I dunno about you guys but since my load is so light this semester I am actually super excited for my midterms exams week. Since I actually read my materials faithfully this semester (a miracle), I think I will just be needing little time to review them for the exams. I can understand the stress of those taking full load or overload this semester and I feel for you.
Exams week is definitely a time for law students to do more sleepless nights, drink more coffee and do stuff that normal people not in law school often see in movies. I remember there were days before that I would not sleep for 2-3 days!
Stress is also very high on these week so if you know someone, a member of the family a bf/gf who is in law school, kindly give them more patience and understanding at these times. For good measure, give them time to be alone (as if we don't do much alone time with our books already) to make and or review those outlines they painstakenly made for easier recall. In fact, it would be great if you forget we do not exist in this world for a week.
Here are my few cents on how to survive your midterms exams week:
1. Cramming works only for some people.
Anyways, I hope everybody who are cramming for the exams will remember everything you read during your exam. Cramming can work for some people (including me) but a better way to study is just really do your readings on regular days and not 3 days before the exams.
2. Log off or lessen your social media
I know it is hard but I admit that FaceBook and Twitter are great time-eaters. During exams week, I would suggest logging off or limiting your time to say 5 minutes per day to any of these social networks. This long weekend, I actually logged off my my personal FB account just so I can spend more time to my books.
3. Get some R & R before the actual exams week.
All study and no pay will make you a dull law student so take some time off this weekend for a movie, a chat, trip to the spa or any activity that will relax you brain a bit before going to 'war.' Trust me, it helps! I am actually thinking of partying this weekend. I hope my pre-exams night will push through!
4. Get some sleep!
Okay this is really impossible for some people but sleeping will actually help you function more effectively during exams. Thus, it will aid you in remembering stuff. Being awake 24 hours or more before an exams is disaster and I am sure you'll agree. I have experienced my mind going blank over a simple question as if my brain hang like a PC just because I did not sleep the night before.
5. Do light exercises to improve blood circulation.
I would suggest you do light cardio, a 30 minute jog or briskwalk just around your neighborhood to get you blood circulation pumped up. Your brain and heart will love it. A healthy brain and heart is essential to surviving law school.
I would often budget my time when reading and take a break whenever I feel that I can no longer understand the text in front of me. (You know that when you just read a paragraph over and over and it doesn't register anymore.) Since I am a fond of fitness, I would sometimes lift some weights during breaks just to break the monotony. It actually pushes me to read faster and understand better because I am now looking forward to hitting my fitness goal for the day during my study break!
Here's a crazy tip I started doing this myself since 2 weeks ago. I would read in my bed and actually do sets of crunches while at it. Make sure you are lying on a flat surface while reading, no pillows under your head then start raising your legs until they are perpendicular to the your torso, that's it! It is hard at first but you will get used to it and end up having a tighter abs if you do it regularly. That's like hitting two birds in one stone.
Good luck guys! We shall slay these exams! :)
RELATED POSTS
- Time Flies Fast When You're in Law School
- Studying Law via Audio Books and Lectures
- Studying While on Vacay?
The Blogger
Hi! I'm a law student from Manila, Philippines. I did Political Science, then Industrial Relations major in H.R. (postgrad) studies from UP. I vlog, weightlift, experiment with new makeup looks, try Bollywood and bellydance steps, and rant about my cray life in my YouTube channel. Once in a blue moon, I create content for another YT channel, 10+ blogs, 20+ FB pages and in HubPages. Check out my official site.
