Thanksgiving break is quickly approaching, which means exam season is just around the corner. For our prospective students who are interested and for all of those 1Ls getting ready for your first round of exams, we thought it would be helpful for you to hear some words of wisdom from 2Ls who were in your shoes just one year ago.

The common theme: take some time to relax and come back to school ready to grind. Here’s what these 2Ls had to say:

“Don’t spend the whole break stressed and studying. Make sure to take Thanksgiving Day off to spend time with friends and family. Breaks are needed for a healthy state of mind going into finals.” -Katie Foley

“Take some time to enjoy your loved one’s company during the break. Then regroup with your small (emphasis on the small) study group once you are back on campus. Trust yourself—don’t forget the study techniques you have used before that have propelled you to success up to this point.” -Rachel Taylor

“Just do the work. But sometimes it helps me to write out a schedule for studying because then it looks a lot less bad.” -Nick Coppola

“I took all of Thanksgiving off to reconnect with my family. I was very aware of the fact that I did not have an exam the first week and felt okay giving myself a well-deserved break.” -Katherine King

“If you weren’t able to make it home for Thanksgiving, be sure to celebrate with other classmates on campus. Have a Friendsgiving or go out for a good meal–stepping away from your studies even for a night will definitely benefit you in the end.” -Kelsey Barrett

“Be realistic with how you budget your time. You are going to want to spend time with your family and you should, so don’t plan to study 12 hours a day. Do some practice exams over Thanksgiving break then when you meet with your study group back on campus, you can go over those answer. Also, begin your attack outlines.” -Mitch Carney

“If you find yourself getting braindead from all the studying, you can still be productive with your break. For instance, you can work on submitting your summer job applications without feeling guilty about stepping away from your outlining.” -John Roberts

“You can definitely outline if you want to, but be sure to take at least two days off. I spent my travel days outlining, and felt like that was a good use of my time without overdoing it.” -Dave Leopard

“Set a schedule for yourself that is not overly harsh, which includes taking breaks for meals, exercise, and other things that are fun. You can’t effectively study for 20 hours a day, nor should you.” -Rebecca Langsam

“Don’t freak out if your outlines aren’t done right now. Everyone works at a different pace and you shouldn’t compare yourself to others.” -Julie Hernandez

The BC Impact bloggers hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Courtney Ruggeri is a second year student and Impact regular. She loves hearing from readers. Email her at ruggeric@bc.edu.