Pro Tips Forum

[prezidentv8]

Had an idea. Post brief, random, and helpful ideas that might be useful during 1L year. Here's an example to start:

Leave a hornbook among your bathroom reading at all times.

[apper123]

I prefer to read PC Gamer in the bathroom. I read about all the video games I won't ever have time to play for the rest of my life. It's kind of nostalgic: brings me back to being in college and doing nothing all day.

[mac.empress]

Be gentle with yourself. You aren't as bright as you think you are but you're not as retarded either.

[RVP11]

Be gentle with yourself. You aren't as bright as you think you are but you're not as retarded either.

Very important. I left class many times convinced that I was the dumbest person in my school, didn't deserve to be there, etc. Though this is probably preferable to mistakenly believing you're a mega-genius and your colleagues are inferior beings, it's not healthy in the long-term.

Also, be HONEST with yourself. Don't let yourself off the hook not knowing something well. I found a lot of people thought they had stuff down when they really didn't. I let that happen in one class and my grade showed it.

[20160810]

Don't take weekdays off. Don't spend weekends working.

[scubagirl]

during exam time, breath. It is not necessary to stay up until 4am studying.

[Aeroplane]

during exam time, breath. It is not necessary to stay up until 4am studying.

+1. The day before each exam I'd do a practice in the morning, eat lunch, spend the rest of the day watching TV and eating, and go to bed about 9pm. Then I'd get to campus early before the exam and eat a big breakfast w/juice & coffee. I really think it made the exams much easier to deal with.

Edit - just a quick plug for Michigan: we get a free breakfast spread on exam mornings. Bagels, cream cheese, muffins, butter, jelly, coffee, juice. Maybe hot chocolate too, I don't remember now.

[prezidentv8]

during exam time, breath. It is not necessary to stay up until 4am studying.

+1. The day before each exam I'd do a practice in the morning, eat lunch, spend the rest of the day watching TV and eating, and go to bed about 9pm. Then I'd get to campus early before the exam and eat a big breakfast w/juice & coffee. I really think it made the exams much easier to deal with.

Edit - just a quick plug for Michigan: we get a free breakfast spread on exam mornings. Bagels, cream cheese, muffins, butter, jelly, coffee, juice. Maybe hot chocolate too, I don't remember now.

I'm highly considering forwarding this info to our student affairs office. We were limited to fruit.

[James Bond]

Condoms are for sailors

[thesealocust]

edit: never mind

[James Bond]

Condoms are for sailors

How did you swing a name change ?

I wanted my name to reflect my real life persona.

(Actually there was a big hoopla and I reported a higher-up of Testmasters to every major news outlet via my TLS name. A lot of people have name changes now)

[legends159]

LS is a marathon so treat it like one.

If you're going to go balls out, do it at the end.

[IHaveDietMoxie]

If you're going to go balls out, do it at the end.

that's what ....


...she said

[TTT-LS]

.

[steve_nash]

Don't worry about what others are doing.

[TTT-LS]

.

[Aeroplane]

Don't worry about what others are doing.

Solid advice.

+1. It was probably the best single piece of advice I got before law school. I didn't totally follow it, since I still worried sometimes, but I refrained from actually acting on any of the worries (e.g. running out to buy hornbooks & supplements).

[patrickd139]

Apply for summer jobs before grades come out. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[mac.empress]

Carry lunch to school. A brilliant legal eagle cannot live on BK/KFC alone.

[JPeavy44]

Don't worry about what others are doing.

Great advice...very hard to do the first couple of months

[prezidentv8]

Don't worry about what others are doing.

Great advice...very hard to do the first couple of months

I'm going to say the combination of these might be the best tip out there.