Welcome Blog

Welcome, and if you are returning welcome back, to the CapLaw Chronicles where we have tips, tricks, and events around Columbus, to help you maintain the life of Law School. This week in Columbus, see the cool events going on near your neighborhoods:

• Watch the Columbus Crew soccer team play the Chicago Fire on August 31, 2019
• https://www.experiencecolumbus.com/event/columbus-crew-sc-vs-chicago-fire/64464/
• Attend the "Back 2 School Bash" presented by 107.5/106.3 at EXPRESS LIVE

• https://www.experiencecolumbus.com/event/the-back-2-school-bash-starring-dababy-42-dugg/64323/

• Experience the "Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure" around down town Columbus on August 30, 2019

• https://www.experiencecolumbus.com/event/amazing-scavenger-hunt-adventure/64185/

End of the Year Tips

We have arrived at the end of the year! With only a few weeks left until reading period, here are some of my final tips and comments for the end of 1L year:

• Study breaks are your friend. It's a fact that our brains retain more information during short periods of time versus extended periods of time. When you do marathon sessions of studying, you'll generally feel drained and exhausted at the end of the day. Conserve your energy and improve your memory retention by taking scheduled study breaks. A good method that works is taking a 5–10-minute break for every 50 minutes of study time.

• Your grades and exam scores are not a reflection of your intelligence. This sounds obvious but it's an area that many 1Ls struggle to understand. Law school exams and assignments require a level of thinking and reasoning that you have likely never done. Therefore, don't be surprised if your first few exam scores or graded assignments are not high. It takes time to adjust to the new demands of analytical thinking and reasoning in law school. Give yourself grace to grow, learn, and improve.

• Begin saving up bar study. When you're a 1L, the last thing on your mind is your 3L year, let alone the bar exam. However, your 1L year is the best time to begin saving money and setting aside funds for bar study. When you graduate, you'll be able to use this money for gas, bar exam materials, food, and other necessities.

• Argue Both Sides of the legal dispute! Once a dispute has been framed and a legal theory has been asserted, it is easier to identify problems surrounding the theory’s application as well as to detect the arguments that each side can make in support of their position.

• Just do your best! If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of either not understanding the issues presented or not remembering the rules related to such issues, don’t panic. Instead, just do your best to write the best possible answer. You may not receive top credit, but it will be better than the alternative. Good luck!

Experience the World...in Columbus

Do you love food? Of course you do! Do you want to travel but just can't find the time because, you know, law school? Then join the Columbus food tour in various neighborhoods this weekend!

• Explore the following links to experience the world of food in a neighborhood near you:

• Short North

• https://columbusfoodadventures.com/2011/tour/short-north-food-tour

• Old Worthington

• https://columbusfoodadventures.com/2016/tour/%E2%80%A2-old-worthington-food-tour

• German Village

• https://columbusfoodadventures.com/2011/tour/german-village-tour

• Grandview Avenue

• https://columbusfoodadventures.com/2014/tour/grandview-avenue-tour

And for an overall view of the food tour, visit the following website for all it has to offer.  https://columbusfoodadventures.com/tours

1L Spotlight On: Registration

Class registration is this week. For some students, this will be the first time you all register for law school classes on your own! Trust me, there are no wrong course selections (unless of course you take 20 hours in one semester). Here are a few tips to help guide you when registering for classes:

• Every semester: Once you have flexibility to register for courses take one course just because it interests you. Life is short, law school is even shorter, live a little and do something you're actually interested in!

• Take what everyone says about certain professors with a grain of salt. The way other people learn may not be the same way you learn. You may like one professor's teaching style while another student may find that it was too fast pace. Pay attention to what your peers say, but do not let their opinion drive your decision. 

• Take Bar Courses. At Capital University Law School, we offer a schedule that color coordinates the classes offered each semester, even the summer semesters! You can find this online at https://law.capital.edu/Course_Schedules/ It lists all the courses that will be taught on the bar exam so you don't have to go looking on the National Conference of Bar Examiner's website to determine which courses are tested on the bar. 

• When planning, pay attention to your courses needed for graduation. In webadvisor, there is a link that takes you to your academic evaluation sheet. This sheet lays out all of the courses you have taken, are currently taking, will take in the future, and need to take before graduation. It is a helpful guide to which classes are offered as perspectives, experiential, and upper level writing courses. To access this page, log onto webadvisor, click the program evaluation link, choose the JD. LAW program, and VOILA!

GET TO SCHEDULING!!!!

SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC AROUND COLUMBUS (3/30)

Capital University Celebrates 100 years of music!

Fools For Hip-Hop Fest

Saturday, March 30^th 12PM-1AM at The Vanderelli Room 

Notes Presents: Latin Jazz

Saturday, March 30^th 8PM – 12AM at Copious

Wish You Were Here - "Any Brick You Like" - Tour 2019

Saturday, March 30^th 7PM-11:30PM at Newport Music Hall

Josh Phillips

Saturday, March 30^th 9PM at Tequila Cowboy

Experience Columbus

Are you interested in basketball or interested in doing anything this weekend to take your mind off outlines and memos? 

Well, the Road to the Final Four stops in Columbus, Ohio March 22nd and 24th at Nationwide Arena. Ohio State University hosts the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA March Madness Tournament!

If you want to watch those brackets come to life, follow the links below:

• Single Session 2 Game Package https://www.ticketmaster.com/ncaa-mens-basketball-championship-tickets/artist/1239566?venueId=41498

• Official NCAA Ticket Exchange https://www.primesport.com/d/ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-columbus?utm_source=columbussports.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=sports_commission_web_exchange&utm_campaign=ncaa_tournament_columbus_exchange

Spotlight On: The Finish Line

You did it! You survived Spring Break. You probably have not cracked open a book since the class before Spring Break started or you probably drained yourself trying to catch up on readings and work from the semester. Now to get ready for finals:

• Learn From Your Past! If you have not went over your final exams from last year, it is time to do so now! The exams are probably buried somewhere in your professor's office but better late than never. Chances are you will find some commonalities in terms of what you did wrong last semester

• Prepare For Your Future! Start taking practice exams. This is not the time to just look at the exams but actually write them full out and then once you're comfortable, time yourself to get into full study mode!

• Don't Listen to Everyone Else! Students tend to boost how much they have done over spring break and this will leave you feeling like you haven't done enough. Don't listen to them. Don't give into their feelings, be mindful of yours.