Write Less & Improve Your Grades

I just finished my last law school class. Ever. Wow.

Anyway, that means that finals time is here. The following is a short check list of tricks I have picked up over my law school career (nearing its end, btw) that can help you with those law school (or college, etc.) writing assignments.

1. Be a Minimalist.

When you are given a reading assignment, which do you prefer: 20 pages, or 10? 10 pages or 5? I know your answer: the shorter the better. How much more likely are you to read something if it is short? You are probably much more likely to read a short article.(See http://www.useit.com/ for a discussion on the cost/benefit ratio of long and short articles)

Professors are people too. And like the rest of us, they get bored. For this reason, it is advantageous to write as little as possible while still getting you complete message across. If you can say something in 5 pages, why do it in 7? My general rule: if there is a page maximum, aim for around 70% of it. If there is a minimum, hit it on the nose.

2. Put Your Best Arguments in the Beginning.

If professors DO get tired of your writing and decide they can make a grade determination before finishing your whole work (which is lazy, I know, but I'm sure it happens even if no one admits it) wouldn't you want your A material in the beginning?

3. Use Big Font.

Kids books aren't written in big font because their eyesight is bad. Big font simply makes comprehension of the text easier. Also, large print is easier for people with diminished eyesight. So increase comprehension and decrease frustration by keeping your font around 12.5 or 13. Same can be said for double spacing over single spacing. Some people go as far as bolding or italicized key arguments and phrases, but this is only for the truly punk-rock rebel.

4. What Font to Use?

I am no typographer, and so I am not sure about this. I am considering writing one of my finals, which is in the form of a client letter, in Georgia. This could through the Professor off, however, and so the question is: How dangerously should I choose to live?

Song Lyrics Don't Reflect The Personality Of A Generation

So, a psychology professor, Dr. Nathan DeWall at the University of Kentucky, analyzed hit songs between 1980 and 2007 and found a correlation between egotistical song lyrics and increasing narcissism in society. (see http://www.npr.org/2011/04/26/135745227/study-narcissism-on-rise-in-pop-lyrics)

I don't buy it. Statistics alone can't derive the meaning of song lyrics. This study ignores the nuances of song writing like metaphor, sarcasm and irony. (Although I will admit that pop music isn't known for subtlety. See e.g., Rebecca Black - Friday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0) For example, the Prof. Nathan DeWall cites Weezer's song, "The Greatest Man in the World" (see e.g., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYrz-M2Zc8E) as one such narcissistic song. Sure, without even hearing it, it sounds narcissistic; and that would be the case if Rivers Cuomo wasn't being sarcastic.

To analogize, this study is like a regular computer playing jeopardy compared to the IBM supercomputer, Watson, playing Jeopardy. It might give us some interesting results, but they are not going to be correct.

If anything, I think the increased frequency of narcissistic lyrics is a reflection of the music industry itself, rather than of the personality traits pop musics listeners. The record companies today are hit machines (see http://www.thejazzlawyer.com/2011/02/25/you-want-a-fucking-record-deal/) and don't particularly care what ridiculous garbage is on the radio so long as it makes money. This is especially true since record companies don't make money selling records anymore. Today, record companies sell image not music. (see 360 deal, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/arts/music/11leed.html)

So maybe superficiality rather than narcissism is the real culprit here. But hey, that's pop music for ya.