I hope someone built an Ark...

...because we've been getting rain in biblical proportions! I don't have exact figures for you, but we have had rain for 8 days in a row now, and somewhere around 10 inches of rain since Wednesday. The weatherman emphasized that it is "inches of rain" and not "inches of snow"--had it been snow, we'd be under something like 72 inches of snow (probably more than that now).

I spoke with a 1L today and it got me reminiscing about the good ol' days, or rather just about this time last year. They have their Elements of Law final on Monday. It's sort of a joke. He convinced there was some good that comes out of it--that they get to see what it is like to take an exam. Good point. Other than that though, it is a joke. Perhaps it is just the clouds of old age obscuring my memory, but I can't recall much of anything I learned in that class. I'm sure there must have been some skill or technique I picked up in it, but danged if I remember.

I do remember what it was like preparing to take the first exam. It was crazy. All those ultra competitive people freaking out about a measly two credit class, and the best part was that we had been told the professors likes to give B's and since she grades on a curve, the best way for her to do that was to give very few A's and very few C's; the result being that 80% of the class falls into the B grade range. I didn't freak out, in fact, I probably would have been better off to be a little more concerned. I was, quite possibly, the most calm person in my section that day. Guess what grade I got--a B. If that offends you, then you know not to take any of my advice. Advice which I share willingly and freely, and you have to remember that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

I passed on some other gems of advice to this 1L that I will now post here for posterity:

• Commercial outlines are okay. Don't be all macho and say I can do it myself. Sure you can do it yourself, but why waste all that time and energy when someone has already done it for you.
• Get into a study group. Some people may not think this applies to them. Well, good for them; if they can get a good grade alone, they should. I am of the opinion that there isn't anyone who couldn't benefit from a little group study. Get a small group of 3-6 people and go to it. Guaranteed that someone else will catch something that you didn't and maybe you'll even get into an argument about what the answer to a problem should be, but hey, at least you'll know the material.
• Use old exams. There is no better resource for studying for an exam than to practice with old exams from that professor. You don't have to replicate the whole test taking experience like you did on the LSAT, but go through it and see what you'll be encountering.
• Hit up the 2Ls and 3Ls and see if they have any outlines or tips about the class you're taking.
• It's great that you can use your computer on the exam, but find out what your professor likes. If they've been at the school for a really long time, are very set in their ways, have a collection of pens, and tell you how much they dislike typing as opposed to writing; you may want to consider hand writing your exam. Remember: every point counts (even brownie points)!
• Bring the appropriate food/drink to the exam. You'll be there for four hours. Chances are that it has been a long time since you've sat anywhere in one place for four hours and mentally worked yourself like you are about to. The appropriate snacks could give you that edge you need to be successful. Think about what you drink though. You don't want to have to make a potty break 20 minutes before time is up and you still have one question to go...
• Get to the room early to stake your claim. There's nothing worse that having to sit right next to the door where everyone is signing in and out to go to the bathroom. If you're easily distracted, this will drive you nuts. I prefer to sit near the wall up front (if the doors are in the back) so that my field of vision is limited to the wall and chalkboard. The less I have to see other people and their nervous habits the better.
• Feel free to take a nap during the exam. No one will mind if you don't answer a few questions, in fact, you might even win friends if you "take one for the team" and score lower than everyone else. In any given class, there may be only 2 failing grades and so you may even be able to get people to pay you off to tank it. Really, make sure you get a good nights sleep before the exam. Don't stay up cramming. You're the best judge of your own body chemistry, but it usually helps to be awake during the exam

Good luck, 1Ls on your first little, uh, (practice) exam. The real thing is gonna be a lot more intense.