Anyone NOT highlight their casebooks? Forum

[CordeliusX]

I got one of my casebooks late, and I can't bring myself to mar it up with the ugliness that is highlighting...

Seriously, I realized I tend to read paragraphs, take notes, then move on. Not even sure how the highlighting will help me in the long run. Still, I am open to suggestion.

Anyone firmly believe in highlighting or not? And if so, do you use a color-code system?

[Grizz]

Just do whatever works for you. It doesn't matter.

[20160810]

It is literally impossible to finish top-10% if you do not highlight your casebooks.

[kswiss]

I think it is subjective. I don't want to have all of the information in like 3 or 4 different places, so I try to put all of the casebook stuff in the actual casebook.

Casebooks are expensive...but so is law school. If I can save several hours a week by marking the shit out of my casebook so I don't have to write out notes, I'm gonna do it. I'd rather read supplements and actually try to get the big picture (and watch TV.) I say beat the shit out of books. They're just paper.

Here's what I do:

I try to get through the casebook as fast as possible, and I try to take as few notes as possible during the reading so that I don't get caught up in the minutia.

I basically do a quick read through of the entire case with just a pencil and draw arrows and underline or whatever to make sure I'm actively reading. I've also been notating one side with the main point of each paragraph so I can have a meta-layer to see the overall format of the argument (this is kind of for my amusement. I doubt it will be helpful for anything.) When I get through the case, I have a pretty good idea of what I'm supposed to be getting out of the case as far as where it fits into the overall picture.

Then I take my highlighter, skim through to that spot, usually less than a paragraph, and I highlight.

I usually only have like 3 or 4 highlights per case, pretty much all in the analysis section. If there are concurrences/dissents that have good counterarguments, I'll hit those too.

Then I distill the highlights into 1 or 2 sentences and put them in my notes. If I know I'm going to be called on I'll put a little more detail. Otherwise I throw caution to the wind and hope that my little notes in the margins can guide me to info if I get called on.

My plan is to just key the stuff that will actually have some bearing on what will be tested. Then when I go through and outline, I can go back through my casebook and just pay attention to the highlighted parts, and get a good overview of an area of law (along with supplements etc.)

In class, I have a highlighter too, in case I miss something and the Prof points it out. I just highlight and put a note in the side. If it is more substantive (or something that seems like it will be tested), I put it in my actual class notes.

[rdcws000]

I got one of my casebooks late, and I can't bring myself to mar it up with the ugliness that is highlighting...

Seriously, I realized I tend to read paragraphs, take notes, then move on. Not even sure how the highlighting will help me in the long run. Still, I am open to suggestion.

Anyone firmly believe in highlighting or not? And if so, do you use a color-code system?

Haha, this is kind of funny, because I also went through a period where I thought "what a shame it would be to mark this book up". I went the first week or two with no highlighting.

I don't highlight like crazy, but I did eventually started highlighting. I'm still writing briefs, and highlighting really increases the speed of this process. Also I try to keep the highlighting to such a minimum that I only capture highly relevant holdings that explain rules. I don't know how this will turn out, but my hope is maybe I can even skim through the book to help study/outline/answer outstanding questions later in the year.

[rynabrius]

Some people love those little stickies.

I like using pencil.

To each his own.

[kalvano]

No. Highlighting has never had any beneficial effect for me, ever.

Sadly, this means I will have to settle for top 11%.

[Jackie O]

I do not highlight, but the highlighting of the previous owners of my books has been useful while in class

many of them stopped highlighting halfway through the course, so I may start at that point (but only because of OCD tendencies)

[California Babe]

Highlighting is for the birds.

[Harry Ballsogna]

I only highlight rules, and places where the law is transformed, etc. These are the things that I usually write in my notes anyways.

I find it most useful for actual class discussion...It really allows me to open up the casebook and hone in on the 1-2 important concepts of the case. I've experimented with no highlights, and it doesn't seem to keep me as focused in class. Usually its 3-7 lines total per case. I look at some people's casebook, and it looks like literally half the page is soaked in neon. But I guess its whatever gets the job done. "Selective" highlighting works great for me.

[Renzo]

It is literally impossible to finish top-10% if you do not highlight your casebooks in a minimum of 3 colors.

[Mickey Quicknumbers]

I haven't touched mine except to read it. I plan on reselling my entire library from this semester to a future 1L next year in one all-inclusive like-new package and make more of my money back than any of those highlighting suckers.

[Riles246]

It is literally impossible to finish top-10% if you do not highlight your casebooks.

Incorrect. I finished my 1L year with a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale (3.0 curve), putting me in the top 10%, without ever touching a highlighter. I wrote my notes in *gasp* my notebook.

I also only buy new books so that I'm not bothered by the highlights of previous students.

[General Tso]

nope

[Baylan]

I haven't touched mine except to read it. I plan on reselling my entire library from this semester to a future 1L next year in one all-inclusive like-new package and make more of my money back than any of those highlighting suckers.

I hope highlighting won't help... That $400 that you just made is totally worth it.

What I'm trying to say is this: if highlighting helps, not doing it for a few hundred bucks is absolute chump change in the long run. The cost/benefit analysis says this: do whatever works for you, but if highlighting helps you, it is totally worth it to do it. You'll gain a lot more by doing well and highlighting, than doing poorly and selling back your books for a few more dollars.

[rynabrius]

It is literally impossible to finish top-10% if you do not highlight your casebooks.

Incorrect. I finished my 1L year with a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale (3.0 curve), putting me in the top 10%, without ever touching a highlighter. I wrote my notes in *gasp* my notebook.

I also only buy new books so that I'm not bothered by the highlights of previous students.

Obvious troll -- it is impossible.

[Mickey Quicknumbers]

I haven't touched mine except to read it. I plan on reselling my entire library from this semester to a future 1L next year in one all-inclusive like-new package and make more of my money back than any of those highlighting suckers.

I hope highlighting won't help... That $400 that you just made is totally worth it.

What I'm trying to say is this: if highlighting helps, not doing it for a few hundred bucks is absolute chump change in the long run. The cost/benefit analysis says this: do whatever works for you, but if highlighting helps you, it is totally worth it to do it. You'll gain a lot more by doing well and highlighting, than doing poorly and selling back your books for a few more dollars.

Don't think highlighting is a real difference maker, I transcribe everything relevant I can find into onenote anyways, so the point doesn't apply though.

[jkay]

I have three different brands of highlighter, all pink.

[20160810]

It is literally impossible to finish top-10% if you do not highlight your casebooks.

Incorrect. I finished my 1L year with a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale (3.0 curve), putting me in the top 10%, without ever touching a highlighter. I wrote my notes in *gasp* my notebook.

I also only buy new books so that I'm not bothered by the highlights of previous students.

You're lying.

[Renzo]

I have three different brands of highlighter, all pink.

You're going to fail. You need three different colors, all one brand.

[GeePee]

ITT: 3L's terrorize insecure 1L's because they have nothing else to do with their time... and it's probably pretty entertaining.

[Baylan]

ITT: 3L's terrorize insecure 1L's because they have nothing else to do with their time... and it's probably pretty entertaining.

ITT 1L's make fun of other 1L's for not going back to TLS's basic mantra of 1L work: "Do what works for you, not what we tell you to do."

[joeshmo39]

There was a girl in my torts class who didn't highlight. She got cold-called on Thursday and exploded. True story.

[Stanford4Me]

It is literally impossible to finish top-10% if you do not highlight your casebooks.

Incorrect. I finished my 1L year with a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale (3.0 curve), putting me in the top 10%, without ever touching a highlighter. I wrote my notes in *gasp* my notebook.

I also only buy new books so that I'm not bothered by the highlights of previous students.

You're lying.

Also, I think I'm going to stop highlighting next week. It's more of a psychological soother than an actual benefit.

[JazzOne]

I buy new books. I never highlight in them. I don't like to bring them to class because my book bag will bend the corners of the hard cover. I also don't like to crack the spine, so I only open my books to a maximum of 158 degree angle. I try to touch the pages as little as possible, and I certainly don't handle my books for at least two hours after I put on any kind of lotion or soap. The books should never be left in the car lest the heat dry and crinkle the pages. No chips, no dip, and never let your forehead or face touch the paper.