Top Law Schools

Hi Everyone,

I've seen lots of threads on here about both of these programs, but I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who has used these. As I get ready to start my 1L I've been playing around with both of them. One note seems a little more user friendly but I like the idea that studydesk is specifically created for law students. I have no plans to buy any e-books or aspen study materials electronically, so I won't be using that function.

Studydesk's best feature seems to be that it takes a lot of the time out of outlining, while it's big drawback seems to be that when you create a brief or notes you can't see the full thing at once.

Don't know if there are any drawbacks to ON, but would be interesting in hearing if anyone has them.

Also, if anyone out there has good OneNote templates they're willing to share, I'm definitely on the look out as I try to come up with my own.

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While it may be a positive that Studydesk is specifically made for law students, in that manner I find it somewhat of a negative. I haven't used it personally but your manner of organization seems greatly pigeonholed. While it can definitely be argued that one would create the separation of class notes and briefs on their own, I think you could lose out on the synthesis that can occur through organizing yourself. Kind of like relying on a commercial outline rather than creating your own.

I've just recently found out about OneNote and I greatly wish that I learned about it during undergrad. It seems a lot more fluid and intuitive, allowing one to customize notes and make changes, hyperlink to other notes and other places. Also, I personally like the fact that it can be used for personal, work, and study purposes. The use of Studydesk is purely limited to law school, and if there's an equally viable option out there with expanded usefulness why use the more limited software?

However, I'm a sucker for synergy and it seems interesting to be able to link with e-books. Though I think I'm going to be a cheapskate and spend time in the library and borrow my books rather than spend cash. But, everyone learns differently and while I may find OneNote fluid and intuitive, others may not and instead prefer the structure given by Studydesk.

I think it does behoove other 0Ls to check out note taking software and see what would fit them. Right now I'm trying to convert the information from the Starcraft II armory into a OneNote notebook in order to better learn how to use the program. I was also thinking it might be handy to record all the lectures not to re-listen to them but to use the audio search function to search for phrases like "exam" or "test" to find instances where they mention they'll want to see something in particular for the final haha.

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Take a look at this post, which demonstrates the power of OneNote:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&start=25

Not really familiar with Study Desk. Is there a post that talks about people that have actually used it???? It doesn't look like it's software as much as an on-line tool that links you to stuff. I don't know.

Never mind. Found this:

jennyfrmtheblock wrote:Here is a warning to future law students who want to go with AspenLaw Studydesk:

DON'T DO IT!

Reasons:

1. The build-in concepts will not match your professor's syllabus or your course book outline. AND unfortunately you cannot delete those damn build-ins. You will have to create your own or use similar ones. That will create a huge mess when you create an outline in the end.

2. The case briefs are so cramped and hard to read. You cannot have the whole case brief in front of you in a matter of seconds if you get called on. You will open it and have to scroll up-down, left-right to read what you put in there. Or you can convert it into PDF beforehand and see it on one page, but that way you can't add anything to it or edit it.

3. Don't buy e-books if you can't read off your laptop screen for a couple of hours. YOU CANNOT reprint anything from e-books!!! You cannot make notes in the margins or easily flip from one page to another. You will have to scroll up-down like an idiot for 2 minutes.

4. There are too many "bugs" in Studydesk for it to function flawlessly. Prepare to spend at least an hour a month talking to their tech support fixing the issue.

5. You cannot use hyperlinks or link together a note with a relevant case.

I used it for two months. Got pretty proficient in it and now decided to go with simple MS Word. I understand the concept behind it because I used CaseSoft when I worked as a paralegal, but this software is undeveloped to be used by "young" law students.

It's pretty pathetic for its genus creator from Harvard to go on student forums to defend it. Didn't you make enough from it already?

There are "a lot of threads on StudyDesk"? Funny, I've never heard of it. You sure you can pass a captcha?

Circus Ponies NoteBook for mac works great for me.

http://www.circusponies.com/

studydesk sucks

That seems to be the general conclusion...I was playing with both this weekend, and the size or scrolling didn't bother me when I had my big monitor plugged in, but the instant I took my netbook out of the docking station I saw exactly what the problem was.

I think it's going to be OneNote for sure.