The First Final

Well, what a surreal experience. Since I took my torts take home exam (take home means we had as many hours as the registrar's office was open for one day) on the first day of the testing period and a lot of my classmates won't take it until the end, I can't write too much about the test itself. And the reality is that I really shouldn't think about the test material anymore, sheerly for peace of mind.

What I can and want to say though, is that this was a experience completely different than any other. Knowing that I would have from 8:30am-7pm to crank out pages and pages of tort analysis, I prepared for battle. I had a bottle of water, 2 bottle of Vita-Waters (which I normally don't drink because they're just sugar-y water but thought it would be convenient and better to keep me going than cups of coffee), a power bar, a sandwich for lunch, and apple slices. I even made a "finals playlist" on my iPod to pump me up this morning on my way to school. If it sounds like I was preparing for a marathon, I would point out that 10.5 hours of concentrating on one test is a mental marathon. If it sounds like I am a nerd, I would point out that I am.

I parked out in a cubical in the library and worked for 9 hours straight. I don't know if I've ever done anything for nine hours straight besides watch Law & Order marathons. The only times I took a breather were to go to the bathroom, check my email a few times (I'm an addict, I know!), and to check facebook twice. By the time I finished, I realized that in all the time I was sitting in one corner typing away, people taking 9am finals and 1:3opm finals had already started and finished. And I realized that I woke up before the sun rose and I left school after the sun set. I had just spent an entire day without talking to anyone, only staring at my test and my computer screen. Now I know what it's like to be someone who procrastinates and only has hours to whip out a term paper.

All in all, I am pretty satisfied. That is in no way indicative of how I did, because I honestly do not know. With complex fact patterns and killer multiple choice questions that had potentially multiple answers (I am allowed to say these things since our professor told us this before the test), you just never know. But I felt as prepared as I could be and I was physically and mentally prepared to take that test. And for my first law school final, I think that's already a victory.

Finally, thank you to everyone who wished me good luck and sent good vibes my way. Since I finished 1.5 hours early, I can easily say that don't regret checking my email and my facebook. People left really nice notes and if anything, it really did help me keep going. I'm going to let my mind decompress for the night and it is back to the books tomorrow to gear up for my next final. One down, two to go.