A Giant Speaks

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants." - Isaac Newton

Although "giant" may be a stretch in describing Mike at Wings & Vodka (giant in the blawging world sure, but I don't know how giant in law school studies), I think it is important to listen to our law school "elders" when they give us advice (we are free to disregard it, but we should listen first). Anyway, Mike took a break from his normal hilarity to give some advice on studying for finals.

What I suggest is this: Pick one class, right now, that you're going to freak out about the least. Torts is good for this, criminal law is better. Both lend themselves to issuespotters that rely a lot more on in-exam performance than acquired knowledge of cases and concepts. Tell yourself that you're going to finish the basic reading for that class, but that you're going to limit your extra prep to the two or three days before the exam. Then use that extra time to read two novels. Fiction is good for this, science fiction is better. Read whenever you feel like you're starting to freak out, whenever you feel like exams may determine your worth as a human being. Do this, and I guarantee you'll lower your stress level by some significant percentage. Something like seven. Seven percent.

I like this advice. I'm not sure I'll follow it, mostly because I think fear will set in (like it has to just about every law student since the beginning of the Socratic Method). But we'll see.