I was recovering from wrist surgery during this class, so my notes were primarily handwritten. I attempted an outline but shortly into the course, determined it was more efficient to highlight the key information that Professor Carlson pointed out during lecture. In other words, were I to take this class again, my method of preparation and note-taking would be drastically different for this particular course. Why? Because (at least at the time) Professor Carlson’s course went page-by-page through the book.

Let’s compare:
For most classes, I would complete the readings ahead of time. I’d highlight important keywords, findings, points, etc. in orange. Any relevant information that pertained to those points were highlighted in yellow. This made it easy to jump to the pertinent sections of each case, which was beneficial for both recitation and review. While it did help me to mentally organize the information prior to class, I never really benefitted from those textbook highlights come exam time, partially because I rarely, if ever, had dedicated time to study for exams.

Here is how I should have approached Professor Carlson’s course:
Use only pencil for all pre-class preparations. Highlight the relevant points she brings up in class. Most importantly, keep track of answers to all of the problems in the book, then focus on those Q&As to prepare for her exam.

Professor Carlson is amazing. Her wit, sense of humor, stories and personality just tickled me. Her exam, on the other hand, still gives me nightmares. Perhaps that was due to circumstance-. Work—not class—was my priority that semester—and my grade reflected it. Still, I would love to take her course again, if only to hear to her wisdom and sharp sense of humor. I hope that you enjoy her class as much as I did. Focus on those Q&As—review them. Know your jurisdictions. Memorize definitions as if you were in Professor Moore’s Torts course. Above all, cherish all the knowledge that Professor Carlson shares. She is truly one-of-a-kind.

Cheers and good luck!