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No one can tell you for sure. Looks like you would need to get mostly B+'s and A's next semester to get over median. Do you have confidence in yourself that you can do that?

Stay in law school. In what subject did you get a "C" ? I ask because without the "C", you probably wouldn't be questioning whether or not to stay in law school.

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Many law students experience an awakening after receiving first semester grades & continue on to do well. Since you have been out of school for several years, this may just be a readjustment phase.
On the other hand, I don't recall any law students who were really accountants at heart.

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Then wait & see whether or not you keep your scholarship. Without more info. on the accounting program & about you, it is difficult to offer an opinion about leaving law school now to join the accounting program. Many law students encounter self doubts during their first year in law school. Probably indicates that you are leaving your comfort zone & growing intellectually.

The answer to your question depends on your motivations for going to law school in the first place. Have you always wanted to be a lawyer and changing to another program now would mean rethinking all of your goals? Or did you come to law school thinking that JD = six figure salary?

If the former, I say give it another semester. Work hard in your 4 credit class to get a solid A. Find a study group of people that share your drive. Talk to the professor who gave you the C about your errors. And start taking practice exams in February. You can do this! This your life's goal, for crying out loud! Nail it!

If the latter, drop out now. Did you honestly think the law school meat grinder would yield positive results? Or did you think you were special, that, because the universe loves you, you would naturally place in the top 25-10%? Go! Go to your accounting program! You make me sick.

Think of it as a choose your own adventure novel . . . without the opportunity to go back to page 1.

nigelfrost wrote:Think of it as a choose your own adventure novel . . . without the opportunity to go back to page 1.

So... like a regular novel?

BrownBears09 wrote:

nigelfrost wrote:Think of it as a choose your own adventure novel . . . without the opportunity to go back to page 1.

So... like a regular novel?

Are you often faced with the choice between two different endings in a regular novel?

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Any number of combinations could get you over the median. But, obviously, I would pool all of my strength in those two 4 credit classes. What are the subjects, if you don't mind my asking? Property and Con Law?

nigelfrost wrote:

BrownBears09 wrote:

nigelfrost wrote:Think of it as a choose your own adventure novel . . . without the opportunity to go back to page 1.

So... like a regular novel?

Are you often faced with the choice between two different endings in a regular novel?

OP - the answer will probably depend on a number of things, most already mentioned. First you have to look at the caliber of school you go to. Are you still fucked even if you bring your grades a little above median? Do you know what you did wrong? Talk to your professors and see what you could have done different. Why are you at law school? Is your heart set on working for a large firm and making ridiculous amounts of money? Was it more of an investment?

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In order to get above median, the lowest GPA you can get this semester is a 3.47 ((3.47 + 2.53)/2=3). With the breakdown in credits, you could shoot for two As in the 4 credit classes, a B in the 3 credit, and two Bs in the 2 credits. Or you could shoot for all B+s. Or you could shoot for two Bs in the 4 credit classes, and an A all the rest. And so on.

If you shoot for the 5 B+s though, you're going to have to divide your time equally, which will be tough to do with two, 4-credit juggernauts. Again, I say spend your time on Prop and Con Law, get with a good group in both those classes, outline AS YOU GO, and start looking at practice exams early. Do something similar, but not quite as anal in crim and you should be good.

Don't give up. Learn from this experience, regroup, and don't let it impact your studies from here on out.

nigelfrost wrote:In order to get above median, the lowest GPA you can get this semester is a 3.47 ((3.47 + 2.53)/2=3). With the breakdown in credits, you could shoot for two As in the 4 credit classes, a B in the 3 credit, and two Bs in the 2 credits. Or you could shoot for all B+s. Or you could shoot for two Bs in the 4 credit classes, and an A all the rest. And so on.

If you shoot for the 5 B+s though, you're going to have to divide your time equally, which will be tough to do with two, 4-credit juggernauts. Again, I say spend your time on Prop and Con Law, get with a good group in both those classes, outline AS YOU GO, and start looking at practice exams early. Do something similar, but not quite as anal in crim and you should be good.

Don't give up. Learn from this experience, regroup, and don't let it impact your studies from here on out.

B is median, so to be above it I probably need to eclipse 3.15 at the end of the year. In other words, I'll need closer to a 3.6 GPA. Isn't that kind of a crazy expectation?

Well, given your performance last semester, it's going to require some significant changes. You've got to take a hard look at what could have possibly gone wrong and fix it. Remember, as well, that you're dealing with a bell curve. Right now you're sitting in the lower center of the curve where there isn't a whole lot of difference between you and the 15 other people in that clump (depending on the size of your class). You can make major jumps just by doing things even SLIGHTLY different from everyone else (if that makes sense). It gets harder to hold on to your lead once you get into the outlying regions.

But, yes, jumping from 2.53 to 3.6 is going to require reflection, a change in your study schedule, and some serious dedication. If that sounds like a terrible way to spend the first part of 2011, then maybe leaving now is a good idea. The job market sucked this year; having gone through OCI and barely managing to get an a summer associate position, I know how ugly it can get. Even once you cross the median, there is still that difficult prospect of knowing that even THAT might not be enough.

Even with all these realities, though, I still stand by the idea that IF you really work your tail off and IF you really want the JD, there's no reason why you can't be successful.

Good luck!

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If you want to be an accountant and know you can get into an accounting program (or can get your old job back, since you say you've been out of school for a while), then drop out. You don't seem like you want to be a lawyer, you didn't do well your first semester, and it will be very difficult to keep your scholarship at this point.

Remember, the people at the top of the class really want to maintain their grades.

3.6 on a 3.0 median is damn near top of the class. If you need that just to keep the scholarship drop out unless going this semester won't collect debt.

Desert Fox wrote:3.6 on a 3.0 median is damn near top of the class. If you need that just to keep the scholarship drop out unless going this semester won't collect debt.

There is some truth to this. It sounds like OP will need to suddenly go from being below median to near #1 in the class just to maintain that scholarship. Therefore any plans should be based on the assumption that scholarship is gonna be lost. It's not yet set in stone, but they've already chalked it and got out the chisel.

vanwinkle wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:3.6 on a 3.0 median is damn near top of the class. If you need that just to keep the scholarship drop out unless going this semester won't collect debt.

There is some truth to this. It sounds like OP will need to suddenly go from being below median to near #1 in the class just to maintain that scholarship. Therefore any plans should be based on the assumption that scholarship is gonna be lost. It's not yet set in stone, but they've already chalked it and got out the chisel.

The answer to the question boils down to one single question. How badly do you want to be a lawyer?

All the other factors such as the school you go to, the money you can make (big law), the opportunity cost of law school (debt + not being an accountant), etc are factors to consider when making the decision. The more determined you are to become a lawyer, the more the factors can stack against you without making you choose another path.

For most of us there is a point where the legal field won't make sense for us. For instance, most of us would say choose to go to law school even if we were below median if we were attending HYS on a full scholarship, and most of us (TLSers anyways) would choose not to attend law school if we were attending a T2/T3/T4 at sticker.

You need to decide how badly you want to be in the legal field. Will you choose to stay in your school if you get a 3.5 and lose your scholarship? If the answer is no, perhaps you should drop out now and go the accountant route. You have been out of school some time so with diligent and hardwork you can raise your GPA, but raising 1 whole grade-point will be very challenging.



Good luck with whatever you choose.