I’m pleased to host a guest post from 2L Maggie Leccese, who shares some advice for preparing for finals.

By now, you’ve probably got all the outlines you can fit inside a one-inch binder. But for those of us who aren’t naturally gifted networkers, it’s still not too late to ace those exams. Fortunately, LSA didn’t assign me a mentee this year, which means I’ve saved up all of my sage advice for this well-timed blog post.

Here’s a list of the eight things you need to do to get through your first semester of finals. Why only eight? Well, I started with a lot more, but my editor alerted me to the blog’s limited server space. Here’s what’s left:

Tip #1: Stock up on highlighters in as many colors as you can find. Not even the third-grade version of you liked to color this much. But highlighting is your drug now and outlining is your addiction. Turn those pages into paint by numbers and get to work. Use pink for the holding and yellow for anything that you think is likely to be on the exam.

Tip #2: You can’t study on an empty stomach. And everyone knows the best brain fuel is the plain coconut water from Stuart … oh shoot, you just got Zico’d!   That means you now have to drink a Zico water really fast while you stand on one leg and visualize your third grader teacher’s arm flab. Play this game with your study group!

Tip #3: Take a step back and be grateful for the healthy, stable relationship you’re currently in. Not everyone is as lucky as you right now – you have already found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Give yourself a pat on the back for being so fun, cute, and definitely not alone.

Tip #4: Studies show you can improve your memory when you study while blasting the latest hits through the expensive wireless headphones the guy at the Apple store told you to buy. Taylor Swift’s album is now on Spotify, so put on “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” skip ahead to 2:32, and listen to the laugh of Satan’s mistress on repeat.

Tip #5: Delete your apps. Your friends will understand if you can’t pay them back right away – someday they’ll be grateful that you’re not charging them $2.69 for your legal advice! Besides, the last thing you can afford right now is to be distracted. Good luck trying to learn defenses to strict products liability after seeing that that your ex-boyfriend has been periodically paying some girl named Lauren for ubers and fish emojis. Oh, cool, do you guys eat sushi together or something?

Tip #6: You’ll need to dig up one of your professor’s old exams and do a few practice problems under time pressure. But wait, that’s no fun! You know what would be more fun? Starting a DIY project. Maybe you could get some ideas from your explore feed. Go check now. Keep scrolling until you find one that will allow you to make use of all the free law firm swag that you’ve been hoarding in your locker.

Tip #7: Shoot – did you remember to pick up some of those commercially prepared outlines and nutshells that your professors are always raving about? You might need to reference them on exam day.

Tip #8: Last but not least, head over to the library and get your hands on a fresh pair of yellow ear pluggies. They expire after one use, so stock up. Think about how many of them you would need to fill the gaping hole in your chest where your heart used to be!

Look – if you haven’t realized by now, law school is filled with people offering unsolicited advice. You might not agree with everything that comes your way, but I do hope that you’ll at least remember this – finals can be stressful, but don’t be afraid to make time for yourself. Relax, take a deep breath – you’ll be fine.