How To Get Ready For First - Year Exams - No Silent Treatment - We Do Not Run. We Do Not Hide.

First-Year. It is November and we are close to Thanksgiving. Just about three weeks, it seems. The first-year student is still happy (like). She is coursing through the day with books in tow: contracts, torts, civil procedure, criminal law, and some legal research and writing text. In some places it is still warm enough to wear a jacket, in other places a coat is required. The few, the proud, the warm - - are still sleeveless. That is okay, because shortly, everyone across the United States will be rolling up sleeves and hunkering down somewhere in the library to prepare themselves for an annual law school ritual. The first time a first year law student sits in her final examination.

During the first month or so of law school, everyone was running around, laughing and having fun. Practically screaming, it seems. So excited to get passed the LSAT, be admitted to a school "of your choosing," and be away from home, one more time. And, guess what. You are finally working your way through a program that will make you a professional. However, you still have to take these exams. Administrative folk, students, friends, and other lawyers have given you the lowdown on exam and test taking over and over again. You know that you have to outline some cases, insert some law somewhere and study so that you can I.R.A.C. and create an "analysis" for your answer. Yeah, you are getting some help from a particular group of people and you got "your boy" showing you the ropes, and some upperclassman you are dating says you can study with him.

As you arrive closer to Thanksgiving, the sound of "have a good holiday," will ring in your ears from all kinds of people. When are you leaving? When are you coming back? Where will you eat? With whom? Will you go somewhere else? And yes, you do expect to all that you will say that you will have a good holiday. You will go home or maybe have the holiday with law school friends, maybe not celebrate the holiday at all. When you arrive at your destination, you will notice that you are happy to see your family, but don't be surprised that your thinking has taken a slight detour and that your family and friends think differently than you do now. You might notice that they are not "wound as tightly" as you (I know, you don't think you are wound tightly) and they are thinking fun and turkey. You are having fun, too. It is just that your mind from time to time might start drifting off away from turkey land and onto final exam land. It is weird how a first-year student can actually think about the turkey (gobble, gobble) and somehow show sympathy for the animal's plight.

IT IS NOT THE TIME FOR SILENCE. What can you do so that you don't feel like you are going to be served on a platter at exam time. First things first. Do not crawl into a hole and become silent. People have a tendency to crawl into a cave as they get closer to exams. Do not go into the cave - - most people are not going to look for you, so be careful where you start to hide out. Okay. I used the word cave because some first-year students become scared and start to separate themselves from others (academic support, friends, family) much earlier than they need to study. They impose their own special "silent treatment" on themselves. Sometimes this is because they are worried that they don't know enough law (yes, right this second), because they are behind in their coursework (and they are not certain whether they will catch up), because legal research & writing is squeezing the lifeblood out of them, or because of various personal reasons outside the study of law are competing for their time and energy.

IF YOU NEED HELP, GO GET IT! Yes, you may have to travel to nine (9) different offices to find the help that you need. Okay, no more than three (3) offices. No, you may not want to try and do that within the 45 minute break between classes and you may have to start early in the morning on that one day in school that you don't have a 9:00 a.m., class. However, if you need the help, you have to find someone to give you tips. Expect tips, and information. Don't expect another first-year law student to pull you through. Utilize the information. Regroup. If you are having trouble keeping up in in class, ask yourself a very honest question.

Why? I know why I have not done something that I was supposed to do. Now, I can tell a "fibbo" to everyone else, but when I put my head down at the end of the day, I put it down with the truth. I may be able to fool others, but I do all that is necessary to keep an honest arrangement with myself. That is the least that I can do for me.

IT IS NOT TOO LATE. If I hear you say that one more time, I'm coming to your school and give you "a spoonful of medicine." Me! It is early November. No, you don't have a lot of options as a first-year student (drop/add), etc., but you have game. You have it, you may just have misplaced it when you arrived at law school, but is still there waiting for you. You've been around the block. You know how to stay up a little longer, stay with the subject, and re-read some a few paragraphs or cases. You know how to catch up when catch up is required. That is why you will work as needed during the Thanksgiving holiday. I know that you are working on an outline right now, and that you will be working on or finishing up your second outline over this holiday. That's two outlines that you anticipate completing before reading week. I know that you have a serious study group, and if you don't have a serious group, then you will leave the one you are now in and create a new one, either by yourself, or with some other people. You guys will work furiously on that outline because you refuse to allow finals to "roll up on you" like that without being prepared. You did not come to law school to be unprepared. You came to play. You came to win.

And winning is what you are going to do.

OUTLINES. Let us begin work on our first two outlines. Now. It's time. Work the subject that drives you crazy. Don't hide in a hole. Complete that one first. Yes, it is so easy to work on the fun outline and to wait to work on the subject that drives you batty. Well, if you think that subject is bothering you now, wait until January 2011, when it really taps you on the shoulder. It will take you some time, but try to spend 20 minutes on it a day (everyday). Now, you have had some outings, the little Freddie Kruger, Friday the 13th, situation. It may be time to do one more jig this fall, and then close down the party shop a little bit. Okay. The last day of classes, I will give you. You will have Thanksgiving, and a little time for the November 11th holiday. The rest of the time I would like to have.

Please.

Can I get an outline?

Maybe a conversation regarding an outline?

A question?

Can you tell me what outlines you are working on?

Tell me, how are you executing the plan?

Tell me.