Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Law Students Blogs -> Lag Liv

Law Students

: Lag Liv

Spinning Wheels

By Anonymous

I'm at something of a loss for how to begin my exam preparation. I always start my outlines late (usually no sooner than the week before exams) and spend the days leading up to finals in a frenzied state. This has actually worked well for me- I get to enjoy most of the quarter and I figure that the week before exams sucks for everyone, so making it suck a little more is worth the tradeoff for not worrying about finals until those 7 days out. However, I have always arrived at that "week before" deadline having attended nearly every class, completed every reading assignment, and briefed every case. My notes are already in near outline form, I just spend a day or two reading them and reorganizing them into overarching class themes.

This quarter is, well, different. I haven't attended Environmental Law and Legal Profession since the third week and haven't read since the second. I've been going to M&A but haven't read for it. My "week before" studying plan doesn't work when I'm staring at a nearly blank class notes document. I know I should be busy doing something, I'm just not sure what to do first. Do I open the casebook? Do I just read outlines? Do I go to the zoo with Landon and JP like I really want to because I'm screwed anyway? I do need to pass, and in the case of M&A I'd like to do better than that.

So far I've printed several outlines and they're sitting next to me in a nice little stack. I should feel panicked, but my first exam isn't until Tuesday, and after spending days in the library frantically working on papers that were due in a number of hours, six days feels like a leisurely amount of time to study for three finals. Although, given that tomorrow night will be spent at the graduating students dinner, and my weekend will be spent driving to and from Louisville for a cousin's wedding, I am more pressed for time than my brain seems willing to admit. But here I sit, staring at my outlines, and googling "nail salons" so I can get a pedicure tomorrow. I am not as stressed as I should be. I have an unsupported, yet unwavering faith that I will not fail my classes and I will walk across the stage on June 13.

I believe this is the very essence of being a 3L.

Full post as published by Lag Liv on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).