Got my grades back today; can anyone explain what happened? Forum

[pineapple.boat]

1L, first semester I treated law school like college (i.e., almost never read or studied during the semester (I googled briefs in the morning before class); I started studying and reviewing for the exams like a week before the exam date). This always worked in college, where I had a B+ average. So my first semester 1L grades were all C's. Wake up call, right?

Not really, because seeing those grades just got me really depressed and sad because I've never gotten C's. Then this 3L told me that all the 1Ls "up their game" second semester, so you can put in the same amount of effort as first semester and actually get LOWER grades second semester. To me, that obviously meant if I worked really hard I would end up getting C's again, and if I didn't work hard at all I would just fail out and be put out of my misery. I ended up changing absolutely nothing about my studying habits-- I think I fell into some sort of stupor. I would go home after class and just browse Reddit a lot and eat.

So I finally got all my grades in today and I made all B's. I know B's are crap to a lot of you, but I seriously didn't change anything about my studying habits.

My only conclusion is, my class didn't actually work harder, but actually got dumber second semester, while I stayed the same. My only hope is, this summer heat will fry their brains even further and my 2L fall grades will be all A's.

/Not troll. This really did happen and I don't know why.

[socraticmethodman]

1L, first semester I treated law school like college (i.e., almost never read or studied during the semester (I googled briefs in the morning before class); I started studying and reviewing for the exams like a week before the exam date). This always worked in college, where I had a B+ average. So my first semester 1L grades were all C's. Wake up call, right?

Not really, because seeing those grades just got me really depressed and sad because I've never gotten C's. Then this 3L told me that all the 1Ls "up their game" second semester, so you can put in the same amount of effort as first semester and actually get LOWER grades second semester. To me, that obviously meant if I worked really hard I would end up getting C's again, and if I didn't work hard at all I would just fail out and be put out of my misery. I ended up changing absolutely nothing about my studying habits-- I think I fell into some sort of stupor. I would go home after class and just browse Reddit a lot and eat.

So I finally got all my grades in today and I made all B's. I know B's are crap to a lot of you, but I seriously didn't change anything about my studying habits.

My only conclusion is, my class didn't actually work harder, but actually got dumber second semester, while I stayed the same. My only hope is, this summer heat will fry their brains even further and my 2L fall grades will be all A's.

/Not troll. This really did happen and I don't know why.

Tag before the shitstorm

lol at the bold

[Kilpatrick]

Maybe the people at the bottom of the class who were just above you first semester gave up harder than you second semester

[Older Chest]

I apologize for being rude, but this thread seems worthless.

Edit: OP, are you really looking for acknowledgment regarding your ~ 2.5 GPA?

[BoriquaEsquire]

Edit: OP, are you really looking for acknowledgment regarding your ~ 2.5 GPA?

Let's keep it friendly, guys.

[dpk711]

Edit: OP, are you really looking for acknowledgment regarding your ~ 2.5 GPA?

Let's keep it friendly, guys.

No need to keep it friendly to a person who wasted our time with a worthless story.

[thesealocust]

Welcome to law school. Tuition is non-refundable.

[Cupidity]

While I question your reasoning OP, you have actually hit on a valuable point here. While everyone does "work harder" second semester, they often work dumber. A lot of my friends made inferences from what happened first semester that, quite frankly, I think were erroneous.

[thesealocust]

While I question your reasoning OP, you have actually hit on a valuable point here. While everyone does "work harder" second semester, they often work dumber. A lot of my friends made inferences from what happened first semester that, quite frankly, I think were erroneous.

It's almost as though the little feedback we receive in law schools is meaningless and difficult to apply successfully to second semester?

In the alternative, nota bene that the average GPA change from first to second semester at most schools is 0.0 GPA points. Math's a bitch.

[09042014]

You learned how to write an exam. Congrats. If you would have tried at all you probably would have gotten A's. Enjoy 200K worth of unemployment.

People seem to think that preparation of the material is almost all of your grade, but examsmenship is a huge part. A dude I know figured out how to write an exam and went from 3.0 to 3.7.

[protein]

this is op's first post.

he assures us he's not a troll.

is this real life?

[Blindmelon]

this is op's first post.

he assures us he's not a troll.

is this real life?

Or is this just fantasy?

[zeth006]

this is op's first post.

he assures us he's not a troll.

is this real life?

Or is this just fantasy?

A lot of us getting back our second semester grades are starting to notice patterns in terms of correlations between the amount/type of prep for classes and the results. Others of us are noticing that the difference between our grades on on in-class exam grades and take-home essays is night and day.

I'd say OP's story is plausible, but not necessarily typical.

[thwalls]

Calm down children, it's just a post on a message board.

[Triangles]

I don't think studying all semester is really a thing that is particularly useful or necessary in law school, its just such a high stress environment people feel like if they arn't studying or doing the reading they are going to fail out or something. I never did any of the reading (not even case briefs, you got me there), I didn't pay attention or take notes in class (Reddit, Tetris Friends), or outline. What I did do is buy supplements for each class and read it the few days before the exams, so it was still fresh in my mind at test time. I'm not saying I am top 5% or anything, I probably only made Dean's list, but there is something to be said about maybe spending 10-15 hours total studying for each class when other people are spending that much per day for nearly three months. It has given me more time to volunteer with different legal organizations during the semester, maintain relationships outside of the law school, and just generally have a more enjoyable three years.

Also, my grades went up second semester doing this, except in one class where he gave us an extra hour and made it open book. Material being fresh in your mind isn't a huge advantage when you have all the time you need and everything right there in front of you. I probably should have taken a practice test or something for that class beforehand.

[downing]

About material being on one's mind...
As a lowly, anxious 0L, would anyone say that having the knowledge thoroughly in your head during an exam - any exam - is worth something? When material is being initially obtained, at least in my case, it's newness detracts from my ability to apply it - whatever it is - in really novel or complex ways. I figure that knowing a piece of knowledge well is practical beyond simply possessing it, and helps to guide one in composing a solid paper. But everyone's different.

[Retiarius]

Then this 3L told me that all the 1Ls "up their game" second semester, so you can put in the same amount of effort as first semester and actually get LOWER grades second semester.

Not necessarily. A lot of students are burnt out by second semester, and have a waning interest in the law and in law school. That makes it difficult for them to focus as much as they did first semester.

Also: there is some degree of randomness in law school grading, which can account for just about any variation in grades. I got the same GPA in my first and second semester of 1L, but if I had to predict which class I got the highest grade in each semester (while taking into account the post-test reactions of other students), I'd be wrong both semesters.

[bjsesq]

While everyone does "work harder" second semester, they often work dumber.

This is actually the exact opposite of my experience. Most didn't work as hard as they did first semester.

[missinglink]

.

[Blindmelon]

this is op's first post.

he assures us he's not a troll.

is this real life?

Or is this just fantasy?

A lot of us getting back our second semester grades are starting to notice patterns in terms of correlations between the amount/type of prep for classes and the results. Others of us are noticing that the difference between our grades on on in-class exam grades and take-home essays is night and day.

I'd say OP's story is plausible, but not necessarily typical.

I bet OP feels caught in a landslide, with no escape from reality.

[nealric]

Mama... law school's just begun... and now I've gone and thrown it all away!

[ResolutePear]

I will buy your law degree for 10 dollars.

The physical law degree.