big ol' circle of doom around my face on the seating chart. Nobody else is marked, including students who have shirked the reading/declined cold calls.

I'm not really sure what to do. I'm not one to skip classes, but I don't know if there's a point in attending anymore. I wouldn't worry about my grade in the class but given the mark of doom, I'm afraid that I'll just pull and discretionary shitty grade no matter what I do on the exam.

Just laugh it off and focus on other classes? Try hard in that class regardless?

Is that the first instance where you feel like the professor dislikes you? Also, isn't grading blind?

If you are really concerned about the professor liking you or not, you can show some additional effort by showing up at office hours and trying to just interact with the professor more. Just my two cents. But that sucks.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Is the circle o'doom the only reason you're worried they hate you? Because I think that's reading too much into it, if so. If there's other evidence, maybe it means something, but otherwise, it could really be anything - it could be a note *not* to call on you because you always know your stuff and other people need calling on more. It could be a doodle. It could be a reminder to ask you about something. (Also, has it been circled the entire semester, or just one day?)

[thewaves]

Could you go to their office hours? Try to get to know the person? This doesn't mean sucking up. But more interaction humanizes things on both sides.

[smaug_]

Is the circle o'doom the only reason you're worried they hate you? Because I think that's reading too much into it, if so. If there's other evidence, maybe it means something, but otherwise, it could really be anything - it could be a note *not* to call on you because you always know your stuff and other people need calling on more. It could be a doodle. It could be a reminder to ask you about something. (Also, has it been circled the entire semester, or just one day?)

It's there permanently.

It's the main reason. The prof. will call on other students repeatedly but avoids me. He likes to wander around and make eye contact with most of the room and avoids me.

He seems like a nice dude, but I'm pretty sure I did something to set him off. Damned if I know what it is.

KD35, I haven't felt like that before in a class. Things are graded blindly for the most part, but profs. do have discretion to adjust grades. I just don't want to be bumped down if I end up on the edges. In general, you shouldn't worry about being on call.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Well, I think it's still hard to know what it means - I definitely know of situations where the prof is convinced a given student "gets it," so doesn't call on them because they think other students need to be on the spot more. But in any case, I wouldn't treat the class any differently - if the prof does have a problem with you (which I doubt), not showing up to class isn't going to improve his opinion of you, and would give more fodder to bump downward. (Really, I don't think profs bump downward for not liking a student - they bump downward if the student consistently doesn't do the reading/doesn't show up/disrupts class, that kind of thing.)

I agree, too, that going to office hours might help, if it is some weird interpersonal thing.

[brotherdarkness]

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[smaug_]

Thanks for the advice, all. Next time I have a substantive question I'll show up for office hours and hopefully prove that I'm not an awful human being.

[Teflon_Don]

are we past the point of no return in the semester, where no matter how hard you start working now, you're going to end up behind? I've been coasting through most of the semester, skimming cases/canned briefs, flipping through supplements. How screwed am I?

[AlanShore]

are we past the point of no return in the semester, where no matter how hard you start working now, you're going to end up behind? I've been coasting through most of the semester, skimming cases/canned briefs, flipping through supplements. How screwed am I?

i thought it was the opposite that now --> december is the time that really matters. i think you're fine and you wont burn out like some of your classmates.

[thesealocust]

are we past the point of no return in the semester, where no matter how hard you start working now, you're going to end up behind? I've been coasting through most of the semester, skimming cases/canned briefs, flipping through supplements. How screwed am I?

i thought it was the opposite that now --> december is the time that really matters. i think you're fine and you wont burn out like some of your classmates.

This is much closer to true. Odds are it will often feel overwhelming and impossible, but a lot of the stuff first month or so of 1L doesn't actually matter or else is presented at a snail's pace.

[Gotallanswers]

Maybe the circle of doom had to do you being the lucky person to get called on day one and it has just been there since then.

[Br3v]

Maybe the circle of doom had to do you being the lucky person to get called on day one and it has just been there since then.

Yeah I feel like the circle has more to do with being called on day 1 than anything you might have messed up unless you said something like totally out of line and offensive.

[desiballa21]

are we past the point of no return in the semester, where no matter how hard you start working now, you're going to end up behind? I've been coasting through most of the semester, skimming cases/canned briefs, flipping through supplements. How screwed am I?

i thought it was the opposite that now --> december is the time that really matters. i think you're fine and you wont burn out like some of your classmates.

This is much closer to true. Odds are it will often feel overwhelming and impossible, but a lot of the stuff first month or so of 1L doesn't actually matter or else is presented at a snail's pace.

This is really reassuring. Question I have is how can I make the most of this time? I've kept up w/ readings but to be honest, feel like I've just been transcribing a lot and not really retaining but I do have outlines from kids who got As in the classes I'm taking. Should I start putting time aside to go through the different sections of class (pleading, jurisdiction, intentional torts, etc..) and using EEs, supplements to really grasp it and then start taking practice tests?

[moonman157]

are we past the point of no return in the semester, where no matter how hard you start working now, you're going to end up behind? I've been coasting through most of the semester, skimming cases/canned briefs, flipping through supplements. How screwed am I?

i thought it was the opposite that now --> december is the time that really matters. i think you're fine and you wont burn out like some of your classmates.

This is much closer to true. Odds are it will often feel overwhelming and impossible, but a lot of the stuff first month or so of 1L doesn't actually matter or else is presented at a snail's pace.

This is really reassuring. Question I have is how can I make the most of this time? I've kept up w/ readings but to be honest, feel like I've just been transcribing a lot and not really retaining but I do have outlines from kids who got As in the classes I'm taking. Should I start putting time aside to go through the different sections of class (pleading, jurisdiction, intentional torts, etc..) and using EEs, supplements to really grasp it and then start taking practice tests?

This is exactly how I feel as well, and I too am reassured. I have a lot of notes, but I haven't retained a ton for memory just yet, and I have yet to outline (though I'm going to start contracts this week). Just wanted to say what a relief this was to read that others are in the same position.

[espressocream]

Reading model exam answers and learning from them makes sense, right? Both the material and what your professor wants.

This is what I'm supposed to be doing, right?

I have six weeks until exams.

[thesealocust]

This is really reassuring. Question I have is how can I make the most of this time? I've kept up w/ readings but to be honest, feel like I've just been transcribing a lot and not really retaining but I do have outlines from kids who got As in the classes I'm taking. Should I start putting time aside to go through the different sections of class (pleading, jurisdiction, intentional torts, etc..) and using EEs, supplements to really grasp it and then start taking practice tests?

EEs/supplements aren't going to get you great grades. They can be helpful, just don't let them be distracting. Learning the material from your courses, studying the concept of law school exams/exam taking strategy, and practicing those skills will have the highest return on your investment.

There's literally a limitless amount of stuff you could do, but a lot of it is just a distraction and a sink for neurotic energy. If you can imagine 100 hours worth of work to do for a course, probably only 10 to 20 of that is going to be truly fruitful and the rest will be grinding away to ease your anxiety but not actually put you in a better position come exam day.

In terms of timing, there's sort of a hokey stick shaped curve to 1L courses, the studying you do in the last few weeks is going to be much more helpful as things come together and you become more comfortable if not fluent in the task of studying and applying case law.

Reading model exam answers and learning from them makes sense, right? Both the material and what your professor wants.

Sure - there's no set prescription for what you should be doing, but that sounds fine.

[MKC]

Just got back my ungraded Torts midterm. It's marked up like a son of a bitch, and I only got 11 of 20 right on the multiple choice. Tell me everything is going to be ok, and that I'm not a complete fuck up.