Yikes, check out this conversation I had with a friend over Gchat.

her:
Well
If he wants a better woman
He should look somewhere else
If he can't accept me as I am now
Then he doesn't love who I am

me:
might as well say... "deal with all my bullshit please"

Is that an actual thing for normal people or something? I don't know about you <<First Name>>, but contrary to popular belief, I don't have enough options to quoting Marilyn Monroe. At least not of the minimum quality I'm willing to accept.

That's why I have to put forth my best self, continue to improve in all aspects of my life, and hope that I trick someone long enough for them to think it wasn't the proximity effect that made her catch feelings.

And that's what you should be doing until end of February.

(A) For example, predictions are ultimately meaningless because all subjects are fair game. 

To be honest, the last time I'd studied for Community Property was about 10 days before my second attempt at the bar, thinking it was unlikely to appear based on Bar Secrets "predictions" (plus I didn't like the subject, great excuse)... and then of course it appeared and almost bodied me.

So while you could prioritize subjects based on your weaknesses and best guess of which subjects are likely to appear, I'd encourage you to put your best effort in all the subjects (CA Civ Pro is still a hot potato so don't ask me about that). Be humble in your preparation so that you can be arrogant on the actual thing.

(B) If something ain't working, do something about it. Some people would rather feel good declaring resolutions every year and buying shiny new tools and never speaking of them again. Year after year they look the same and feel the same, until they're ready to make actual changes.

So do you want to feel good or be good? I think the MBE is one of the biggest concerns with respect to this. Like Heather, you might be doing a ton of questions to the point of exhausting resources but not seeing the type of progress you'd like:


Enable images to see my quick response to Heather in the FB group

One possible solution is a calm, methodical and deliberate approach... over the "just go through all the motions and results will arrive" kind.

Another is getting into habits. I've talked about this so much that I'm not going to explain or link you to anything and instead hope you're already incorporating bar study into your everyday life.

(C) Your graders will refuse to deal with your bullshit because the fact they took that job means they have enough to deal with already.

They only care about what's in front of them and clearing it off their plate ASAP so they can collect their measly $3.25 per essay and $3.75 per PT. If your essay is at risk of being messy and confusing, add headers and do not commingle rule and application paragraphs. (I read some returned essays, and one thing that stuck out to me was lack of clear rule statements and application thereof.)

"But she should like me for ~who I am~ !! My baggy pants are retro-cool"

Like MySpace angles, presentation is the easiest way to add enough finesse to "trick" them into thinking you got the minimum competence, and leap ahead of others who aren't willing to put in negligible effort for a chance to reap substantial rewards.

***

As promised, shorter emails as we head toward February.

And if you're reading this email, you're clearly invested in improving your bar game. You shouldn't settle for your current self and assume that others will do the same for you. Then again my friend is still married to that guy, so maybe everything I just said is moot.

Brian

PS. What's your current progress look like? Great? Feeling a sense of doom?