Midterms have arrived for 1Ls. The length of time allowed for each midterm varies from a few hours to a few days, but one thing is consistent: for Contracts, Torts, and Criminal Law, midterms might be the first substantial graded work of the semester.
For students who have been working very hard with little graded feedback, the stakes seem high even for no-downside midterms, which count for zero percent of a student’s grade if their performance improves on the final exam. However, while it can be tempting to focus every spare moment on refining your midterm responses, upper years repeatedly underline that self-care is as important as ever.
Advice about self-care comes alongside more general advice about how to contend with the midterms themselves. According to upper years, it’s important to take notes throughout the semester based on hints that the professors may drop along the way, and also based on explicit instructions provided in midterm questions. Looking at past exams may also give you a better idea of what to expect, and practicing these questions can be a useful tool in helping to optimize your time. Some upper years even recommend keeping two outlines for each class: a longer, more detailed outline with specific details about cases and legal rules, and a shorter outline or checklist that provides you with a quick overview of all the issues that might be relevant to each question.
The advice about self-care also falls into two categories, with some overlap. First, there’s the typical advice about physical self-care. For example, it’s important to ensure that you are getting enough sleep because sleep is essential to memory consolidation, and chronic sleep loss can lead to diminished performance. Good sleep hygiene (meaning only going to bed to sleep, not sleeping in places other than your bed, and trying to stick to a consistent schedule even when you have no classes) can help to improve your sleep quality and may even mitigate minor problems with insomnia. However, some sleep is still better than no sleep, so even if you find it impossible to stick to a regular schedule, upper years recommend taking a nap when you get the chance. Exercise is also important, although it is understandably more difficult due to social distancing and gym closures. Easier ways to fit in some exercise include going on socially distanced walks and lifting weights, or following along with body-weight exercise videos at home. Finally, upper years stressed the importance of eating healthy, whether that means taking time to cook despite a busier schedule, or splurging on healthy take-out.
Secondly, self-care around mental health is equally important. In a time of social distancing, the need for social support is especially salient. It may help to talk with friends and family on the phone or over video calls, but if you are suffering from Zoom fatigue like many students, there are safe ways to fit in some social time. For example, try combining exercise and social support by going on a socially distanced walk with a friend, or increase your efficiency even further by inviting a friend to walk with you somewhere that you already need to go, like getting groceries. The need for social support ties in with a need to get some distance from law school every once in a while, whether that is through physical distance or by speaking with friends from your hometown or undergraduate program with whom you won’t be tempted to discuss law school. Last but far from least, it’s essential to make time to relax. What that looks like can be different for everyone. Some upper years have mentioned more traditional approaches to relaxation, including guided meditation podcasts or doing yoga, while others found relaxation in activities that they missed while busy with classes. Some people prefer to watch a few reruns of a show on Netflix, while others may enjoy reading, playing video games, or playing with pets. The essential idea is to make time for an activity that you personally enjoy and that is not especially mentally taxing, so that it can be relaxing and act as a way to reduce stress.
Most importantly, remember that self-care is important not only for reasons explicitly related to performance. Mental and physical health are both valuable on their own accord, without any necessary reference to productivity or class standing.