Can't spell but top law school for free...... Forum

[thegrayman]

I would talk with my professors just to relieve some of the stress but I don't see it being an issue. Even model answers have things misspelled on them and generally poor grammar, it is just the nature of the beast when you are working under severe time pressure. As long as you can spell sufficiently to clearly articulate what you are trying to say, it shouldn't be a problem.

[BaiAilian2013]

I would talk with my professors just to relieve some of the stress but I don't see it being an issue. Even model answers have things misspelled on them and generally poor grammar, it is just the nature of the beast when you are working under severe time pressure. As long as you can spell sufficiently to clearly articulate what you are trying to say, it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm not sure I would do this, as it could compromise blind grading. Talk to academic services first.

[r6_philly]

I turn off spell-check and have multiple errors per paragraph. Professors don't care.

Three of my eight profs. did care. And they disabled spell checker in ExamSoft. I got a low grade because of spelling/grammar.

[blueblueblue]

I turn off spell-check and have multiple errors per paragraph. Professors don't care.

Three of my eight profs. did care. And they disabled spell checker in ExamSoft. I got a low grade because of spelling/grammar.

Dear god that is horrible.

[blueblueblue]

Does anyone know if UT exam software has a spell checker?

[Tom Joad]

Try taking off the spell check on your browser or whatever you type the most in. My work computer doesn't have spellcheck and I have got way better at spelling and I think I am a faster typer now too.

[WarioLaw]

Ask your professors about it if they don't voluntarily bring it up. I have had professors who specifically said they they count "style points" (i.e. spelling, grammar, syntax, use of headings, etc.). I have also had professors say they only grade based on correctly spotting and discussing the issues.

[HeavenWood]

As long as your dyslexia is documented, you can almost surely be accommodated come exam time.

[sundance95]

FWIW OP, David Boies, who is one of the best litigators in the country, is also dyslexic. I think he's written about it, you might want to check it out.

[chasgoose]

Yeah for the most part, professors don't care. My best exams were embarrassing in terms of spelling/grammar/style. The only professor that I had who cared about spelling/writing was one who made us do an 8 hour take home specifically so we would turn in exams that were remotely readable and he made clear to let us know that he cared about that. Another good way to find out if your professors care about spelling is to look at model answers. Most of the model answers I read had spelling mistakes galore so I figured the professor didn't care and I didn't worry about it on the exam.

TBH, I would be more worried about this being an issue in a future job/on resumes and stuff. I'm sure you have figured out how to deal with it in your day-to-day life when not in timed exam conditions, but make sure that you find someone to check over resumes/writing samples/anything else that has to go out to employers during hiring and also be careful in your jobs. Constant spelling mistakes can really annoy some lawyers.

[Perseus_I]

Does anyone know if UT exam software has a spell checker?

Yes. Nice job on the scholarship, by the way. In my 1L class, only one professor (Woolley) made a big deal about spelling.

Also, at UT there are many international students who struggle with English spelling and grammar, and I know one who just transferred to Columbia. It's not typically a big deal, but definitely use spell check on Extegrity (our exam software). For graded LRW, the professors will take off points for spelling errors, so I would carefully use spell check on your memos and briefs.

The nice thing about spell check in Word is that it tells you when it thinks a word is misspelled, so you can google it as well to confirm the meaning (when you think you might be confusing similar words with different meanings).

[fatduck]

FWIW OP, David Boies, who is one of the best litigators in the country, is also dyslexic. I think he's written about it, you might want to check it out.

You mean David Boise?

[sundance95]

FWIW OP, David Boies, who is one of the best litigators in the country, is also dyslexic. I think he's written about it, you might want to check it out.

You mean David Boise?

/golfclap