There are a few suggestions: It is important to remember that in law school your grade is not highly based, although somewhat, on class participation, but rather on the final exam (some classes have a mid-term which is usually weighted less than the final). Therefore, you want to prepare for the exam not just class participation. Often times if you are not as prepared for class as the next student you may feel embarassed or awkward, but your grade may be higher if you spent that time preparing for the exam (This does not mean you should not be reasonably prepared for class). Class participation may help a small amount e.g. turn a C+ into a B-, or a B+ into an A- etc. but it will not be a significant factor. However, you should still be prepared for class as some professors will eject you from that day of class for not being prepared, at all, for class. See

There are several ways to prepare for the exams; your study habits and learning style will dictate which are best for you. Some students find that getting the professors old exams and reading the questions and answering them then reading the sample answers are the best way to study ( you can usually find the exams in the library on the school's website, although a good amount of professors do not have exams on file). Other students believe that commercial outlines and study aids are the best way to study. There are many commercial study aids. PMBR is a very good and well known multi-state bar examination (MBE) preparation course and PMBR has Compact Disc's (CD's) that you may purchase which cover all of the MBE subjects (the subjects are also most of the first year law school subjects). You may find that purchasing these CD's will significantly help your understanding of the subject especially for the professor's exam. Another well known Bar preparation course is BarBri which has outlines for all the MBE subjects as well as other state specific subjects you may find very helpful. In addition, there are several case briefs that are textbook specific that may help you reading the case and preparing for the exam as well as class i.e. Casenote Legal Briefs, High Court Case Summaries, Emanuel law outlines, Examples and Explanations Series (Which is less of a case brief and more of a helpful law subject tutorial) Please note that the teachers who ask very specific questions regarding the case will know you did not read the case thoroughly and you must decide if your teacher requires such detailed briefs in class. Commercial case briefs inform you of the rule that you will need from the case for use in your exams as well as a brief synopsis of the facts.

As for your mental/emotional preparation you may want to have some fun during your break before law school begins. Law school is often very time consuming and mentally exhausting. You will most likely jump right into the assignment during the first day of law school as the first day assignments are posted (either on the school's website or on a assignment sheet at the school). You may find yourself reading approximately 30-40 pages per class (depending on the school and professor) and attending class five days per week (depending on the school) in addition you will have a first year writing course that will take a signficant amount of time as you will most likely have assignments due during the same days you have substantive classes. You may find it difficult to balance your time and complete the writing assignments on the due dates and read for your substantive courses. Basically, law school can be very time demanding and you should be prepared to spend most of your time reading, studying, and writing.