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Whether you get a full week or just a
few days, Thanksgiving Break is not a
break for law students (or pre-law students who want to have an awesome application). Instead, this is the best time to get
organized for finals. Here are just a
few things you should have on your to-do list before wrestling over the last
turkey drumstick.
1.
Complete
your outlines. You’ve been working on
your outlines and study materials all semester (hopefully), so now is the time
to make sure you have each one finished.
If you have a few classes left, read ahead and outline those assignments
– whatever you may get wrong after hearing the lecture, go back and correct
during class or right after. Read
through the earlier sections and make sure your outline is correct.
2.
Track
down practice questions and prior exams.
If your professor has old exams on file, make sure you have copies. Try out one of the exams and see how you do. If you realize you don’t have a grasp on an
issue just yet, make sure to stop by your professor’s office as soon as you get
back before other students start flooding in with last minute questions. If your professor does not have exams on
file, get your hands on every question you can find on the subject and start
quizzing yourself.
3.
Organize
your exam schedule. By now, your school
should have posted your exam schedule.
Make sure there aren’t any conflicting exams (if there are, speak to the
dean or administrator in charge asap).
Organize your study hours for each exam, and if you have multiple exams
in one day, determine how you will split your studying. If you are working with study groups,
organize a schedule with them to maximize time and coverage of the materials.
4.
Tab
your books. If you are allowed to use your
book for the exam, have your tabs completed by the end of the break. This task may take a lot of time. Try not to over-tab your book. If you over-tab everything, then it’s equal
to tabbing nothing at all (same with highlighting). Tab areas that you struggle with or you
notice you have to look up often when studying.
The goal is to have most of your material memorized as you would with
any other class. You’ll save time tabbing
and you’ll save tons of time during the exam if you aren’t spending it looking
up everything.
5.
Purchase
your exam materials. If you have to take
the exam on the computer, make sure you purchase and download the software in
advance to make sure you don’t have any complications. If you need blue books, highlighters, No. 2 pencils or your professor wants only purple ink, make sure you have all of
your materials in advance and organized.
6.
Recharge. Once you have these major areas complete (and
anything else you might need completed), you can finally grant yourself a break. You will need the time to recharge, get some
extra sleep, have family members tell you how brilliant you are and what a
great lawyer you will be to build back the confidence that the Socratic Method
has completely destroyed, eat great food and, if you haven’t already, possibly
get your flu shot so you can avoid getting really sick during finals when lack
of sleep and increased stress will affect your immune system. Give yourself a chance to recharge so you can
be your best when exams begin.
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