189: Making Class Time Productive in Law School

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're talking about what to focus on in class so that you can get the most out of the experience.

In this episode we discuss:

• What going to class teaches you that books, outlines, and supplements cannot
• Why paying attention to what your professor thinks is important is very important
• Why in-class hypotheticals are so important to your understanding of the law, and to preparing for the exam
• How class can help you learn to live with ambiguity and think like a lawyer
• How learning the policy behind the laws can help you piece together what you learn into a coherent whole
• Ways to enhance your listening and note-taking to set you up for success later
• Why you should strongly consider handwriting your class notes
• How to handle distractions and why you should really unplug in class

Resources:

• Podcast Episode 62: Surviving the Socratic Method in Law School Classes (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-62-surviving-the-socratic-method-in-law-school-classes/)
• A Novel Listening Technique for Law Students: “Professor Says” (https://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/10/a-novel-listening-technique-for-law-students-professor-says/)
• Are You Taking Good Law School Class Notes? (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/taking-good-law-school-class-notes/)
• Is Handwriting Notes a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/is-handwriting-notes-a-good-thing-or-a-bad-thing/)
• The Cornell Note-taking Method (http://lsc.cornell.edu/notes.html)
• Evernote (https://evernote.com/)
• Cal Newport: Digital Minimalism (https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy/dp/0525536515)
• Start Law School Right (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/start-law-school-right/)

Download the Transcript (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-189-why-you-should-go-to-class-and-how-to-make-it-productive/)

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!

Thanks for listening!

Alison & Lee