Laptop Notebook

September 2010
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Laptop Carrier Backpack

	Picnic Time Cellar Insulated Six Bottle Wine Tote with Trolley List Price: $69.95 Sale Price: $56.88
	The Cellar from Picnic Time, Inc. has been designed with functionality in mind.

	Laptop Backpack & Expandable Small Animal Backpack Pet Carrier.Includes Pet Dome House. Perfect for Small Dog,Cat,Rabbit,Ferret. (Expands 9" to 13" max width for pet) Color May Vary Black or Beige List Price: $178.00 Sale Price: $120.00
	Pet at Work Travel SystemEmanuele Bianchi designed a pet back-pack, a laptop computer carrier and a foldable pet crate, all in one The P@W (Pet At Work) is an ingenious solution for those of you who enjoy taking your small pet with you to work, traveling or visiting friends and family...

	Fashion Netbook Neoprene Sleeve Case (Black/Red) for Acer Aspire One 531 10.1" Netbook List Price: $32.99 Sale Price: $12.83
	Protecting your netbook doesn't mean that it has to be dull or boring. This beautiful neoprene netbook sleeve case allows you to protect your netbook while expressing yourself! With matching zippers and lining, this sleeve takes close note to every detail...

	Fashion Netbook Neoprene Sleeve Case (Black/Red) for Dell Inspiron Mini 10 List Price: $32.99 Sale Price: $12.83
	Protecting your netbook doesn't mean that it has to be dull or boring. This beautiful neoprene netbook sleeve case allows you to protect your netbook while expressing yourself! With matching zippers and lining, this sleeve takes close note to every detail...

	Built NY E-BPM-BLK Medium Laptop Back Pack (Black) List Price: $79.99 Sale Price: $29.95
	Ultra-slim backpack streamlines the transport of your laptop and accessories.

	Clear Backpack With Wheels List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $31.99

Law School Supplies/Prep?
I'm starting law school in August, and would like to start getting myself prepared. Does anyone have suggestions on what supplies I should start looking into (laptop suggestions, backpack suggestions, laptop carriers, etc etc)?

Also, any suggestions on how to prepare myself during the next couple months, and any suggestions on how to survive the first few months of law school would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

thanks all!

1) Laptops: I used one my first year, but then the screen went out (right after the warranty expired), so I used notebooks (e.g. good old pen and paper) the last two years. Personally, I would recommend pen and paper. Taking notes on a laptop turns most people into "the court stenographer" (which is what most of my professors called them) because you just type whatever the professors says and you don't take anything in. Also, having your laptop introduces the urge to play solitaire, surf the web, or chat with your friends. It's a distraction and you can live without it. Also, you want have to be lugging around a $1,000+ piece of equipment, no matter how light it is. Additionally, there are the horror stories (laptops crashing and destroying all of your notes the week before finals). I'm the kind of person who needs to write things down with my hands and draw charts, etc., so taking notes by hand was really invaluable. Also, my grades jumped when I dumped the laptop, as did those of several of my friends who did the same.

Before I forget, my school had some deal with Lenovo: I would not recommend them. They screwed up my order and I found out 2 days before school started that they had cancelled my order (despite the fact that I had made the order several weeks before). Ridiculous.

2) Backpacks: Another reason to dump the laptop. Seriously, law school books are insanely heavy. And you will have a ton of them. Most schools have lockers where you can store them between classes, but you will at some point have to cart them to and fro. I tried the regular backpack thing (with the separate laptop bag) during my first year. By about a month into school, my back was killing me and my backpack was falling apart. So I bought one of those rolling laptop cases. My back didn't hurt, but the bag didn't have enough space to hold my books, and the seams split. I then upgraded to what I believe was actually a piece of luggage (Swiss Army roller bag) and that was awesome. Plenty of space for my laptop and books, and very durable. Until the next semester. I dumped the laptop, but had two classes that required separate binders and books. So I bought another Swiss Army roller bag (this time one that doubled as a huge backpack, see below). On lighter days, I could use a regular back pack, but I used the giant bag on the day when I had more classes. THE LESSON: get a roller bag. You will look like a dork, but it's better than have the spine of a 90 year old when you're not even 30. Moreover, get one that is really durable (again, I'm a Swiss Army fan) because you will wear it out.

3) Misc supplies: it depends on what you like. I started with multi-colored highlighters and had a system (each color was for a different part of the case) that would help me identify the different parts of the case. That helped at the beginning, but I dropped it halfway through the first semester. By the end I was just taking notes in my book with a pen or pencil. I would recommend some post it notes of different sizes (so you can write questions you have about a case, or write down questions that you think of during class that you want to ask later). I'm also a huge fan of removable index tabs (I marked each case so that I could flip to it quickly if need be). There's a guy on ebay who sells them really cheaply: http://stores.ebay.com/InkPaper-n-more. He has decent prices on a lot of stuff. You will defintely need some sort of calendar.

4) Make a schedule and stick to it. Our school told us to budget 2-3 hours of studying for each hour of class. It sounds excessive, but it's about right (some classes will require less, some more). Block out a schedule of your classes and when you will study for each one.

5) Go to class and take notes. You might know someone who will give you their notes if you miss class, but be selective about who you get your notes from: don't ask the chick who is reading celebrity gossip blogs during class for her notes. Make friends with people who actually pay attention in class so that you can miss class and not feel completely lost. I usually had one person in the class who I felt comfortable asking for notes (and relying on said notes); if we both missed a class, we just went and talked to the professor about the reading. That being said, I rarely missed class and, if I did, it was usually for a good reason (although I did take an afternoon off to celebrate when Donald Rumsfeld resigned).

6) Do the readings ahead of time and then review your notes (or what you wrote in the book) before class. While you can get by if you just go to class, you can't succeed unless you actually do the readings. Anyone who says otherwise is full of it. Some professors never call on people, others call on people in a certain order (so you know when you're "up"), and others call on people in a seemingly random order. You don't want to get called on when you haven't done the reading. It's embarrassing (or it should be) and sometimes they won't let you off the hook. I had one professor -- who I had for 4 classes -- and during that entire time I forgot to do two readings (one case and an article). Each of those times, he called on me. They have a sixth sense for these things and they take sick pleasure in watching law students squirm. They also have finely tuned BS detectors, and they talk about students incessantly outside of class (amongst other professors). So, if you don't care that you're the laughing stock of the faculty, then go to class unprepared and BS your way through it. But if you care remotely about your reputation and getting recommendations, then be vigilently prepared.

7) Study groups: a lot of people say that law school is exactly like high school, which it can be. Whether it's that way by nature or because people are immature is up for debate, but one of the ways 1Ls get caught in the peer pressure loop is through study groups. If you find some people you like and they seem relatively level with you on academics and study habits, then form a group. If it's just people you hang out with at lunch, think twice. You don't want people who, to be blunt, are dead weight. They will drag you down, come to each meeting unprepared and contribute nothing to the group. Cut them loose. Also, watch out for the leeches: people who just want to drain you of whatever resources you have. They might be smart, but they're lazy. I don't necessarily buy into the whole competition at all costs thing, but don't bend over backwards to help people who won't even help themselves. I know a lot of people who formed a group and then split up classes (i.e. one person would take notes and write the outline for that class and then share it with everyone else): don't do this. It's stupid because 1) anyone in the group could be an idiot and 2) it means you haven't engaged with the material in at least 3-4 of your classes. It's a recipe for disaster.

Final bits of advice: get 8 hours of sleep a night and make your bedroom a law school-free sanctuary. Study in your living room, dining room, or the library. But you need a place where law books are never allowed. Start your outlining early (i.e. when you finish the first chapter in each class) and add to it as the semester progresses.