exhaustedlawstudent

[exhaustedlawstudent]

i wonder how the nicaragua case is taught in the us....

#anyone? #okay jk (maybe? i think i would like to know) #international law #lawblr

[exhaustedlawstudent]

when they told you iudex non calculat but then you have to read “how international law works: a rational choice theory” by guzman 🙃🙃🙃

#international law #lawblr #studyblr #inka comments

[exhaustedlawstudent]

i can’t believe that there are supreme court justices in the usa who are originalists. understanding a document the way the people, who wrote it, meant it is something you do with theological texts and not with fucking law. how is that even a discussion let alone a judicial philosophy that is held by the most important lawyers of a country?

#germany would never (at least i hope and strongly believe so) #i can't believe we're now at a point at which germany has something to teach the us about democracy and not the other way around #posting this here because i don't wan to annoy my followers on my main #law #us politics #inka comments

[exhaustedlawstudent]

This Is How You Actually Take Notes In College, Bitches

it’s occurred to me that nobody fuckin knows how to take notes in classes and most advice about it is bad. What the fuck are “key words?”

So anyway here’s how I’ve gotten a’s in all my classes in college so far

I’m not gonna bother too much with telling you to take notes in class. Everyone knows that shit. But most people’s note taking skills suck ass and there are two main types of sucking ass I have observed

The first is the one where your notes look like a list of key terms and words. Sometimes they are underlined or there are dashes that connect them to other words. So if your prof was talking about Henry VIII you’d write down something like

Henry VIII

Church of England—divorce

DON’T DO THAT. Those words are gonna show up on the test, sure, but writing them down isn’t gonna help you with the test. What the fuck does any of that mean? High school is shit and your “key words” can’t help you now.

Here’s the other type of bad note taking:

It was necessary for Henry VIII to have a male heir who could succeed him, but his wife was unable to conceive a son. The Catholic Church

I stopped writing there because your professor moved on to something else. But, tbh, even if you can write fast enough to keep up with the content of the lectures (and you can’t for the entire lecture) it’s not helpful to have a solid wall of Everything That Was Covered In The Lecture, in grammatically correct complete sentences. Are you gonna read that shit again? No!

And honestly most people have like, sentences here and there that look important instead of the whole lecture. Which is also bad.

So what’s the not shitty way to take notes? It comes down to these principles:

Shorthand

Show Relationships of Things

These kind of go together

I cannot emphasize enough that you don’t need to write sentences like a normal person. Shorthand everything, and I don’t mean some fucked up studying shorthand you just came up with like “AmR” for American Revolution, I mean like...fuckin text/memespeak. Don’t write complete sentences, completely abandon formality. Abbreviate anything you would in a text message, you know what it means.

HOWEVER: You Must Show How Things Are Related To Things

To understand broad concepts you gotta understand how the things in them are related to other things.

That’s why writing down “Henry VIII” and “Church of England” isn’t gonna help you, because you’re not learning that there is a Church of England.

Did Henry VIII burn the Church of England? Cheat on his wife with it? Who knows? Definitely not you.

This is why you have to connect stuff like

Catholic Church says no divorce

Henry VIII—starts Church of England

But ya know you can make that more memorable AND more clearly show how one thing caused the other

Henry VIII: divorce >:)

Catholic Church: no

Henry VIII: fuk u *church of england*

I’m completely dead serious about this, this kind of slang is very good at indicating exactly how things relate to things in zero time and you know exactly what it means and you’ll remember it

But furthermore

You have to come up with shorthand to quickly indicate how things are related. Say you write down the definitions of two terms for like, opposing theories on government in class. That’s great but you’re leaving it to yourself to work out the opposing part later from what you write, and your brain’s a flaky bitch.

Like part of what you’re doing it giving yourself help with HOW to study your notes later.

So like. Do something like write a jagged line in between the definitions, indicating conflict. Write “OTOH” or “HOWEVER” in between in big fuckin letters. Writing down “Catholic Church” and what that is and “Church of England” and what that is, is fine. But like, if the main theme is the contrast between the two, “Catholic Church HOWEVER Church of England” immediately tells you the basicest basics. It’s like a tiny outline, telling you what to expect. Sure, you can figure it out reading your notes but I’m telling you how to write skimmable notes that you can glean stuff from even when you’re half spaced out and shit, okay?

Same thing for like, dates and sequences and cause-and-effect and stuff. Even if you’ve got the dates down...be sure to put arrows or something so even at a glance you’ve got basically what’s going on.

Also i know it feels like wasting paper but DONT scrunch all your notes together into small space on the paper. That lil dialogue between Henry and the Church of England is spread out over 3 lines which means if you have ADHD like me you can actually fuckin read it. Turn things into bullet lists. Indent things with little arrows to show things leading to things. If there’s a clear move to a new topic, new page. If you’re actually filling up the paper all the way that shits hard to read and it’s even harder to pick out the Big Important Stuff.

Last word of advice: If you end up like writing down two things and can’t tell what they’re for or how they’re related to each other...ASK QUESTIONS. Like “I’m sorry can you explain how the Church of England is related to the Catholic Church? I didn’t quite catch that.” If talking in class makes you feel like you might be percieved badly, you can frame it like a Nerd Question “So, what kind of relationship would you say the Church of England and the Catholic Church had?” or just play it off like you didn’t hear it like “I’m sorry, what was that last thing you said about the Church of England and the Catholic Church?”

Or just make a mark on your notes to remind yourself that you need more info and to go to your prof’s office to ask questions. I would really not be nervous about that, professors normally really like it when students show that they really want to succeed in the class and that they care. Unless they’re like, a complete dickhead, in which case, fuck what they think, right? You’re gonna ask questions and it’s their problem because you’re essentially paying them for your presence in the class.

So...yeah.

#i really need to get better at taking notes #i'm more than two years into uni and still suck #note taking

[exhaustedlawstudent]

🌼For our beginners 🌼

#japanese

[exhaustedlawstudent]

uni isn’t going well at the moment and it’s 100% my fault. i’m trying to get back on track but it’s not that easy

so baby steps:

i’m going to go to all lectures tomorrow

i’m going to finish the assignment that i would’ve had to turn in tomorrow in the next two weeks so i can at least see if i would have done okay in theory

i’m going to finish the other assignment on time

i’m going to listen to the recording of the lecture i missed today

#i'm feeling awful atm #i love studying but in moments like this i forget that and just feel like crying #a lot #i hope this will motivate me a bit #studyblr #lawblr #to do

[exhaustedlawstudent]

study day at my new favorite cafe ~ 🌸

#lovely

[exhaustedlawstudent]

why are some laptops‘ fans so loud???

#just student problems #talking about the guy sitting next to me in the library #studying #studyblr #story time

[exhaustedlawstudent]

i didn‘t have a good day today but after i’m finished with studying i will go home and watch brooklyn nine nine. and I’m really looking forward to that

#story time #uni #brooklyn nine nine #studying #studyblr #i’m procrastinating by adding unecessary tags

[exhaustedlawstudent]

I color coordinated all of my classes and decided to go with yellow for anthropology! 🍯 To be more specific, my anthropology class centers around magic, witchcraft, and religion.

#notes #aesthetic #this is beautiful #i wish my notes looked like that #queue are a wizard

[exhaustedlawstudent]

i absolutely hate it when advice posts tell you to study all the time. i just read one that said, “if you sleep now, you’ll dream. if you study now, you’ll live your dream.” i mean, it could be metaphorical, but it’s actually a really unhealthy message. studying constantly is not healthy. you need to have a balanced life. you need to have a social life, you need to exercise, you need to sleep. how on earth can you be the best version of yourself if you only study? look after yourself. get at least 6 hours sleep a night. eat healthy food. go outside and see your friends. do things that you love. studying constantly, through the night and day, is not good for you at all. and it’s time that the studyblr community learned that.

[exhaustedlawstudent]

i’ve compiled a masterpost of tips that i have reblogged over the past few months and i thought it would be easier to have it all in one place. none of these posts are by me! huge thanks to everyone that has created these tips.

exams

finals: survival guide for the brave

pennyfynotes’ guide to exam season

study tips for exams

tips for doing well on exams

how to

how to accept and grow from failure

how to avoid education burnout

how to be an efficient test-taker

how to cope with exams

how to get straight a’s

how to get straight a’s 2

how to overcome failure

how to study effectively

how to study as a busy student

how to study when you don’t want to

how to utilise your studyblr

how to do well in a class taught by a crappy teacher

improve your handwriting

improve your life

productivity

5 easy productivity tips

7 productivity tips

productivity 101

the no bullshit guide to getting your shit together

school

4 tips for delivering a perfect presentation

a self care masterpost to help you get through school

school cheat sheet

back to school

back to school advice

habits of successful students

search google like a pro

useful things for those going back 2 school

study tips

6 things people don’t always tell you about studying

effective note taking

memory tips

my 3 steps in studying

memorisation tips for different types of learners

random study tips

study habits

study methods

study smarter

study tips

strategies for writing good conclusions

things not to do when studying

tips + tricks for learning a language

types of study breaks for every situation

unconventional study tips

when to use

work smarter, not harder

misc.

four rules for a disciplined life

self discipline tips

self soothing techniques

small gestures of self-love

tips on how to get up earlier if you aren’t a morning person

#studying #masterpost #queue are a wizard

[exhaustedlawstudent]

Good stuff.

#writing #queue are a wizard

[exhaustedlawstudent]

the nerdy guide to fitness

It’s definitely going to suck at first, but you will accidentally have fun, I promise. Okay folks, this whole sedentary lifestyle thing isn’t working anymore. It’s definitely going to suck at first, but you will accidentally have fun, I promise. Get moving! 

Exercise is anything that elevates your heart rate or takes your body outside of its normal comfort zone- you don’t have to go to a gym to do either one

Don’t use exercise as an excuse to eat junk! Bad food decisions don’t cancel out. 

Yoga/stretching is the easiest way to get your blood flowing with minimal effort

Running or biking is a close second 

Consistency is way more important than cramming in 3 miles in one day

if you’re doing cardio, follow up with a cool down stretch or light jog. Take care of yourself!!

Exercise after your school/workday is over (instead of taking a nap). You’ll have more energy to tackle homework, and you’ll get a better night’s sleep. 

Make a playlist filled with super bright and obnoxious songs. Works every time.

If you use the Pomodoro method to study, try to fit yoga/stretching into the breaks. 

If “regular” exersize isn’t your thing:

Take 5-10 minutes to dance enthusiastically in your room, that’s so much better than nothing. 

Get creative with your friends. Instead of meeting for coffee, go on a hike, frisbee in the park, etc. 

Small things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator do add up. 

If you drive, park a little farther away.

Keep track of your steps. My phone’s health app has a pedometer but they’re really cheap on amazon- please don’t splurge on a Fitbit. 

xoxo, Niya

#relaxing #queue are a wizard

[exhaustedlawstudent]

02/? Days of Productivity

Today I spent the entire day in and around the university, going to lectures and revising older lectures. During a break in one of the lectures a friend and I went to visit the cathedral, which is less than a minute walk away from the building I have most of my lectures in. It’s kinda weird being in a cathedral with lots of tourists if you know your lecture starts again in five minutes.

(also, I managed to burn my finger today because I’m stupid and tried touching the hot baking sheet. and a few minutes ago I realised that I didn’t go to one class because I thought it was on tuesday. well, surprise it’s actually on mondays.)

#days of productivity #studying #studyblr #law #lawblr #university #uni #cathedral #presenceofhundredsofbooks #those pictures are awful #but i'm trying to keep the days of productivity going

[exhaustedlawstudent]

Right now, I’m sifting through 50+ applications for a new entry-level position. Here’s some advice from the person who will actually be looking at your CV/resume and cover letter:

‘You must include a cover letter’ does not mean ‘write a single line about why you want this position’. If you can’t be bothered to write at least one actual paragraphs about why you want this job, I can’t be bothered to read your CV.

Don’t bother including a list of your interests if all you can think of is ‘socialising with friends’ and ‘listening to music’. Everyone likes those things. Unless you can explain why the stuff you do enriches you as a person and a candidate (e.g. playing an instrument or a sport shows dedication and discipline) then I honestly don’t care how you spend your time. I won’t be looking at your CV thinking ‘huh, they haven’t included their interests, they must have none’, I’m just looking for what you have included.

Even if you apply online, I can see the filename you used for your CV. Filenames that don’t include YOUR name are annoying. Filenames like ‘CV - media’ tell me that you’ve got several CVs you send off depending on the kind of job advertised and that you probably didn’t tailor it for this position. ‘[Full name] CV’ is best.

USE. A. PDF. All the meta information, including how long you worked on it, when you created it, times, etc, is right there in a Word doc. PDFs are far more professional looking and clean and mean that I can’t make any (unconscious or not) decisions about you based on information about the file.

I don’t care what the duties in your previous unrelated jobs were unless you can tell me why they’re useful to this job. If you worked in a shop, and you’re applying for an office job which involves talking to lots of people, don’t give me a list of stuff you did, write a sentence about how much you enjoyed working in a team to help everyone you interacted with and did your best to make them leave the shop with a smile. I want to know what makes you happy in a job, because I want you to be happy within the job I’m advertising.

Does the application pack say who you’ll be reporting to? Can you find their name on the company website? Address your application to them. It’s super easy and shows that you give enough of a shit to google something. 95% of people don’t do this.

Tell me who you are. Tell me what makes you want to get up in the morning and go to work and feel fulfilled. Tell me what you’re looking for, not just what you think I’m looking for.

I will skim your CV. If you have a bunch of bullet points, make every one of them count. Make the first one the best one. If it’s not interesting to you, it’s probably not interesting to me. I’m overworked and tired. Make my job easy.

“I work well in a team or individually” okay cool, you and everyone else. If the job means you’ll be part of a big team, talk about how much you love teamwork and how collaborating with people is the best way to solve problems. If the job requires lots of independence, talk about how you are great at taking direction and running with it, and how you have the confidence to follow your own ideas and seek out the insight of others when necessary. I am profoundly uninterested in cookie-cutter statements. I want to know how you actually work, not how a teacher once told you you should work.

For an entry-level role, tell me how you’re looking forward to growing and developing and learning as much as you can. I will hire genuine enthusiasm and drive over cherry-picked skills any day. You can teach someone to use Excel, but you can’t teach someone to give a shit. It makes a real difference.

This is my advice for small, independent orgs like charities, etc. We usually don’t go through agencies, and the person reading through the applications is usually the person who will manage you, so it helps if you can give them a real sense of who you are and how you’ll grab hold of that entry level position and give it all you’ve got. This stuff might not apply to big companies with actual HR departments - it’s up to you to figure out the culture and what they’re looking for and mirror it. Do they use buzzwords? Use the same buzzwords! Do they write in a friendly, informal way? Do the same! And remember, 95% of job hunting (beyond who you know and flat-out nepotism, ugh) is luck. If you keep getting rejected, it’s not because you suck. You might just need a different approach, or it might just take the right pair of eyes landing on your CV.

And if you get rejected, it’s worthwhile asking why. You’ve already been rejected, the worst has already happened, there’s really nothing bad that can come out of you asking them for some constructive feedback (politely, informally, “if it isn’t too much trouble”). Pretty much all of us have been hopeless jobseekers at one point or another. We know it’s shitty and hard and soul-crushing. Friendliness goes a long way. Even if it’s just one line like “your cover letter wasn’t inspiring" at least you know where to start.

And seriously, if you have any friends that do any kind of hiring or have any involvement with that side of things, ask them to look at your CV with a big red pen and brutal honesty. I do this all the time, and the most important thing I do is making it so their CV doesn’t read exactly like that of every other person who took the same ‘how-to-get-a-job’ class in school. If your CV has a paragraph that starts with something like ‘I am a highly motivated and punctual individual who–’ then oh my god I AM ALREADY ASLEEP.

#application #how to #queue are a wizard

[exhaustedlawstudent]

01/? Days of Productivity

I’ve officially been studying law for more than two weeks now and it’s been great so far. 

#in case anyone is wondering what that smudge on my laptop screen is #i had to blur the name of the prof #studying #studyblr #law #lawblr #university #german #days of productivity #presenceofhundredsofbooks