Back to School Series – Blogging Round up [Part 4] August 31, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Back-to-school.2 comments
There is always a wealth of organisational tips for students floating around the web, no more so than the September Back to School season. So I’ve decided to put together a collection of some of the more recent additions that I found worth a read.
A few of our very own law students have been tackling the back to school topic (whether intentionally or not) and have come up with a few gems:
The Uni Looney about to embark on his second year of law school has put together a great list of advice for those starting out at university. Not just for law students, but words of wisdom beneficial to everyone.
Scots Law Student tackles the issue of students going paperless (a well informed post which is worth a read) and taking a laptop to college (addressing issues such as security and backing up).
Michael of Law Actually has also recently written up the conclusion of his open source law student experiment – even if you’re not considering going totally open source there is still some information contained within that applies to all, or may just inspire you consider going open source.
From our friends across the pond there has been a lot of blogging from law students detailing their return or first impressions of law school. A few weeks back we had the 10 commandments of law school from fearfully optimistic ( a collection of tips equally applicable to us), and more recently we had an excellent post on note-taking “You’re a law student not a court reporter“. Over at Legal Geekery the importance of eating correctly (an often looked over
topic) was brought into the spotlight with regards Snacking.
Of course we can’t just take advice from law students, there is other useful stuff out there. Lifehacker the indispensible source of geeky goodies brings us another great back to school series and I would have to recommend reading both Classic ways to boost your note-taking and GTD explained for Students. GetOrganizedWizard blogged How to become a smart student over the summer but I thought it was worth a mention even this close to the new semester in case people hadn’t seen it yet. Ian’s Messy Desk also does a great organising post: how to be an organized student some of the tips given are just common sense but the post is a nice straightforward to the point posting which sums everything up so I thought it was worth a mention. And Organisation for Students talks about getting all moved into halls and includes a list of items to pack.
And finally in the inevitable lists department we have:
Top 100 tools for learning in 2009 although a lot of them you will have used before or probably won’t find that useful – it will be useful to have a quick glance down the list when you have some free time.
Online Universities weblog provides us with 100 best back to school hacks. Again a good list to glance over, and is probably more relevant for students just starting out covering everything from moving in, to organisation and time management.
Deafness – a mix of fear and frustration August 30, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Deafness/HOH, Sign Language.8 comments
I’m taking a break from the B2S series to vent my frustrations. I’m ill which for me equates deafness which only adds to the insanity I’m feeling as I am confined to bed drinking tea on bank holiday weekend no less. As I’ve mentioned before I’m Hard of Hearing (HOH). A while back I met a guy whose hearing level was similar to mine – but he learnt sign language at school (where as I rely totally on lip reading). Annoyed that I was never taught to sign at school I decided to sign up for evening classes in sign language to start mid-September.
This of course was not as simple as I would like – it is one of the few classes that you cannot sign up with online at my local college. I emailed them and they suggested I go in to see them between 9 and 5 which of course doesn’t work for me as I’m in work / commuting to work from 6am until half 6pm. The remaining option was phoning them. Given that I lip I hate phones, but I braved phoning them in my lunch hour – this turned into a disastrous conversation – I couldn’t understand a word they said and they couldn’t understand a word I said and so I didn’t get signed up to the class. Very frustrating.
Now I know there are deaf people are lawyers – but for me the fact that I’m HOH was what put me off trying to become a barrister – that said I still worry about being able to cope as a solicitor. It is a hard thing to get people to understand what I experience, and I’ve found there is a distinct lack of support. Here in the UK both the Group for Solicitors with Disabilities (now lawyers with disabilities division of the law society) and Deaf Lawyers UK seem to be MIA. I’ve emailed both a few months ago now and failed to receive any response. I have debated whether my attempt to reach the lawyers with disabilities was lost during the change in organisation even though they say it shouldn’t have been. As for the deaf lawyers their website hasn’t been updated in a long time. Compare this to America where there is a regular blog and a twitter presence of deaf lawyers – and generally a good sense of community.
I find the UK’s lack of support a great disappointment and in many ways it is discouraging – as it doesn’t bode well for coping in the future. You’d think with all the advancements in social media – it would improve.
I received little support through school and university – but I’ve always considered myself self sufficient. However, more recently I’ve found myself to struggle more, due to a mix of deteriorating hearing and a much more busy work environment, where lip reading is more physically exhausting and probably also hindered by my own unwillingness to announce to the world my difficulties. I have many fears about being able to be a solicitor one day – for example my difficulties in using a telephone confidently – some days it just makes me want to pack it all in. It just seems hard enough to qualify these days without admitting to the fact that you may not be able to do some aspects of the job that should be the most straightforward part.
Back to School Series – Get Organised [Part 3] August 30, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Back-to-school, Organisation.3 comments
How to get organised for the new academic year:
This third installment of my Back to School Series is focusing on those who see the new academic year as an opportunity to finally get some organisation in their lives. Whether they have just started university, or didn’t quite get the grades their hoped for at the end of the last year.
My last posts for undergraduate and LPC students will suit those who already are organised but just need a little help. This post is more for those who just simply are not organised but want to turn over a new leaf.
Have a goal
The thing about turning over a new leaf and getting more organised is that you will usually have something that you want to achieve / get out of it. It is important to work out these goals. Even if you just change one simple thing – you’ve achieved a lot.
My 2 goals at university were broad – get a 2.1, make lifelong friends. During my first year of university I enjoyed doing the minimum work possible, I never did the prep, and I always answered “I’m sorry, I don’t know” in class. I had the lifelong friends but was never going to get my 2.1. My goal then was to change that and become more organised. The main problems I identified were: that I enjoyed having fun, none of my mates went to university which was a bad influence and I kept putting off the work only to do it half heartedly on the way to class (if I was lucky). I changed this by developing a schedule. I’d get up earlier – do the work in the morning before anyone else was awake – I’m only talking about getting up at 9am rather than midday – wasn’t too much of a hardship once I got used to it. I’d then have classes during the day, stay in uni (so no distractions) and do a bit of a write up of the days notes and then come home to dinner, relaxing with friends, and go out most nights of the week. The perfect work-life balance – I was more happy and my grades shot up.
Of course this sort of intense timetabling won’t work for everyone – but the key is – identify your goals, work out what needs to be changed to achieve them, and change one of these things if not all to get closer to your goal.
The first steps to achieve these goals
For most goals the thing in common is the need for a little more organisation. There are 2 things everyone should have – even if you have nothing else you have started the long journey to getting organised. These two things are an academic diary and a to do list.
The Diary.
Shopping for the perfect diary is never easy. I’ve currently got two diaries that I’ve previously blogged about – the Moleskine diary and my to-do-list diary. Both of which I’d highly recommend for anyone deciding to get organised. I enjoy having a *real* diary rather than just using something like Google calendar as notes can be made at any time so you don’t forget.
The moleskine diary is a pocket diary – there are many different styles and you should choose on based on how your day plays out. Some people need a page a day to schedule their appointments – detailing everything, others a page a week as they simply write things like “9am contract lecture” in the Friday box.
It is important to have a timetable that you’ve made for yourself as well as the scheduled classes – have a better idea of when you are going to do prep work and the fun stuff.
The To-do List.
The important thing to note is a diary can often double up as your to-do list. Here I’ve used a desktop diary to detail everything where as here, the pocket diary is sufficient to keep a little tickable list. Of course many people prefer to go the electronic route with RTM for example, or my favourite – mini task (see previous blog post here).
Finally, if you are really not the organised sort, the way I got my bf organised my be something to try – scrap piece of paper – write what you need to do on it (in his case what he had to do to complete his final year project) and use blue tac to stick it above the bed. Get some satisfactions out of scribbling off everything you’ve done. worked wonders for him.(of course there is still the tattoo option).
Once you’ve done all these things (or even any of these things) and stick to them, it will be easier to stay organised: as I’ve often found – Simple things are often the most effective.
The Back to School Series will continue with a collection of other people’s postings that I would recommend, and my additional post on saving your home from thesis monsters (which I am writing at law minx’s request).
Back to School Series – For the Undergraduate [Part 2] August 29, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Back-to-school, Note-taking.6 comments
The main difference between the undergraduate experience and the LPC experience that I blogged about in part 1 is that everything (or the majority of things are done on the computer – sometimes whether you prefer it or not).
This post is not so much about HOW to study at undergraduate level – as the range is too broad – instead I’ve detailed three types of tools that I used at undergrad (out of the wide range of software I’ve tried over the years) that worked well for me, and that I believe that you can’t go wrong with. Any of these methods will serve their purpose with the right motivation and preparation over the course of the academic year.
1. Ready Made – Little/no set up required
For a single service look to Notely (this can also be used by those aspiring to be more organised in the new academic year as it is very straightforward to use.) I used this during my undergraduate degree and found it to be a great addition to my studying routine (see previous detailed posting on it here). For those that don’t like wasting time getting their services from the far reaches of the web – this is a useful service. However, for some people Notely may have more features than they know what they do with, which is why sometimes juggling only the things you need works better, for example I used to use google cal, google docs (see previous posting here) and remember the milk.
2. Use of a wiki to provide more creative freedom
Need your own voice to do what you want? A wiki is the solution. As I mentioned in my LPC Post PBworks (PBwiki) is a great online wiki, simple to use and edit. The benefits of the wiki are obvious – mainly the freedom to design it as you want.
PBwiki is useful because it is an online service (great for the LPC when I didn’t take my own laptop to uni).
As an undergrad, I took my laptop everywhere so as an alternative to doing everything online, is the downloadedable Linked Notes (I use Basic) which is great for general note taking – it creates a tree like structure for your notes. It also links pages automatically for you. This works well if you incorporate your own glossary for legal terms or cases. For example you would keep a page entitled by a case name, and write about it on that page, and then any time you refer to it on any other page within linked notes it will automatically link in and you can just click on it to read the information – this is a great function as to do this in most other note-taking methods, you will have to manually put it in yourself. The downside is something like if you’ve entitled a page with a common term like property it will link in each time even though you may be using it in all different contexts – of course it is all in the wording and you learn to get round this easy enough.
3. For Every Student: the classic
I know that everyone knows about onenote (see previous detailed review here) by now, but you really can’t beat the classics. The ability to dump all your thoughts, link pages, create the layout with a certain amount of freedom means it works well both for the organised and those who need a more relaxed approach.
Another great thing, particularly when it comes to coursework and revision is the search function for quickly highlighting and finding the things you need. Just type in the search term and all the pages with the term change colour to be identifiable. Very useful.
And as silly as it sounds I also loved simple things such as the ability to make it pretty. and getting the satisfaction of ticking off things on my to-do lists.
The Back to School series will continue soon with how to get more organised. Feel free to share what works for you and/or ask questions.
Back to School Series – LPC perspective [Part 1] August 27, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Back-to-school, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Note-taking.5 comments
For those starting the LPC this year the thing to remember is computer use less, notetaking more. It was a surprise at first not to be joined at the hip to my laptop, but with practical based classes, and a couple of hour long seminars the last thing anybody wanted to do was mess around with their computer. Things to remember:
1. Get the supplies
So go out and buy LOTS of sturdy notebooks (and pens). Some people use the ones with plastic dividers in them others use file paper. I used a mix of both. The notebook was for preparation and in-class notes, then I’d either write up or type up my notes neatly which would then be added into my folder, along with the tutor’s handouts. You will also do a lot of highlighting and annotating of textbooks – something I had not done a lot of before starting the LPC. So get a bunch of multicoloured highlighters, sticky tabs and erasable pens (which can be a godsend for keeping the textbook tidy if you are not great at writing neatly like myself.) A big bag is also a must – the books are heavy (that, or a small bag and strong arms).
2. Have a system for taking good notes
The best way to take notes in my opinion is to focus on a number of things. Firstly there is always a lot of preparation to do. For each class there is a chapter or two (sometimes 5) to read in preparation. Information is good to know in advance of class but if you have time its good to read again after class and go through noting the important parts. There can be a lot of information, not all of it is given the same weight.
My style of notetaking for the LPC, might not be useful to everyone, and is not limited to the LPC can also be used for undergrad, but I find it great for the preliminary notes. When preparing for class I will have read the required reading and completed the accompanying work. (usually a set of questions, forms to fill in etc). Then I will only write one page of the notebook, leaving the adjacent page blank. In class we usually would go over the prep work (or at least the parts people were struggling with) the blank space would allow me to note down the extra things people said, whether they were specifically answering the question, exam tips or simply points of general interest. I also did this for in-class exercises – complete the exercise, leave a blank page, annotate.
It is also useful to highlight key things in your notes - so you can have a quick answer for when the tutor calls on you. I always used to highlight, section numbers, civil procedure rules, and forms etc.
3. Prepare NOW for Later
Passing the LPC is based on the strength of your notes (one of the reasons why everyone *borrowed* my notes). What you do with the mess of class notes really depends on how the individual learns – hopefully by the time you are completing the LPC you will know what works for you. Some people like to type up all their notes – make it neat print it off and stick it in their file and never look at it again until exam time. For some people that works just fine. But that is not the way I learn. For me it needs to be visual. I need to work with the material not just tidy it up – so my methods as mention elsewhere in my blog are to use the material to create additional material – hence the number of lists, tables and annotations in coloured pen that make up my notes.
4. Enlist the help of the computer
Although on the LPC a lot of the work is done on paper. But having a good way to organise notes on the computer still helps particularly if you are the type it all up type. During my LPC I used two main notetaking methods (although there were others I used – see here for my notetaking posts).
For mac users you cannot beat circus ponies. Simply wonderful notetaking software. With a great visual impact – pretty much a virtual version of the regular notebook. You can add pages, divide pages use lined, plain or squared pages. A linked contents and index made automatically and you even have the swooshing sound as you turn the page. Can also be exported to the web – I used this and shared it with classmates.
For windows, the closest equivalent is One Note – which I used religiously during my undergrad, but stayed clear of during my LPC as my needs weren’t the same. Instead I used PBwiki (now called PBworks) (which I also used during undergrad). PBWiki is the classic online wiki, no set up required, simple and easy to use. just type and link everything in. (see here and here for previous posts on PBwiki). I chose this for several reasons the freedom it gives to create and link pages in a way that suits, the fact that it is online and I can access it anywhere and The actual method I used to organise this is simply in a layered format with everything linked in, including web links etc. great for painting the bigger picture. But some people may consider this a waste of time if it doesn’t fit in with their study methods. As anything done on the computer (unless you print it off) cannot be taken into any of the open book exams.
Finally build up a good stockpile of weblinks, and don’t underestimate how much the information out there can help you.
5. Enlist the help of friends
On the LPC I found colleagues more willing to help each other than undergrad (as we were in the same group until march, sitting together everyday – it would be hard not to become good friends.) So upon starting the LPC, get to know people and be friends, you may only be together a year but they can be a great support system.
As a lot of what we do it open to interpretation and also because we get so much work, it is interesting to see where others place the focus of their studies. Different people will put different importance on different things, and it is nice to see a different perspective. Additionally it is important to note that if you enjoy a subject you are more likely to work harder at it and create better notes – if you had a subject and find that your notes are lacking head straight to the person who enjoys that subject – there will always be something that you can return the favour with.
The back to school series will continue with the undergrad posting.
The Back to School Series [Intro] August 26, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Back-to-school.5 comments
It is officially the BACK TO SCHOOL season. In the shops, in the news, in the blogs. So now it is my turn to jump on the bandwagon. I’ve decided to do a collection of posts aimed at different types of students based on my experiences rather than wax lyrical about all the “you-can’t-live-without-this” school tools. It is not going to be all the BRAND NEW AND SHINY things that are being advertised like mad, but rather the classics, that never fail to disappoint. I will also do a posting on a collection of other people’s materials that I have enjoyed, used and would recommend.
My first post will be aimed at those starting on the LPC. When I first started this blog, that was the position I was in – and it will be nice to do a little reminiscing while I am at it. The post will focus on the need for a paper system, rather than always being on the computer and how best to get started now, to save time later.
The second post will be aimed at the undergraduate with the hefty workload, multiple subjects and a predisposition for being organised.
The third post will be aimed at those trying to get organised, and that are in need of a simple and quick fix to solve all their problems.
And then my final post will delight in what else is out there (from some of my favourite blogs) that I recommend reading.
Daily Commute: Haruki Murakami August 24, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Daily Commute.4 comments
Over the past week on the train I’ve indulged in two Haruki Murakami books:
A thin, slender book, which seemed somehow the right kind of book to take on my 6am train – however, in hindsight a collection of short stories was probably not the best Murakami novel to start with.
After the Quake is a collection of short stories showcasing different people’s experiences after the earthquake and focusing on the individuals friendships and relationships. Painting a picture. Elegantly written and incredibly imaginative. I love his style. That said, I felt like some of the stories were cut too short and the many isolated incidents left me feeling empty.
Having read After the Quake I was inspired to try out another of Haruki Murakami’s books – a more well known one this time – Norwegian wood.
Norwegian Wood
My boyfriend bought this book a while back, attracted simply by the Beatles reference. I was uncertain whether I would like it as we don’t really share the same tastes when it comes to reading material.
The story has a sort of sweet sadness to it – a tender love story told from the perspective of a man remembering his university days. The scenes and emotions are captured perfectly and I came away feeling a strong connection with the characters. A truely captivating book – I almost forgot to get off the train.
Worth a read.
Expectations August 23, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Personal Life.6 comments
Yesterday I went to a self-defence seminar on pressure points and ground fighting. The seminar was for people of all fighting abilities including newbies like myself and my unsuspecting victim friend.
I am 5 ft, 6.5 stones, have a slight build – and I’ve always thought I stand no chance against any attacker. That said, the seminar inspired some confidence. It was an amazing feeling to be able to get someone twice my size to back off.
The 3 hour class focused on different techniques that can be used. The instructor gave the example that a fighter can withstand a severe beating, and being kicked on the shins mid-fight – but will still feel pain at 2 o’clock in the morning when he walks into the coffee table in the dark. It is all about expectations – he is not expecting to bang his shins therefore it hurts – he has not mentally prepared for it. We tried out a number of attacks that can surprise an attacker to allow you to fight, or run. We then practiced this in a number of situations such as face to face attacks, being in a headlock, being on the ground and being pinned against the wall. Obviously we were practising with friends and trying to not hurt them too much – but it worked – I can only imagine the effect if you tried it when scared and fighting to hurt and get away.
I had never considered self-defence classes before – but I would say I’d recommend one to everyone to prepare for anything that may happen. Practical benefits aside – it was also a great chance to unwind, and meet new people.
Apologies. August 23, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Personal Life.2 comments
Apologies for not being around much, as I’ve tweeted, I lost my internet connection over the past couple of weeks (due to moving flats and the mix up with the internet provider etc etc). But hopefully from here on out I shall be back to normal.
Review of Rape Legislation – My views. August 5, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in In the News.5 comments
It was reported today in the Times that -
Ms Harman vetoed the review at the last minute because she has wants the legislative proposals are toughened up to better address the concerns of women.
…
Ms Harman is understood to want a more radical overhaul of the law which could include targets for prosecutors and police to secure more convictions.
I shall never understand this country’s obsession with TARGETS. Yes, the conviction rate is pretty much non-existent (for many reasons) – but if there is not enough evidence there is not enough evidence – rape unfortunately is one of those things that women do lie about and it would be unfair for those falsely accused to be convicted of such a serious crime – simply to meet government targets rather than having anything to do with evidence. I am not saying nothing should be done – as a rape victim myself (whose case got nowhere I will add, through no fault of my own) – I do believe that not enough is being done. But in no way is meeting quotas going to help. Although we aim to protect women and victims, we cannot and shouldn’t make the law too one sided.
Campaigners say that women face a culture of disbelief and delayed responses from police, which can mean vital evidence being lost, and that more training is required to ensure that rape is treated as a serious crime.
They also suggest that juries need more guidance. Research has found that many believe that if a women did not do everything to fight off her attacker, or if she had been drinking, she was complicit.
I do agree with these comments in the times article – based on my own experience with the police and with friends. 2 years ago I was raped by one of my best friends in my own house after a night out. It was a confusing experience (because it was a close friend rather than a stranger, and because our mutual friends were torn over who to believe) so I didn’t go to the police right away. I left it a few days. Which was wrong in their eyes – and to them it was me “covering my tracks” and they accused me of lying and simply cheating on my boyfriend. They used the fact I didn’t tell my parents against me (given that they live abroad I didn’t want to worry them at the time, I told them when I saw them face to face). And the used the fact that I had been drinking against me. It was also dealt with by a male police officer which also made me feel uncomfortable. They also accused me of not telling them things (when I did), ridiculed me and made me feel worthless. This was at a point when I had lost my best friends, been kicked out my house, was commuting an hour to uni and was *trying* to study for my 2nd yr law exams on top of being raped.
I would hope that not everyone experiences the same thing I did with the police. I think support needs to be there for people to encourage them to go to the police in the first place – low conviction rate, why put yourself through all the stress. Secondly, this issue is a sensitive one, and one that should be dealt with accordingly. That said, my issues, based on my experience are with the system are nothing to do with the law (although it does need a review) and everything to do with the police. At the time I knew there would not be a conviction, but I hoped by reporting it it may help some other person later down the line.
It’s been 2 years now, and there is many a night I still cry myself to sleep and many a day when I burst into tears for no reason. Sometimes simply because there was just so many unresolved issues. That year was the worst year of my life, trying to piece my life back together and salvage my 2.1 after my miserable exam performance. Even now some things aren’t the same. I could never expect the law or the police to solve the issues I have but it would have been nice to feel at some point during the whole thing that someone was on my side.
My rant over. Let them continue to fight amongst themselves.
