It's Nice to Have Options.
You can get a head start on your reading by logging onto Blackboard and downloading the syllabi for PC I and II. 68 pages; No rules; No guidelines; Just assignments.
Orrrrrrr you could be like me and still have two finals left.
posted by Jon Swanburg @ 6:46 PM
13 comments
13 Comments:
Reading early or reading ahead for PC is a futile waste of time. Read the assignment the night before. Regardless of how you prepare, it WILL be too much. By reading it the night before or the morning of, you increase your chances of actually having a clue as to what a particular case is about.
DON'T say: I don't know.
High B -
The advice sounds perfectly reasonable and I'll probably take it to heart.
PC is a process...don't completely shut down, don't stall...keep thinking and look like you know what you are doing. As soon as the profs smell fear, they will take you down. But if you seem even slightly coordinated, you will be fine. Make sure you get a good seat so that the douche bags next to you don't result in you being called on. Dress dark and sit low in your chair.
PC Rules to Live By:
1. Don't say "I don't know" when called on
2. Don't say "I guess" when answering a question
3. Do not volunteer in Powell's class. Period. No matter how simple or fun the question sounds - you will get a memo.
4. If you want to be used in many hypos and get called on for those hypos, sit in the front, center row. This may mean less responsibility for the material in Powell's class alone.
5. After Wren calls on you, you are likely safe for a few weeks. This is not the case with Powell.
6. Have all the rulebooks and materials with you for every class. For Powell, focus on the rules and statutes. For Wren, focus on the caselaw.
7. Do not sit in a seat along the aisle.
8. Try as hard as possible to keep your name out of Powell's mouth in all things.
9. Do not wear loud colors or patterns of attire. This attracts their attention. Dark colors are good if you sit in a crowd, lighter colors to match the paint if you sit near the wall.
10. When called on, its better to say the wrong thing with confidence that the right thing with uncertainty. PC teaches you how to BS your way through public speaking - learn it early.
11. If you can't BS with confidence, then "Stonewalling" may work, which is stalling or being silent as you studying your materials after he asks a question that stumps you.
I agree with everything Called On Once Said, but I would also add two things
1. Keep your head down AND look busy. Write as much as you can. He seems to call on people who look either 1) like they are not paying attention or 2) like they have the material down so well that they don't think they need to take notes.
2. Do not make eye contact. I had this debate with multiple people about whether it is best to make eye contact in order to show him you are not scared or to avoid eye contact. Those that made eye contact were confident that was why they didn't get called on very often. However, ultimately they were called on multiple times throughout each quarter. As the name suggests, I was called on once ever.
I'll pass on the best advice I ever received: Just get through it. How you do in class is no reflection on how you'll do on the final. It's scary to get called on and it probably sucks to get a memo (I never got one), but sometimes that's better than reading for 8 hours the night before.
So however you do it, just get through it.
the no eye contact thing is a pretty good idea...that always worked
Wren is cake. It's Powell that should cause concern, and for which all of the above rules are most applicable.
I tend to disagree that Wren is cake. Wren is sneakier. They'll both kill you with a look, but Wren pretends like he won't. At least Powell is clear about his intentions of killing you.
Swanny - you going out tonight?
PC= why you should have transferred when you had a chance. Seriously, there's no good reason to go to Baylor law, even if you want to be a litigator. You'll learn it on the job.
Disagree. While PC was indeed terrible, I must admit that I still draw on some of the knowledge learned and experience gained - and I am now 4 years out.
Baylor (and esp PC) was too extreme, but I must admit that I profited from the experience.
But, would I do it over again? Hell no!
I just couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud at this: "lighter colors to match the paint if you sit near the wall"
One morning before class I cut my face shaving and had no time to cover it and Underwood (I sat in the front row), upon noticing the cut, immediately called on me.
So, whatever you wear be it not fresh blood.
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