Studying for the LSAT is like being in a bad relationship. It’s tiring, and it always feels like it lasts much longer that it actually does. Sometimes, it seems like the two of you are speaking a completely different language. Sometimes, you have a wonderful day, and all of those bad times just slip right away.

But, like all bad relationships, it eventually comes to an end.

For those of you who aren’t caught in the bad relationship cycle (i.e. those who didn’t cancel their October LSAT score and don’t plan to retake), this weekend ended the relationship — though don’t be surprised if it comes back to haunt you this Halloween.

And now, you have more free time than you know what to do with. All those calendar entries that used to read “LSAT studying” are now blank.

With what should you fill them?

If you haven’t already, it’s time to get your law school applications complete.

Law school admissions is on a rolling basis, so the earlier you submit your applications, the better your chances. And one of the biggest days for applications is the October LSAT score release day.

You want to have everything ready to go so you can submit your law school applications as soon as (or even before) LSAT scores are released.

So what’s on the checklist?

Steps one and two should already be done – law school letters of recommendation and transcripts. If you haven’t started this process already, it’s probably going to hold you up. Letters of rec in particular can take months to write and weeks to process. If you’ve already requested them, check in with professors to see if they’ve been submitted.

Step two is to make a list of law schools to which you plan to apply. Then, check out their applications. Some law schools have additional essays; you don’t want to be blind-sided by one the day you think you’re going to be submitting your applications. Skim through each law school application and make a list of essays you’ll be required to write.

Step three is the law school personal statement. With concentrated effort, you should be able to get a solid essay written over the next three weeks. Start by reading through some of the posts on Most Strongly Supported about law school personal statements. Run a few ideas by people whose judgment you trust. Make sure to write numerous drafts and have many people read over them. Read it out loud to make sure it sounds fantastic. Then, upload it.

Step four should be done over a variety of days, interspersed throughout the next three weeks. This step involves filling out the law school applications. It’s a bit mind-numbing, and you’ll be sick of typing out each and every club in which you were involved by the end of it. That’s why it’s better to do it over the course of a few days – you already have a tenuous hold on sanity from studying.

Step five is to go out and celebrate your freedom. When the LSAT is released, you’ll have flashbacks to that bad relationship. Luckily, if you follow the steps above, you’ll be able to quickly brush off the LSAT score, send it in with your applications, and wait to hear back from the law school of your dreams.