I'm only 2 days in LS and I've already had a meltdown. I'm in the process of looking for a mentor in my school, but I have too much to do for now so I figured I would ask TLS first. I have some specific q's regarding how to manage your readings, and more broadly, how to manage your time as a 1L, as well as some miscellaneous questions. I would appreciate any advice.
I'm finding that the readings are so dense to the point that I am spending FAR too much time on them. I'm spending hours and hours on merely 10 pages. After all that, I *think* I've grasped the concept then come to class, hear other people, to realize my grasp is weaker than theirs... I know I need to change my perspective or method of doing this, and am seeking some advice:
- * Should I or should I not be carefully reading the "Notes & Questions" at the end of each chapter some books have? Should I only extract interesting ideas/concepts from this section, and pay closer attention to the rest of the reading?
* Is it important to not mull over every sentence? Should I weed out what is "relevant" and what is not? How can I tell if it is relevant? (isn't that up to the professor's discretion?)
* How did you take notes on/while reading? Typed or written? I'm afraid if I don't take notes while reading, I will have an even harder time recalling ideas/concepts.
* How can I be efficient in condensing my reading notes into an outline? Should my reading notes be concise?
* How do you go about taking notes effectively? Like, how do you go about determining what parts are going to be relevant to exams?
* How did you balance your time with reading the text itself and reading supplements? (i.e. doing CALI lessons/reading E&E's, etc. etc.)
* CASES -- I've read here that I shouldn't spend so much time on case briefs ... what should I be focusing on when I read cases? Some advice I've read on here suggest only skimming thru cases -- is this such a good idea? It seems like professors spend a lot of time on cases during class, but I know it may not be useful when it comes to exams. How do I balance day-to-day reading assignments and preparing for the final?
I know it's early on and I can turn things around. I am seeking a counselor on campus to address some mental health issues going on, and hopefully the counselor can help me with this crippling feeling of failure and doom. I want so badly to do well in LS. Please help me