Thread Unworthy 1L fears, inquiries, and rants welcome here Forum

[Matteliszt]

I'm going to hang these up opposite the crapper:




or maybe on the ceiling over my bed.


In all seriousness, I think the motivation for the thread is laudable even if it is perhaps not optimally named.

http://legalbooksdistributing.com/sc_pi ... tracts.asp if you actually want the posters, btw.

Are you hanging with us this year then?

[Duralex]

A poll might be a good way to pick an alternative to 'gunner' and draw people into participating. Not sure if an OP can be edited to include one.

Maybe....ninja? Samurai? Bandit? Something with a sense of humor.

Also:

vmware extensions on a bootcamp partition may make ExamSoft shit its pants and refuse to run. Reports on this are inconsistent.

FWIW: LLS 1Ls w/macs were advised not to bother with Windows ExamSoft yet as apparently a mac native release is impending (of course, they also said that such announcements had been made and canceled in the past--but seemed to think this one was more substantial.)

[Duralex]

Are you hanging with us this year then?

We'll see. I don't fit your typical gunner model--I'm mostly looking to prove to myself that I can work up to my own full potential in ways that I haven't before. I want to be optimal for me. I'm not as concerned with being at the top in an absolute sense.

[Matteliszt]

A poll might be a good way to pick an alternative to 'gunner' and draw people into participating. Not sure if an OP can be edited to include one.

Maybe....ninja? Samurai? Bandit? Something with a sense of humor.

Also:

vmware extensions on a bootcamp partition may make ExamSoft shit its pants and refuse to run.

FWIW: LLS 1Ls w/macs were advised not to bother with Windows ExamSoft yet as apparently a mac native release is impending (of course, they also said that such announcements had been made and canceled in the past--but seemed to think this one was more substantial.)

I don't know how else we could label it - people will eventually stop hating since it is a cool thread.

[Matteliszt]

Are you hanging with us this year then?

We'll see. I don't fit your typical gunner model--I'm mostly looking to prove to myself that I can work up to my own full potential in ways that I haven't before. I want to be optimal for me. I'm not as concerned with being at the top in an absolute sense.

This thread isn't solely about #1. It is about accomplishing our individual goals and a support system.

[skoobily doobily]

Are you hanging with us this year then?

We'll see. I don't fit your typical gunner model--I'm mostly looking to prove to myself that I can work up to my own full potential in ways that I haven't before. I want to be optimal for me. I'm not as concerned with being at the top in an absolute sense.

This thread isn't solely about #1. It is about accomplishing our individual goals and a support system.

Your stint on law review may be purely a side effect of continual thread use

[Duralex]

This thread isn't solely about #1. It is about accomplishing our individual goals and a support system.

And that's what I think is laudable. I don't have anything much to contribute at this point, though. I've probably done less prep than many reading this thread. I couldn't bring myself to do much of the E&Es. I read big picture stuff that I knew I wouldn't have time for in LS instead. Legal history, linguistics, classical rhetoric, some logic to attempt to convert the LSAT suffering into something useful (Aldisert's book) etc.

I'm kind of scared of law review, btw. I used to torture myself with term paper writing. Exams, in a sense, will be a relief. I test pretty well, but have trouble finishing papers. They can always be improved.

[Matteliszt]

This thread isn't solely about #1. It is about accomplishing our individual goals and a support system.

And that's what I think is laudable. I don't have anything much to contribute at this point, though. I've probably done less prep than many reading this thread. I couldn't bring myself to do much of the E&Es. I read big picture stuff that I knew I wouldn't have time for in LS instead. Legal history, linguistics, classical rhetoric, some logic to attempt to convert the LSAT suffering into something useful (Aldisert's book) etc.

I'm kind of scared of law review, btw. I used to torture myself with term paper writing. Exams, in a sense, will be a relief.

Grab a drink and stick around let me know if you want any notes or anything.

[BenJ]

Is OneNote Mac-compatible? If not, what similar programs can be used on a Mac? I'm certainly not in gunner-mode right now, but let's just say I'm a little gunner-curious.

no =( there's nothing decent. Notebook is ok but still meh. I'm thinking of going the vmware route.

Sibley and Bio why dont you just get bootcamp and run onenote? You may have to get bootcamp anyway for test software.

Do people with experience with this sort of thing think Parallels is worth the extra $80 (since Bootcamp comes free)?

[Duralex]

Only if you want to have your cake and eat it too. If dual booting and using one OS at a time is cool for you, save the $80.

[Rico Suave]

checking in

[evergirl23]

Is OneNote Mac-compatible? If not, what similar programs can be used on a Mac? I'm certainly not in gunner-mode right now, but let's just say I'm a little gunner-curious.

no =( there's nothing decent. Notebook is ok but still meh. I'm thinking of going the vmware route.

Sibley and Bio why dont you just get bootcamp and run onenote? You may have to get bootcamp anyway for test software.

Do people with experience with this sort of thing think Parallels is worth the extra $80 (since Bootcamp comes free)?

Or you can download VirtualBox, which is free Open Source software and allows you to run a virtual machine in much the same way as Parallels. This is what I have set up on my Mac and I am loving it. I am running Windows 7 no problem. (Caveat - my boyfriend is a software engineer and set it up for me - but it didn't seem all that difficult as I watched over his shoulder.)

[Matteliszt]

checking in

ran here?

[Duralex]

Heh, I was hesitating to mention vbox.

I think it works well too. But I'm a systems & networks guy.

[Duralex]

Not sure if this is going to matter to anyone else this week, but mesne is pronounced /meen/

(I was all lolwut)

[Rico Suave]

checking in

ran here?

would've been here sooner but i was doing weighed crunches with my casebooks

[stonepeep]

My contribution, as a 2L, was that most of what you guys are doing is useless at this point. But since you obviously have already talked yourselves into reading ALL these books that are going to help little, if at all... I guess there is nothing else to say.

This is what I was trying to get at before. What irritates me about this forum is that people are told over, and over, and over again that they are wasting their time but they just put their hands over their ears and refuse to listen.

The idea of this thread isn't terrible - to compile useful information from many threads and put it into one useful thread. Tips for using OneNote efficiently? Yeah, I guess that's useful, although I'd predict that the percentage of people who keep using the same note-taking system from day 1 of classes throughout the entire semester will be in the single-digits, percentage-wise.

However, almost all of what I've seen in this thread is entirely pointless. More than that, it's detrimental, in my opinion. People have already scheduled a date on which they will take practice exams? Seriously? Why do people refuse to accept that stressing out to this degree about 1L year is not good for you? It's unfortunate that "chill out" is taken as a flame and nothing more, because if there is one piece of advice that I, as someone who did very well 1L year, would give to incoming 1Ls, it's "chill the fuck out." It doesn't matter how you format your notes in OneNote. You don't need to schedule your practice exams. You don't need to plan out what you will do every fucking Saturday from now until the end of the semester.

There is an appropriate time to stress out during your first semester. Now is not that time. Just focus on going to class and doing your reading. The rest will fall into place. Really, I'm serious. It will. Law school is hard, but the part about it that is hard is not the planning part. Planning, scheduling, taking notes (oh my god seriously you guys it does not matter which program you use to take notes) - those things are easy. All of the people I knew who couldn't just let go of things like "how should I format my notes?!" are the ones who did not do well.

I understand what it's like to be full of anxiety and to want to try to control every single last thing you possibly can in an effort to get rid of that anxiety, but guess what? It doesn't work. Just. Stop.

I know this post is going to be met with scorn, derision, and a lot of "lalalala I can't hear you," but I hope at least one person listens throws out their dayplanner or whatever the fuck they've got going on that they think is instrumental to success.

[SwollenMonkey]

My contribution, as a 2L, was that most of what you guys are doing is useless at this point. But since you obviously have already talked yourselves into reading ALL these books that are going to help little, if at all... I guess there is nothing else to say.

This is what I was trying to get at before. What irritates me about this forum is that people are told over, and over, and over again that they are wasting their time but they just put their hands over their ears and refuse to listen.

I know this post is going to be met with scorn, derision, and a lot of "lalalala I can't hear you," but I hope at least one person listens throws out their dayplanner or whatever the fuck they've got going on that they think is instrumental to success.

Birdie Secrets to Success in Law School (LinkRemoved)

Many lawyers and current law students will be quick to tell entering first year law students, “Enjoy your summer before law school because it will be the last chance you have! You don’t need to prepare.” While there may be some truth in this being the last summer you may enjoy the whole summer, this is not prudent advice for students entering law school this fall. As the squirrels who buried their nuts all fall know, preparation before the coming challenge (in the squirrel’s case winter) makes the challenge significantly easier and more likely that you will survive and thrive in the face of the challenge.
Why do so many lawyers and current law students give this advice? There could be many reasons. I believe that most of them say this because this statement relieves them of the duty of giving any helpful tips and advice to first year law students. While it may appear selfish to the daughter when her mother does not pass on how she aced law school thirty years earlier or to the friend whose friend made the top 10% of her class last year, lawyers and law students are busy people and giving the tricks of the trade to a newbie law student usually does not fit into their tight schedules.

Read the rest of this entry here

--LinkRemoved--

This is not my blog. And, for one perspective that is negative, there will be one or two positive perspectives to counter the negativity.

[traehekat]

How about everyone studies differently? Some people like to prepare early, be organized, see where the ship is going, etc.

There is nothing that is more preached around here than the idea that everyone has a different way of studying/preparing, so it stands to reason that "chill the fuck out" may not work for everyone.

[skoobily doobily]

If we're talking about 0L prepping, i'm going to have to disagree with you swol. some people will be indifferent to the idea of 0L prepping, and the vast majority will harshly go against it. That blog excerpt you posted seems entirely unconvincing.

I did absolutely no prepping this summer, and won't until day 1. At that point though, everything is fair game.

Edit: also, this-

How about everyone studies differently? Some people like to prepare early, be organized, see where the ship is going, etc.

There is nothing that is more preached around here than the idea that everyone has a different way of studying/preparing, so it stands to reason that "chill the fuck out" may not work for everyone.

[stonepeep]

Birdie Secrets to Success in Law School (LinkRemoved)

Many lawyers and current law students will be quick to tell entering first year law students, “Enjoy your summer before law school because it will be the last chance you have! You don’t need to prepare.” While there may be some truth in this being the last summer you may enjoy the whole summer, this is not prudent advice for students entering law school this fall. As the squirrels who buried their nuts all fall know, preparation before the coming challenge (in the squirrel’s case winter) makes the challenge significantly easier and more likely that you will survive and thrive in the face of the challenge.
Why do so many lawyers and current law students give this advice? There could be many reasons. I believe that most of them say this because this statement relieves them of the duty of giving any helpful tips and advice to first year law students. While it may appear selfish to the daughter when her mother does not pass on how she aced law school thirty years earlier or to the friend whose friend made the top 10% of her class last year, lawyers and law students are busy people and giving the tricks of the trade to a newbie law student usually does not fit into their tight schedules.

Read the rest of this entry here

--LinkRemoved--

This is not my blog. And, for one perspective that is negative, there will be one or two positive perspective to counter the negativity.

First of all, that person is apparently trying to sell some sort of product so their advice is biased.

Second of all, you're wrong. I'm not telling people to chill the fuck out because I'm "selfish" or want to be "relieve[d] of the duty of giving any helpful tips and advice" to 1Ls. I'm giving this advice because it is honestly the most helpful advice I can give.

The whole "should I prep before 1L" argument comes up over and over again, and while this thread was not about that, you brought it up and I want to address it. I think there is exactly one "how to succeed" thread on TLS that recommended prepping to any extent. All of the other "recommendations" come from threads with titles like "what would you do differently?" and the question I always want to ask people who bring up the advice in those threads is, why in the hell are you taking advice from people who have regrets about how their 1L year went? Of course people who didn't do as well as they wanted to do are going to come up with many, many things they think they could possibly have done to improve. There is absolutely no way to know if any of those things would actually have helped them. But if you ask those of us who did well and don't have regrets about how 1L year went, the number of us who think 0L prep makes any goddamn sense at all is practically nonexistent.

It's the same with all of the incessant stressing about "how do I take notes?" etc. It's just not necessary. If you distill all of the "success in law school" threads they all say basically the same thing: don't fuck around too much; actually take practice exams; and supplement your assigned reading when necessary.

There is no magical formula to doing well in law school. There is exactly one thing you have to be good at: applying the law to the facts. You get good at that by understanding the law and practicing your legal writing. It's not complicated and it makes me sad that so many people want to make it so complicated and waste so much energy on things that just do not matter.

But what do I know, right? In my 1L year I did what all of you in this thread wanted to accomplish, but since I'm not telling you to micromanage your life I must be selfish and keeping all my good advice to myself.

[Rico Suave]

I did absolutely no prepping this summer, and won't until day 1

it's a shame you won't know how that worked out for you until grades come out

[Matteliszt]

However, almost all of what I've seen in this thread is entirely pointless. More than that, it's detrimental, in my opinion. People have already scheduled a date on which they will take practice exams? Seriously? Why do people refuse to accept that stressing out to this degree about 1L year is not good for you? It's unfortunate that "chill out" is taken as a flame and nothing more, because if there is one piece of advice that I, as someone who did very well 1L year, would give to incoming 1Ls, it's "chill the fuck out." It doesn't matter how you format your notes in OneNote. You don't need to schedule your practice exams. You don't need to plan out what you will do every fucking Saturday from now until the end of the semester.

There is an appropriate time to stress out during your first semester. Now is not that time. Just focus on going to class and doing your reading. The rest will fall into place. Really, I'm serious. It will. Law school is hard, but the part about it that is hard is not the planning part. Planning, scheduling, taking notes (oh my god seriously you guys it does not matter which program you use to take notes) - those things are easy. All of the people I knew who couldn't just let go of things like "how should I format my notes?!" are the ones who did not do well.

I understand what it's like to be full of anxiety and to want to try to control every single last thing you possibly can in an effort to get rid of that anxiety, but guess what? It doesn't work. Just. Stop.

I know this post is going to be met with scorn, derision, and a lot of "lalalala I can't hear you," but I hope at least one person listens throws out their dayplanner or whatever the fuck they've got going on that they think is instrumental to success.

Thank you for taking the time to post here. I for one am not stressing out. I am excited and ready to go. as traehekat said, some people study different. I like to be organized and think strategically about all aspects of life. I enjoy planning. I like when things are in order. I am in a city other than my hometown and have few friends here, and now that my job has ended, I have quite a bit of time on my hands. What I would like to do with that time is plan how I will spend my next year. I am sorry if you feel this is detrimental but for myself I know it to be helpful.

[skoobily doobily]

I did absolutely no prepping this summer, and won't until day 1

it's a shame you won't know how that worked out for you until grades come out

lolwut? Past tense?

[inchoate_con]

This is what I was trying to get at before. What irritates me about this forum is that people are told over, and over, and over again that they are wasting their time but they just put their hands over their ears and refuse to listen.

Wasting time? I'm here only to offer some tips on OneNote, but come on .... wasting time? Guy "A" reads an E&E over the summer, or Guy "B" who spends hours a day on TLS arguing minutia. Guy A vs. guy B probably have different ideas about what's a wasting of time.

I prepped... did very good, and I believe it was because of the prep.