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Is there a lot of memorization in law school?

I'd say there is a good amount of memorization.

It ultimately depends on whether your exams are open or closed book. Even for open book exams though, I prefer to give myself a couple of days before the exam to more or less memorize the material. You need to do a lot more than memorize the material though because memorization only gets you so far.

bceagles182 wrote:I'd say there is a good amount of memorization.

It ultimately depends on whether your exams are open or closed book. Even for open book exams though, I prefer to give myself a couple of days before the exam to more or less memorize the material. You need to do a lot more than memorize the material though because memorization only gets you so far.

So how much do grades matter? Even those in the bottom of their class at a T14 school get decent jobs, don't they?

siddney wrote:

bceagles182 wrote:I'd say there is a good amount of memorization.

It ultimately depends on whether your exams are open or closed book. Even for open book exams though, I prefer to give myself a couple of days before the exam to more or less memorize the material. You need to do a lot more than memorize the material though because memorization only gets you so far.

So how much do grades matter? Even those in the bottom of their class at a T14 school get decent jobs, don't they?

Couldn't resist, sorry.

Better answer: grades matter, even in the T14.

Paichka wrote:

siddney wrote:

bceagles182 wrote:I'd say there is a good amount of memorization.

It ultimately depends on whether your exams are open or closed book. Even for open book exams though, I prefer to give myself a couple of days before the exam to more or less memorize the material. You need to do a lot more than memorize the material though because memorization only gets you so far.

So how much do grades matter? Even those in the bottom of their class at a T14 school get decent jobs, don't they?

Couldn't resist, sorry.

Better answer: grades matter, even in the T14.

Haha I enjoy studying to learn whatever I can, to the best of my ability. I'm just over and beyond obsessing about the numbers. Don't want to put that kind of pressure on myself.

I have a horrible memory and I'm terrible at rote-memorization, and I've been able to do well on most law school exam formats.

Be aware, though, job prospects are much dimmer at law school. It is possible to go to a T14 and still whiff on biglaw (which means you are probably screwed if you paid sticker).

No, and that's fair. Great, even.

The problem is that the people who'll be hiring you are NOT over and beyond obsessing about the numbers. So if you don't have the grades, you're going to lose out to people who do. That's just the harsh reality of life.

I mean, unless you're at Yale or have a guaranteed job from an employer going in. Or someone else is paying for law school. Or you're independently wealthy and you're only going for the lulz.

Richie Tenenbaum wrote:I have a horrible memory and I'm terrible at rote-memorization, and I've been able to do well on most law school exam formats.

Be aware, though, job prospects are much dimmer at law school. It is possible to go to a T14 and still whiff on biglaw (which means you are probably screwed if you paid sticker).

oh ok.

Paichka wrote:No, and that's fair. Great, even.

The problem is that the people who'll be hiring you are NOT over and beyond obsessing about the numbers. So if you don't have the grades, you're going to lose out to people who do. That's just the harsh reality of life.

I mean, unless you're at Yale or have a guaranteed job from an employer going in. Or someone else is paying for law school. Or you're independently wealthy and you're only going for the lulz.

What I mean is that I'm not going to be crying over a B or C here and there, nor am I going to plan to scrape by.

My take on it is that everybody ends up okay at the end of the day... in the grand scheme of things. Life isn't so cut and dry that you're doomed if you don't land a job at X or Y or Z straight out of graduation. If a company thinks you're not good enough for it, well the company (and it's culture) is probably not a good match for your mindset anyway. Everything works out and everyone eventually finds their niche. It's not a question of losing out to someone else... it's a question of aligning with your perfect opportunity that you are a match to. That's just my own perspective.

siddney wrote:

Paichka wrote:No, and that's fair. Great, even.

The problem is that the people who'll be hiring you are NOT over and beyond obsessing about the numbers. So if you don't have the grades, you're going to lose out to people who do. That's just the harsh reality of life.

I mean, unless you're at Yale or have a guaranteed job from an employer going in. Or someone else is paying for law school. Or you're independently wealthy and you're only going for the lulz.

What I mean is that I'm not going to be crying over a B or C here and there, nor am I going to plan to scrape by.

My take on it is that everybody ends up okay at the end of the day... in the grand scheme of things. Life isn't so cut and dry that you're doomed if you don't land a job at X or Y or Z straight out of graduation. If a company thinks you're not good enough for it, well the company (and it's culture) is probably not a good match for your mindset anyway. Everything works out and everyone eventually finds their niche. It's not a question of losing out to someone else... it's a question of aligning with your perfect opportunity that you are a match to. That's just my own perspective.

You've been here already, right? http://insidethelawschoolscam.blogspot.com/

siddney wrote:

Paichka wrote:No, and that's fair. Great, even.

The problem is that the people who'll be hiring you are NOT over and beyond obsessing about the numbers. So if you don't have the grades, you're going to lose out to people who do. That's just the harsh reality of life.

I mean, unless you're at Yale or have a guaranteed job from an employer going in. Or someone else is paying for law school. Or you're independently wealthy and you're only going for the lulz.

What I mean is that I'm not going to be crying over a B or C here and there, nor am I going to plan to scrape by.

My take on it is that everybody ends up okay at the end of the day... in the grand scheme of things. Life isn't so cut and dry that you're doomed if you don't land a job at X or Y or Z straight out of graduation. If a company thinks you're not good enough for it, well the company (and it's culture) is probably not a good match for your mindset anyway. Everything works out and everyone eventually finds their niche. It's not a question of losing out to someone else... it's a question of aligning with your perfect opportunity that you are a match to. That's just my own perspective.

If by "working out" you mean "unemployment and borderline poverty", ok.

siddney wrote:
What I mean is that I'm not going to be crying over a B or C here and there, nor am I going to plan to scrape by.

My take on it is that everybody ends up okay at the end of the day...

If you take on $150K in debt and can't find a job that pays at least $90K after graduation, you are not going to end up OK. I have friends who had jobs paying twice that much, and it's still a huge burden to manage that amount of debt.

Not crying over a B is a good thing - as long as they're the exception. Not worrying about a C is a bad thing - you shouldn't be getting a C at a T14 school. That's going to create problems when you go for employment.

law school and med school are polar opposite in terms of post grad employment, how the view grades etc. No need to hate because you are fresh out of med school and just starting your research, but start your research on law schools.