10 Things 1Ls Can Do After Final Exams
In a few short weeks, you'll be done with your first 1L final exams. For some of you, it was easy -- you got an open-book, take-home final and were then told you had a week to complete it and turn it in. For others, you had to actually go into a classroom, turn on ExamSoft, and write for three hours straight.
Any way you slice it, you'll soon be done with your first semester. And most importantly, you'll have survived. So here's a list of 10 things you may want to do after you're done with finals:
1. Go to a Bar
Go hang out with your other law school friends. After all that hard work, you deserve a drink. Just don't overdo it.
2. Take a Nap
If you're not used to a week of three-hour-long tests, you're probably exhausted by now and in no mood to party (this was how I felt after the bar exam).
3. Veg Out
After a semester in law school, it's suddenly very nice to sit in a chair and just stare at nothing, thinking about nothing. Or, do its functional equivalent and watch a "Cake Boss" marathon on TLC.
4. Hang Out With Your Other Friends
Remember back when you had friends who weren't in law school and didn't talk about the red line exception to the felony murder rule? Here's a secret: Law students are annoying. Go back to your real friends and talk about real people things.
5. Call Your Mother
Your parents miss you. They haven't talked to you all semester, and they're worried. Oh sure, you send them texts reminding them that you're alive, but that's about it. When was the last time you had a substantive conversation with them?
6. Read a Book
No, not your criminal law casebook. Believe it or not, there are non-casebooks out there. There used to be whole buildings, called "libraries," that were filled with them, and they were free! Go find one of these fabled "libraries" and browse the stacks.
7. Go Outside
Don't like camping? Fine, go on a little day hike. Don't like hiking? Then go have brunch in a small town. Just do something outside or something that involves going outside. You don't want to end up like Grandpa Joe after a semester of sitting inside, studying.
8. Make Some Art
"Art" is necessarily a broad term. Do you play the guitar? Then go play the guitar. Write some music. Or paint a picture if that's your thing. Or build something out of LEGOs. Exercise your creativity muscles by doing something that's not logical analysis.
9. Have a Nice Meal
Whether you go to a restaurant or make it yourself, having a nice meal will remind you that there's a world of cuisine out there that doesn't have to be slurped from the bottom of a Cup O' Noodles while you're doing Uniform Commercial Code flashcards.
10. Be Mindful
However overused the term is, "mindfulness" just means being present in the here and now, not thinking about being somewhere else, or worrying about the future. Try to live in this moment, right here, because soon, you'll be back at school, hunkered in the library, slurping Cup O' Noodles from a Styrofoam cup.
What are you going to do after finals? Let us know via Twitter (@FindLawLP) or Facebook (FindLaw for Legal Professionals).
Editor's Note, November 24, 2015: This post was first published in December 2014. It has since been updated.
Related Resources:
- 5 Tips to Make the Most of Your 1L Year (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Gearing Up For Finals? Here Are Some Tips (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Ten-Hut! 5 Reasons Why 1st Year of Law School is Like Boot Camp (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
