School is hard enough without the added pressure of booze-wrangling. So relieve some pre-finals stress! Whether you're 18 or 22, these tips should help you get served --

Early!

• Make physical contact with a part of the bar, keg or something. Get and don't move.
• Make eye contact. Smile! Look hot. If you're not hot, use your hot friend to order your drinks.
• (Note: You can also be that douche who pushes people out of the way, screams out their order out of turn and hurls their money at the bartender. But the long hand of karma will probably not hand you a timely pint.)

Often!

• Now make a good impression: tip generously on the first drink.
• Learn who's serving or selling you your drink. Be friendly! Or flirt, but try not to lay it on too thick...
• Better yet, become a regular. Find a place you like and stick with it. You and the bartender will become such tight buds that s/he'll think nothing of at least throwing you a shot here and there on the house.

And on the cheap! (If those tricks didn't already succeed in getting you a couple free ones...)

• If you're a little more introverted, become an art fan (or at least learn how to fake it). Gallery openings are great places to get sloshed on cheap free wine and flirt with cute creative types.
• If you're more outgoing, and generally confident in your basic motor skills and ability to follow directions, try some of Wired's Bar Tricks to impress your barkeep and your fellow drinkers. Or glean some of the magic of Brian Brushwood, who claims that if you watch his new Web show "Scam School" carefully, "you'll never have to pay for a drink again!"

Or! Admit that you're lazy and (a little bit) moneyed and check out some of these local weekly drink specials:

• At Ohio State, $4 domestic pitchers at Hendoc's (12pm-1am) (2375 N High St.)
• At Penn State, $3.75 pitchers of Labatt Blue at Darkhorse Tavern (128 E College Ave. 5pm-12am)
• At the University of Florida, $2 margaritas at Market Street Pub (120 SW 1st Ave. 9pm-1am)
• At the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, $4 pitchers of Dos Equis at Score Keepers (310 Maynard St. 10pm-1am) and $2 Long Islands and $0.55 PBRs at Cavern Club (210 1st St S 12pm-1am)
• At Arizona State, $2.25 domestic pints at The Vine Tavern & Eatery (801 E. Apache Blvd. 3-7pm)