aileen and i were talking on the phone last night about the "good ol' days" at berkeley, and how we would come out of midterms and finals without any confidence that we got a single question right. such is the tradition at berkeley for most of the students, and i was definitely no exception. during my multivariable calculus final, i took a walk outside for an hour because my brain was so fried after taking two finals that same day, and i couldn't concentrate at all. i saw one guy crouched in the corner next to the building hugging his legs, rocking back and forth trying to jumpstart his brain, and many people were roaming the halls and courtyard like me.
during orgo exams, i remember flipping page by page saying to myself, "nope. nope. nope. never seen that thing before... nope." my friends and i would brag how many problems we actually recognized.
"i think i got two problems completely right, and one partially right."
"oh yeah? i left 2 pages blank and knew only how to name structures!"

i even fell asleep during exams whenever i pulled all-nighters. i have the pencil markings on my tests to prove it. vivarin only made the problem worse, because my hands would jitter.

now that i think about it, partial credit saved my life.