Grades or Bar Class? Forum

[Anonymous User]

3L heading into my last semester.

Background: I go to a lower T1 school in a major city, on law review, etc. Have a biglaw job lined up. Here is my dilemma..

I am a terrible standardized test taker - shit the bed on LSAT (3x) despite consistently good practice scores (hence the school im at). I get VERY nervous for whatever reason whenever I take a standardized test. Despite that, I'm a pretty good law school test taker.

My dilemma: I'm just on the edge of Magna cum laude honors going into my final semester. Should i take classes that I know I'll ace or take Trusts/Estates and Secured Transactions to help me begin bar prep early? Both of these classes (and the prof's teaching them this semester) are significantly more difficult than the other courses I could take.

The reason I'd gun for latin honors is that I'd potentially like to clerk in 2019 or 2020 (which may be a stretch given my school - but a fair number of folks from past few years have done so with similar grades).

Any thoughts are appreciated. I also understand that this sounds ridiculous, but maxing out my grades is likely my only shot at a clerkship, so I want to do what I can to keep that chance alive.

[trebekismyhero]

3L heading into my last semester.

Background: I go to a lower T1 school in a major city, on law review, etc. Have a biglaw job lined up. Here is my dilemma..

I am a terrible standardized test taker - shit the bed on LSAT (3x) despite consistently good practice scores (hence the school im at). I get VERY nervous for whatever reason whenever I take a standardized test. Despite that, I'm a pretty good law school test taker.

My dilemma: I'm just on the edge of Magna cum laude honors going into my final semester. Should i take classes that I know I'll ace or take Trusts/Estates and Secured Transactions to help me begin bar prep early? Both of these classes (and the prof's teaching them this semester) are significantly more difficult than the other courses I could take.

The reason I'd gun for latin honors is that I'd potentially like to clerk in 2019 or 2020 (which may be a stretch given my school - but a fair number of folks from past few years have done so with similar grades).

Any thoughts are appreciated. I also understand that this sounds ridiculous, but maxing out my grades is likely my only shot at a clerkship, so I want to do what I can to keep that chance alive.

Just take what you want. Bar prep will teach you what you need to know

[rpupkin]

The bar exam is closer to a law-school exam than it is to a SAT/LSAT-type standardized test.

I'd gun for latin honors.

[alphagamma]

The bar exam is closer to a law-school exam than it is to a SAT/LSAT-type standardized test.

I'd gun for latin honors.

Agreed.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I think the "bar class" idea is kind of a flame. The bar requires a very minimal understanding of each subject. I would definitely choose to improve your GPA.

[North]

As someone who took almost no fluff classes (despite First Offense repeatedly telling me how stupid it was), 100% take fluff classes for grades. You're not learning anything anyway.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Agreed that bar classes are a flame. I think I took just one outside of 1L required classes (so I essentially went in blind for crim pro/evidence, etc) and even if I had taken them I would've forgotten. Bar prep classes will teach you everything you need to know. I was more concerned with scheduling in 2L and took tough classes so my gpa suffered. In 3L I took ezpz classes and it was so much better. Boost that gpa.

[Anonymous User]

Easy classes it is. Thanks for the responses.

[mjb447]

Signing on to "bar classes are a flame." Even if some aren't (some people find taking Evidence helpful to start learning the terminology), definitely don't forego your GPA goals to take Trusts/Estates and Secured Transactions with difficult profs.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Cosigning everyone else. And FWIW, everyone (as in, even profs) told me that trusts and estates was pretty easy to learn for the bar, and I thought that was absolutely true. Secured Transactions, eh, my essay was pretty bad and I can't even recognize anything in the wikipedia discussion as anything I learned, but the bar really does test minimal competence and you'll be fine. The part that's more like LSAT/SAT is the MBE, and you've taken those courses already.

[gregfootball2001]

Cosigning with one exception. If you haven't taken Evidence, I think it's helpful. Depending on your state, it can be on both parts, so you could get hit with it twice. I think that some of the nuances are easier to learn over the course of a semester than during bar prep. As to T&E/Secured Transactions, though, meh. You'll learn the very basics during prep.

[North]

Yeah I agree, evidence was actually pretty helpful for the bar because I got it in both the MBE and my state essays.

[Anonymous User]

OP Here. Thanks for the replies. I'm going to take the easier classes and gun for honors. Also re evidence - I already took that, and am glad I did.

thanks, all.