5 Things to Do After You Take the Bar Exam
As the bar exam creeps ever closer, you're probably finding yourself scrambling to get the UCC under your belt, trying to up your memory, or just generally panicking. It's normal. But don't let your dread and apprehension blind you to the best part of taking the bar: being done.
In just about a week you will be done with the bar exam and once again remember what it's like to be a part of humanity again. Don't let the moment go to waste. Here are five things to do once you've finished the bar exam:
1. Reconnect With Loved Ones or Just Anyone
Studying for the bar exam tends to make a hermit out of even the most social J.D.s, especially in the last few weeks before the test. Take the days that come after the exam to reconnect with the people in your life. Relearn your roommate's name, hang out with old colleagues, make a new friend at the bar, call your mother.
2. Check Out a Real Bar
When you've finished sitting for the bar, start sitting at the bar. Order yourself a stiff drink and relax -- or go all out with a celebratory night on the town. Either way, you've earned the right to let loose. (Just do so responsibly. You wouldn't want to have to update your bar application with info on your new DUI, would you?)
3. Remember What Sun, Fun, and Fresh Air Feel Like
Go outside. You've likely been spending most of the summer in your room, school library or favorite cafe. Now that you're done, it's time to reconnect with the outside world. Go camping, kayaking, or just walk barefoot through the grass. Step out into nature and enjoy the season while it lasts. After all, this is probably the last long summer break you'll ever have.
4. Say Bonjour to Paris or Bom Dia in Rio
If you've got a good job lined up, or just some money to burn, take the proverbial bar trip. The bar trip has become a tradition for many future attorneys, akin to the Grand Tours of old. So take up the tradition as well and spend your last weeks of freedom seeing the parts of the world you've always wanted to visit -- then get ready to hunker down at your new job when you return.
5. Don't Think About the Bar
Want to go through your notes and see if you answered that essay question correctly? Ready to commiserate with fellow J.D.s about the MBE? Don't! You've done all you can do, so put the exam behind you. You have three months before the results of the exam will be released. In the interim, cast the bar exam from your mind.
Related Resources:
- The Bar Exam Sucks, But Your Life Doesn't Have to When It's Over (Lawyerist)
- Time to End the Bar Exam? Some Deans Say So (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- You Can Fail the Bar Exam and Still Have an Awesome Career (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- What's the Most Important Thing to Study for the Bar Exam? (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)