From Must . . . sleep a blog from a 1st year Northwestern law student:

As promised, a few reflections on the first year, to be added to as the mood strikes:
1) Take econ before you come. Not a lot of it, just like an intro class. I hadn't had economics since high school, and only vaguely remembered supply and demand curves. But in torts, contracts, property AND con law, we talked about the economic effects of this or that black-letter rule. So yeah, take econ. It's not that you'll be screwed if you don't, it'll just be one less thing that makes you want to cry at night.
2) I cannot overemphasize this: I hope you have a good system for reading and digesting information. Some people use multiple colors of highlighters, etc. I use stars and brackets and underlining, and even that could use some refining.
3) Buying your own, huge, unabridged version of Black's Law Dictionary is probably a waste. I bought the paperback, abridged version and I'm fine. I barely ever look at it, so I'm glad I didn't go all out and buy the big one.
4) Along that vein, buy a Bluebook guide to legal citation. Here at Northwestern, the legal writing program teaches us the ALWD system of citing, but that's not what anyone really uses (as I understand it). So you know, learn ALWD if they make you, but buy a Bluebook too. I'm going to.
5) Free beer is terrific.
6) Also, I enjoy free shirts, free candy and the like from various firms and Westlaw/Lexis Nexis. Particularly free coffe. Thank you, Westlaw!
7) And...sleep. I promise you it only gets more confusing if you don't sleep enough.
8) Don't drink when doing reading for class. The one exception to this: I found that a beer greatly enhanced my understanding of contracts. But that may just be me. And note that I said "A" beer, not "12" beers.

My response? Screw this lawyer stuff - I'm going back to school.
- posted by Tom Sawyer @ 3:12 PM