Now that the school year is over, I feel less guilty sharing all the things I do to entertain myself during the fall and spring semesters. Law school takes over our lives in ways we may not even recognize or feel, so giving yourself a break doing something you enjoy is so important. I hope one of my ideas will speak to you. Disclaimer: I would not recommend doing this in 1L unless you have amazing time management skills. 

(Free) Phone Games: My guilty pleasure, but when they’re good, they’re good. Last summer, I played a game called Duskwood. You play as someone who begins to receive text messages from friends of a missing girl, and you are expected to help solve the mystery of where she is––and who took her. To unlock more of the story, you have to play fun minigames. I really enjoyed the interactive nature of this game, and getting to try to solve the case on my own. 

In fall of 2L I played a similar game called An Elmwood Trail, and I have recommended it to anyone who would listen to me. Similar to Duskwood, you play as a detective who is helping a missing girl’s case. You have access to your own phone and the missing girl’s phone, and solve riddles and puzzles by texting with her friends and going through her apps to find clues. Meanwhile, you’re also dealing with your own crises that interfere with the case. This game is still in production, and the next episode should hopefully be coming out soon. What was most enjoyable about An Elmwood Trail was how truly difficult some of the puzzles and riddles were to solve. I got my friends involved in helping me out, and we would cheer when we got something right.

Books: I am sure the last thing you want to do in law school is read another book. But this year, I made a goal for myself to read for fun during the semester, and I really enjoyed it. It kept me off my phone while reading about something that had nothing to do with law or law school. Personally, I have always been a fantasy reader, and relish in the escape that a fantasy book can provide me. I was able to read some books this past semester by setting goals for myself on how many pages to read per night so I could finish the book by a certain time while still making the page count reasonable. Quality over quantity was key, especially since my school readings had to take precedence when I had more homework than I thought. 

If you are looking for recommendations, some books I read this school year were: The Everlasting by Alix Harrow, The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (not fantasy, but very good), and The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem. 

Television: Sometimes––or always––after school, all you want to do is sit on the couch and put on a show. The show cannot be about anything serious, nor should it require thinking. Without delving too much into my tastes, I recommend watching the following: RuPaul’s Drag Race, My Life with the Walter Boys, Sex and the City, Parks and Recreation, and Friends. 

Again, these are ways that I chose to spend my free time outside of class and readings and outlining. Whether these methods work for you or not, remember that when you come back to school, you deserve your own time too. Until then, have a wonderful and restful summer!

---

Alexandra Staller is a rising 3L student at BC Law and President of the Impact blog. Contact her at stallera@bc.edu.