Read your favorite magazines, a good novel, whatever. Truthfully, nothing you can do will prepare you for the total immersion in law you will experience in a few weeks.
After you being school:
1. DO NOT SPEND THE MAJORITY OF YOUR TIME TRYING TO IMPRESS YOUR PROFS. These efforts will not help you on exams. Don't worry about what your classmates think of you. Speak when you are called, but don't worry about contributing.
2. OUTLINE your courses from the beginning. Make sure you understand all the major concepts on the syllabus. Read your cases but don't drown in them. Find out from upperclassmen what commercial aids are best for what class.
3. MIDWAY THROUGH find as many practice exams (previously given by YOUR teachers) and write answers under timed conditions. TAKE YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR PROFESSORS, discuss them, find out what the hell they're looking for.
4. BE PREPARED FOR AVERAGE/BELOW-AVERAGE GRADES. There's an overwhelming likelihood that there will be people in your class who are simply more intelligent, harder working, better writers than you are.
5. TRY TO ORGANIZE YOUR CLASS NOTES EVERY DAY. Just make them coherent, easy to study, and fill in gaps by consulting with your classmates. (I really believe students who work together make higher grades).
6. DO NOT TRY TO BECOME THE CASE-BRIEFING CHAMPION OF THE WORLD. For each case you read, summarize it into a paragraph. Beautiful, long case-briefs will do NOTHING for you on your exams.
7. DO EXACTLY WHAT YOUR LEGAL RESEARCH PROF SAYS. Ask as many questions as needed to understand exactly what they want. Do not ignore a single detail, no matter how small. That detail will inevitably be a difference between you and the next person on the curve.
8. YOU MUST ESTABLISH SOME SORT OF RHYTHM. This means that generally, you study at the same time of day for roughly the same amount of time. You want a steady reliable schedule that works for you. This will give you a sense of structure and it will make studying become habitual.
9. IF YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT A CONCEPT, YOU SHOULD ASK THE PROFESSOR. ASk, ASK, ASK! They are so freaking overpaid and underworked. Don't stare at your book for hours trying to find the keys to the secrets of the universe. Just E-MAIL YOUR TEACHER AND ASK. They will likely respond with exactly what you will need to write on your exam.
10. LAST BUT VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT GLAZE OVER WHEN YOUR PROF GIVES HYPOTHETICALS IN CLASS. Write these down and note how your professor answers the hypo, if she does. These examples. in some shape or form, WILL BE IN THE FACT PATTERN ON YOUR EXAM.
Good luck to you.
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