Get involved in an activity at Osgoode that appeals to you – it’s a great way to meet people outside your section, and it allows you to: a) get a well needed break from school or b) allow you to use what you’ve learnt in a practical setting.

Don’t give up activities you love that aren’t law or law school related – sometimes it’s good to take a break and do the things you love – it also makes you less resentful of the busy periods during the school year.

Make time for the things that are important (sleep, exercise etc) – maintaining a balanced lifestyle helps to keep you grounded and less stressed.

Get to know your classmates! They are a huge resource and it’s great when you can support your peers and they can support you. 

Efficiency is important, work hard but don’t spend time doing work that won’t help you in an exam setting. In the same respect, your first semester especially is trial and error – so it’s better to do too much work (and then do less later), than not enough and have that reflect poorly in your first semester grades. 

If you have midterms with no down side (if you do better on the final then you’re midterm mark doesn’t count) – prepare for them like they really count anyways. It’ll give you an idea of where your weak points in the materials actually are so you can get help or put in more time before it’s too late. Preparing your summaries for finals will also be a lot easier.

Don’t listen to too much of the hype (especially around exam time) – do what works for you and realize that unnecessarily stressing is not going to help.