Should I take a semester of low grades or delay my graduation? Forum

[TheChain]

I am a 3L that has accepted a BL offer. I anticipate spending most of the upcoming spring semester recovering from a surgery (not life or death). During that time, it is highly unlikely that I will be able to attend classes or do any coursework. It is challenging to fail a class at my school, and generally the lowest grade given out is a B-.

I am conflicted about whether I should graduate on time at the expense of my GPA. If it makes a difference, in my case, one semester of poor grades will result in graduating without honors. If I delay my graduation, I am not concerned about graduating without a job. I want to make a decision that will pay off in the long run, and would appreciate the insight of practicing attorneys.

[Definitely Not North]

imo you should graduate on time and talk to your student services office about the accommodations they can make for you. i'd guess class will probably be remote next semester anyway so shouldnt be a thing.

[Anonymous User]

This probably depends on the type of school you’re at and how long you want to stay in biglaw.

I had a bad semester and graduated without honors at a top 30 school and had a very difficult time lateraling biglaw firms. Unfortunately firms still care somewhat about your grades even 2-4 years out of school.

If your goal is to leave biglaw after 2-3 years (and go into an area that doesn’t care about grades), I’d say it makes sense to just finish on time.

[Anonymous User]

I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone ask this question before, has anyone seen anyone do this for this reason before in real life?

[TheChain]

imo you should graduate on time and talk to your student services office about the accommodations they can make for you. i'd guess class will probably be remote next semester anyway so shouldnt be a thing.

We have an office that handles disability accommodations. I have spoken to them before, and have not been able to find creative solutions. And yes classes being online is a big plus for me. Thank you for your reply.

This probably depends on the type of school you’re at and how long you want to stay in biglaw.

I had a bad semester and graduated without honors at a top 30 school and had a very difficult time lateraling biglaw firms. Unfortunately firms still care somewhat about your grades even 2-4 years out of school.

If your goal is to leave biglaw after 2-3 years (and go into an area that doesn’t care about grades), I’d say it makes sense to just finish on time.

I am interested in BL and academia. I know neither of those are realistic long term goals, but I can’t think of anything else I want to be doing. Knowing that grades will still matter is helpful. I would appreciate if you clarified whether you were trying to lateral to more or less selective firms. Thank you for your reply.

I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone ask this question before, has anyone seen anyone do this for this reason before in real life?

I have not been able to find posts that describe a similar situation. But there is no way I am the first person to be in this situation. Thank you for your reply.

[Anonymous User]

Definitely graduate on time and hold onto that BL offer. Most big firms don't care about grades, but they do care that you graduate on time, and failing to do so can jeopardize your offer. As others have said, make sure you talk to your student accommodation services. They can set up a lot of services for you (note-takers, having classes pre-recorded, time/date accommodations for exams, etc).

[Definitely Not North]

Definitely graduate on time and hold onto that BL offer. Most big firms don't care about grades, but they do care that you graduate on time, and failing to do so can jeopardize your offer. As others have said, make sure you talk to your student accommodation services. They can set up a lot of services for you (note-takers, having classes pre-recorded, time/date accommodations for exams, etc).

yeah this is tcr

[malibustacy]

Under ABA rules, I don't think you can actually get credit if you don't "attend classes or do any coursework", even if you half-ass the final. Will you be watching video lectures or doing it remote?

Did you talk to the school about this and clear it with them?

[nealric]

Agree with others that the risk of not graduating on time is higher than the risk of a mediocre grades. I'd also consider signing up for primarily paper (as opposed to exam) classes if you can. If the surgery is scheduled for March (for example), you could do most of the work on your papers in January in February and not have to worry about firing on all cylinders come exam time.

I actually arranged things to avoid any exams second semester 3L year so I could finish all my coursework in April and work starting at the beginning of May.

[nealric]

Under ABA rules, I don't think you can actually get credit if you don't "attend classes or do any coursework", even if you half-ass the final. Will you be watching video lectures or doing it remote?

Did you talk to the school about this and clear it with them?

Eh... I know people who got away with this in law school. Nobody ever actually took attendance and there was no coursework to be turned in for most exam classes other than the exam itself. Most profs didn't cold call after 1L year, so your absence wouldn't be missed in a large class.

With online learning it's even easier. Even if you are drugged up and out of it, you could still listen to classes so as to technically be in attendance. In schools where the minimum grade is a B-, even just a little work should get you to a B or B+. Doubtful a few B grades second semester 3L year will materially damage your long term career outlook.

[nixy]

Under ABA rules, I don't think you can actually get credit if you don't "attend classes or do any coursework", even if you half-ass the final. Will you be watching video lectures or doing it remote?

Did you talk to the school about this and clear it with them?

Apart from the practical reality that probably no one will be keeping track, I’m sure the OP could get some kind of medical accommodations. I’ll buck the trend a little and say that if the OP could get accommodations to finish a month or so late or something, that might be worth looking into.

[TheChain]

Definitely graduate on time and hold onto that BL offer. Most big firms don't care about grades, but they do care that you graduate on time, and failing to do so can jeopardize your offer. As others have said, make sure you talk to your student accommodation services. They can set up a lot of services for you (note-takers, having classes pre-recorded, time/date accommodations for exams, etc).

Thank you for your reply, I was not aware that firms placed that much of an emphasis on graduation dates.

Under ABA rules, I don't think you can actually get credit if you don't "attend classes or do any coursework", even if you half-ass the final. Will you be watching video lectures or doing it remote?

Did you talk to the school about this and clear it with them?

I didn’t admit to the school that I won’t be able to get any work done. I’ve entirely skipped in person classes before, and no one noticed. By not clearing it with the school, I am aware I am taking on a risk.

Agree with others that the risk of not graduating on time is higher than the risk of a mediocre grades. I'd also consider signing up for primarily paper (as opposed to exam) classes if you can. If the surgery is scheduled for March (for example), you could do most of the work on your papers in January in February and not have to worry about firing on all cylinders come exam time.

I actually arranged things to avoid any exams second semester 3L year so I could finish all my coursework in April and work starting at the beginning of May.

Thank you for the suggestion. That is something I could do. I need to see if my school will let me change my schedule now.

Under ABA rules, I don't think you can actually get credit if you don't "attend classes or do any coursework", even if you half-ass the final. Will you be watching video lectures or doing it remote?

Did you talk to the school about this and clear it with them?

Eh... I know people who got away with this in law school. Nobody ever actually took attendance and there was no coursework to be turned in for most exam classes other than the exam itself. Most profs didn't cold call after 1L year, so your absence wouldn't be missed in a large class.

With online learning it's even easier. Even if you are drugged up and out of it, you could still listen to classes so as to technically be in attendance. In schools where the minimum grade is a B-, even just a little work should get you to a B or B+. Doubtful a few B grades second semester 3L year will materially damage your long term career outlook.

Yeah I’ve skipped plenty before, and I’m hoping to get away with doing that next semester. Whether I will be able to operate a computer during that period is uncertain, so I don’t want to rely on me being able to tune into classes.

Under ABA rules, I don't think you can actually get credit if you don't "attend classes or do any coursework", even if you half-ass the final. Will you be watching video lectures or doing it remote?

Did you talk to the school about this and clear it with them?

Apart from the practical reality that probably no one will be keeping track, I’m sure the OP could get some kind of medical accommodations. I’ll buck the trend a little and say that if the OP could get accommodations to finish a month or so late or something, that might be worth looking into.

Thank you for the suggestion. Do you think that requesting a short extension would interfere with bar prep?