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Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:33 pm
by victortsoi
Entering 3LOL and done with all graduation requirements. Want to boost GPA as much as possible. At my school, classes with under 25 JDs are judged at a better curve, between 3.0-3.5, up to professors discretion. I assume most other schools have this kind of system. In your experience, do most professors use the "good" curve? Are seminars worth taking to boost GPA instead of just taking other classes? 3 out of 4 seminars gave me an A-, but one gave me a B(although I may have deserved it for really dropping the ball on the assignment).

Thanks

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:34 pm
by DELG
do you not have friends to ask at your actual school

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:37 pm
by victortsoi
DELG wrote:do you not have friends to ask at your actual school
kind of, but nobody is exactly sure. It seems like a mystery prize each time. Hence asking internet.

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:38 pm
by DELG
someone here can answer forcefully and with great conviction, but without better information, would that make you feel better?

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:40 pm
by victortsoi
yes

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:40 pm
by DELG
unless the prof has a reputation for being a dick, expect gentle grading

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:55 pm
by BVest
Also find out if your registrar's office makes past grade distributions available.

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 7:24 pm
by ymmv
DELG wrote:someone here can answer forcefully and with great conviction, but without better information, would that make you feel better?
DELG: not the hero TLS needs, but the hero TLS deserves.

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:17 pm
by victortsoi
BVest wrote:Also find out if your registrar's office makes past grade distributions available.
Thanks, thats a great idea! Hope that they'll agree...

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:22 pm
by BVest
victortsoi wrote:
BVest wrote:Also find out if your registrar's office makes past grade distributions available.
Thanks, thats a great idea! Hope that they'll agree...
It's not whether they agree. They either release them or they don't, and there will be a law school policy to that effect.

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 3:10 am
by Pokemon
Name your school at least...

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:27 am
by LSATNightmares
At least at my school, seminars are NOT graded as high as possible. One of my seminar professors told me that the Registrar often forces seminar professors to cut back on the number of A's and make it closer to a A-/B+ mean distribution. As a result, he said it's rare to give out A's or A+'s in seminars.

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:09 am
by thegrayman
At NYU, classes under a certain amount (18 I think) don't have to be curved.

My anecdotal experience was that it was very professor-specific. Took 3 seminars under the curve amount, 2 definitely graded very liberally, 1 graded just the same as if the curve was imposed.

Re: Do most seminars curve as high as possible?

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:30 pm
by victortsoi
A-/B+ is great, basically I want to insure at least a B+ and avoid the possibility of getting a B or B-, which is not impossible in a doctrinal class.