After Grades - What did we learn? Forum

[Kohinoor]

Those who seemed smart may not have done well and those we considered stupider than us may have aced it.

This. I am still reeling after finding out who did well.. never underestimate anyone, wow.

How do you find this out? Do people openly discuss grades in the schools you guys go to? I've had a couple people ask me my Property grade (the only grade we've officially received yet), and I simply respond "I did well enough." I feel like if I say I got an A (which I did), word will get around and people who get it 3rd or 4th hand will scorn me for "bragging" even though all I did was answer a question.

Obviously I post them here because no one IRL knows me on here, none of you guys are likely to care and no one from my school posts here anyways.

My response is, "I'm very happy" and that is all. But people have been randomly telling me their grades. Last night, I'm in a club, a girl runs up to me. "Hi, I got an A in Crim, what'd you get?" Those are the assholes I go to school with.

Should have punched her in the face then claimed it was a twitch response to her running up on you in the club.

[superserial]

Those who seemed smart may not have done well and those we considered stupider than us may have aced it.

This. I am still reeling after finding out who did well.. never underestimate anyone, wow.

some of us prepare for the final, not for class. why are you so distraught?

[drew]

I'm so glad we don't have real grades. So [strike]glad[/strike] annoying.

We know where you go to school. Get past it.

[apper123]

Those who seemed smart may not have done well and those we considered stupider than us may have aced it.

This. I am still reeling after finding out who did well.. never underestimate anyone, wow.

some of us prepare for the final, not for class. why are you so distraught?

Yeah the class I did best in I was never prepared for class, never volunteered and bumbled over myself every time I was called on. Everyone probably thinks I failed.

Also, when do they announce Cali awards? Are they announced publicly? Curious if I pulled it off in that class...

[samiseaborn]

I learned that you should figure out which classes weighed more before getting excited about/depressed about a single grade.

[apper123]

Apparently in our property class 60 % of the grades were B- or lower on a 3.0 curve. That's pretty brutal to those people.

[Objection]

I'm so glad we don't have real grades. So [strike]glad[/strike] annoying.

We know where you go to school. Get past it.

Since it had nothing to do with where I go to school but was more about being genuinely thankful about not having to deal with the arbitrariness of an A- vs a B+, your bitter response reeks of jealousy. It's unfortunate.

P.S. My response indicates nothing more than that I go to 1 of 5 law schools that have no real grades. Your apparent obsession what I post, however, eliminated the ambiguity for you.

[apper123]

I'm so glad we don't have real grades. So [strike]glad[/strike] annoying.

We know where you go to school. Get past it.

Since it had nothing to do with where I go to school but was more about being genuinely thankful about not having to deal with the arbitrariness of an A- vs a B+, your bitter response reeks of jealousy. It's unfortunate.

P.S. My response indicates nothing more than that I go to 1 of 5 law schools that have no real grades. Your apparent obsession what I post, however, eliminated the ambiguity for you.

PEOPLE DROPPIN THE Y-BOMB ITT

OR POSSIBLY THE NORTHEASTERN BOMB

[como]

I'm so glad we don't have real grades. So [strike]glad[/strike] annoying.

We know where you go to school. Get past it.

Since it had nothing to do with where I go to school but was more about being genuinely thankful about not having to deal with the arbitrariness of an A- vs a B+, your bitter response reeks of jealousy. It's unfortunate.

P.S. My response indicates nothing more than that I go to 1 of 5 law schools that have no real grades. Your apparent obsession what I post, however, eliminated the ambiguity for you.

PEOPLE DROPPIN THE Y-BOMB ITT

OR POSSIBLY THE NORTHEASTERN BOMB

Or just click on "profile".

[Objection]

Or just click on "profile".

Having my school in my profile wouldn't warrant his response to my post since, you know, he would have had to actively seek out where I go to school.

[como]

Or just click on "profile".

Having my school in my profile wouldn't warrant his response to my post since, you know, he would have had to actively seek out where I go to school.

Nah, nothing really warranted that. I was just trying to give the other guy a hint...

[extragnarls]

P.S. My response indicates nothing more than that I go to 1 of 5 law schools that have no real grades. Your apparent obsession what I post, however, eliminated the ambiguity for you.

So why are you posting in this thread?

Edited to add: I apologize for perpetuating the drivel, but would anyone object if a mod came through and deleted the irrelevant posts from an otherwise very informative thread?

[legends159]

Only Yale doesn't have grades for 1st term 1L.

H/P or whatever jargon are still grades, and the arbitrariness of A- and B+ can easily be trumped by the arbitrariness of the highest P and the lowest H. Except the difference to employers, and psychologically to the student is huge.

[Objection]

Only Yale doesn't have grades for 1st term 1L.

H/P or whatever jargon are still grades, and the arbitrariness of A- and B+ can easily be trumped by the arbitrariness of the highest P and the lowest H. Except the difference to employers, and psychologically to the student is huge.

Definitely true. And there is certainly still an element of arbitrariness to it. However, as you said, psychologically it is a lot less.

I post because, as Legends said, we do still have grades, and I am waiting anxiously like the many of you, and it's crazy watching how stressful it can be.

[BobSacamano]

I have no idea what I've learned. I've learned that law school totally and completely confuses the crap out of me. I don't know how to repeat or alter my performance next semester, so I think I'll just keep doing what I did.

Torts - B. This was the first grade I got. It was the only class that I felt totally and completely comfortable the entire semester, going into the exam, and coming out of the exam. I read the E&E and did the problems as they corresponded to my class's topics (roughly, sometimes I fell a little behind). I was counting on Torts to be one of my better grades, so I was a little disappointed and scared by the B, though not upset by it. I think the problem in this class was that, since my professor was freakin' awesome, everyone had a pretty good understanding of the class. While this is great, it makes the curve that much more difficult to beat.

Crim - A. I was a little confused throughout the semester because my professor jumped around quite a bit, but so was the rest of the class. We were thrown a total curveball on the exam, which scared a lot of my friends, but I didn't think was a big deal (actually, I thought it was a relief because it sort of put us on an even playing field). The E&E was amazing and basically taught me the course.

Civil Procedure - A+. This is where things got really weird. Uh... I have no idea how this happened. I was totally lost for about 90% of this class, but I always took detailed notes. I read the cases (kinda) but never fully understood them. About two weeks before the exam I realized how little I knew and devoted a few days to figuring the class out. Scoured the E&E and went through a bunch of old outlines. A couple days before the exam I took a couple old exams. I made my own outline from my class notes sprinkled with stuff from the E&E. Also, me and my friends met and talked through some stuff we didn't understand, which was helpful. I know cramming isn't supposed to work in law school but I was basically all civil procedure all the time for about a week, and going into the exam I thought I actually had a pretty good grasp of things. The test was half multiple choice, half essays. I thought I did well on the essays and did my best on the multiple choice, but I could very well have totally bombed the MC (I was down to two answers on all of them, had to go with my best educated guess on a couple). Honestly, I think I just got really lucky on the MC. I'll take it.

Contracts - Don't have my grade yet. I was lost in class and thought I bombed the exam, so I'm ready for the worst. I didn't read the cases all too closely, instead relied on Lexis briefs. At this point, I'll take a C+. I used the E&E but found it pretty worthless.

So in conclusion... go to class, take good notes, use the E&E's. I didn't say a word in class outside of a few cold calls, but I was always there. Don't try to reinvent the wheel - you've been a student for a long time now, you know how you study best. Don't freak out when everyone's talking outlines and hornbooks and flashcards, just do what you've always done. My "outlines" (only made them for Civ Pro and Contracts) were just copied and pasted from my class notes. I found commercial outlines totally worthless and old outlines from students merely helpful.

[apper123]

Or just click on "profile".

Having my school in my profile wouldn't warrant his response to my post since, you know, he would have had to actively seek out where I go to school.

I was actually making a subtle joke to back up the point you made in your post and help you. Too bad you blew my help away.

[apper123]

Also I seem to notice a trend of people showing up with Bs in the courses they "understood the best." As the poster a couple posts up noted, this is likely because the class was either easy or the professor was excellent, and it's likely that everyone understood it pretty well, flattening out the curve.

[savetheturtles]

The LSAT messed up on me.

Opposite here. UG messed up on me!

[thesealocust]

edit: n/m

[vanwinkle]

Also I seem to notice a trend of people showing up with Bs in the courses they "understood the best." As the poster a couple posts up noted, this is likely because the class was either easy or the professor was excellent, and it's likely that everyone understood it pretty well, flattening out the curve.

Disagree. My hypothesis is that when people think an exam was easy or that they did well, it often means they got conclusory or saw 'answers' instead of being careful and analyzing.

This is probably it.

[Dick Whitman]

The regular students failed to crush my accellerated ass.

[TTT-LS]

.

[profs<3mycomments]

Yay new username to celebrate completing my first semester. This thread and threads like it really helped me so I'm going to try to contribute a couple key points.

School: 10-20
Grades: CivPro A-, Contracts A+, Torts A-

Here's what I learned that I think could be helpful to others:

Reading getting to maybe over the summer was practically useless. Skimming a few sections the week before exams was about 15x more helpful.

Wait a month or even two, then choose your hornbooks/supplements. Supplements are your friend but they have to fit the course, and in some courses none will. In those classes focus on your notes/outline. Never focus on your book.

If you have an easy class or one which lacks substance, teach yourself the subject out of a hornbook in the weeks before finals. No need to learn things you didn't cover, but learn the things you spent a day on like you spent a week on them. Hornbooks are easy to read so this won't be hard to do. The prof will assume you just picked up on all the nuances in her lectures.

I love briefing. I know most people quit after a month but I briefed all the way through and it worked great for me (by the end it was 2 sentences on facts, one sentence holding, and 2 or 3 bullet points on reasoning.) No shame in briefing, y'all.

I'm a slow typer and yes, it's a disadvantage, though not a huge one. Throw all the facts in that you can, even if you're making a list with commas. Use the word "because" in every sentence. Also, say what you think the professor would say. If the prof agrees with your analysis she will be more likely to think your analysis is better than it is, which can make up for a lack of specificity or conclusory parts.

Take practice exams like it's your job, cuz it is.

Now I need advice on how to maintain for next semester. I already feel like I'm losing motivation. 4 months of reading cases and the whole grade comes down to some stupid fact pattern about some kid falling out of a window...

[Dick Whitman]

The regular students failed to crush my accellerated ass.

First and most importantly, congrats on what sounds like a lot of success. I hope you've taken (or will soon take) some time to celebrate! Second and far less importantly, how do you know you didn't get crushed by regular students like yours truly?

El Curvo. Did we have any classes together -- BA, Tax, Ethics? Of course, I conveniently ignore Ethics, where I was crushed mightily.

[Kohinoor]

Getting to Maybe before law school, useless. LEEWS useless.