- Coffee—and lots of it! When I’m feeling a little over-loaded with coffee, I sometimes switch to green tea.
- A quiet area as free from distractions as possible.
- Lots of blank flash cards and comfortable pens (your hands might feel numb after writing hundreds of rules and cases on flash cards).
- Highlighters—zero in on those important rules and terms.
- Outlines—your own and those of others who’ve already taken the class, if those outlines are available. It’s beneficial to compare/contrast.
- Snacks. You might forget to eat otherwise.
- Some funny law school memes online to remind yourself that you are not alone in the struggle and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
- Understanding friends/family. You might not see them for a while, and they should be able to handle that.
- Dogs. They are excellent de-stressers. Nothing like a good, furry hug and game of fetch to break the monotony and make you feel like a human again.
- The occasional break, whether it’s to hit the gym, go for a walk, or get a massage.
- No matter how tempting it is—RESIST THE URGE TO STUDY IN BED. It will not work. And, no, you will not resume studying at 4AM if you fall asleep at 2AM.
- Having said #11, GET SLEEP! Finals are a marathon, not a sprint. It’s one thing to stay up all night finishing a memo or law brief, if you can spend the next day snoozing after you’ve turned the paper in. But, for a 4-hour final exam, you cannot be dozing off. You need to be on your A-game, and that’s not possible unless you’re well-rested.
- Make plans to attend the post-finals bar review, or make plans to go on vacation after your last final (if all else fails, there’s always Disneyland). Then, tuck that idea away and do not re-explore it until your last final is over.
- Remember to get your vitamin D. Sometimes I take my flashcards out to the backyard and study outside on a lounge chair. Makes studying so much less unpleasant.
- After a particularly draining day, run a bath. Soak. Re-charge. Get back to work.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
My Finals Survival Checklist
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