1) Don’t give up. It isn’t your only choice. You can still study and review your notes. There’s still time to ask questions before finals. Teachers have emails for a reason. Also, your classmates can been good sources. Chances are they are feeling the same way as you.
2) GET OFF THE INTERNET! No, really. If you’re so worried about grades, why are you trying to ‘study’ the life of your neighbor’s cousin’s grocer’s jaywalker’s shoe salesman from twenty years ago down to the minutest detail? Totally not important. The flip side? At least you can remember who that super distant individual was, thus training yourself for minute details needed for the exam. Yes, you do eventually need Buzzfeed to tell you what city you should live in, but lets try to graduate from law school before we think about moving.
3) Set goals. When you reach those goals, you can take a brief—brief, I said—break. Maybe you can watch one of the tv shows you added to your Netflix watch list sometime in October that you never got around to watch. One. Not a zombie marathon that will have you unearthing every single zombie movie made in the history of the world. Quotas. A small reward to give the gray matter a break and keep it up to studying capacity. This will help you keep your sanity.
4) Exercise. Finals time is rough. I don’t care if your idea of exercise is walking around the block, but get OUT. Finals—especially your first finals—are around the holiday season. Surprisingly, there IS a world out there not drowning in papers and study guides. That world happens to be a pretty place of happiness and cheer. Go check it out for a little.
5) Don’t get down on yourself. Don’t get depressed. You’re not stupid, or dumb, you aren’t a worthless slacker. Remember why you came to law school and your goals and go for them. If that doesn’t help, and you are seriously in a bad place, go to student services. They are there for a reason and they often have candy.
Now it’s time for me to go and actually put this list to good use to fend off being dominated by finals.
One last tip.... the dry erase boards in the library are meant for work, but sometimes drawing a picture of a shark eating your law books can be just the therapy you need.
