How does 2L matter? Forum

[BizBro]

Asking for a friend. She's got below median grades (3.0-3.2) and has a 2L SA at a 100% firm lined up. She's into transactional work. Getting straight B's and maybe 1 B+ wouldn't even tank her GPA much.

[TheSpanishMain]

My understanding is it doesn't really matter in the short term. Unless she really fucks up her SA, she'll be fine.

The only caveat is that I've heard grades can still matter for lateral stuff down the road, although obviously they matter a lot less when you have actual legal experience to sell.

Take this with a giant grain of salt, as I'm also a 2L.

[BizBro]

Really? Do in-house positions want transcripts when you try to lateral in as a 3rd or 4th year BL Associate? It is unlikely that my friend will be raising her grades to any latin cutoffs. Also, she's not like one of those law students that gets hired at a 3.6 to V10 and then gets a 2.9 as a 2L.

[acr]

If she treats 2L like a vacation, she better not F up her 2L SA and get no-offered or it would be bleak. This is the risk.

[Tiago Splitter]

Really? Do in-house positions want transcripts when you try to lateral in as a 3rd or 4th year BL Associate? It is unlikely that my friend will be raising her grades to any latin cutoffs. Also, she's not like one of those law students that gets hired at a 3.6 to V10 and then gets a 2.9 as a 2L.

A lot of people change firms, either as 3L's or early in their career. Also no-offers and Lathaming do happen.

[TheSpanishMain]

Really? Do in-house positions want transcripts when you try to lateral in as a 3rd or 4th year BL Associate? It is unlikely that my friend will be raising her grades to any latin cutoffs. Also, she's not like one of those law students that gets hired at a 3.6 to V10 and then gets a 2.9 as a 2L.

It's totally anecdotal, and as I said, I'm a 2L too, but I have heard people say that they've been asked for transcripts even when they've been working for a few years. I don't think it's super common, and I think grades definitely matter less, but they still matter somewhat.

[hangingtree]

If she treats 2L like a vacation, she better not F up her 2L SA and get no-offered or it would be bleak. This is the risk.

Yes, but I would add that 2L grades will have no weight on the firm's offer decision unless she does significantly worse. But that is hard to do with a GPA that low and with so many uncurved classes. So, the "risk" is basically the likelihood that you mess up big time during the SA or the firm tanks sometime before you start after graduation.

[fats provolone]

If she treats 2L like a vacation, she better not F up her 2L SA and get no-offered or it would be bleak. This is the risk.

Yes, but I would add that 2L grades will have no weight on the firm's offer decision unless she does significantly worse. But that is hard to do with a GPA that low and with so many uncurved classes. So, the "risk" is basically the likelihood that you mess up big time during the SA or the firm tanks sometime before you start after graduation.

that's exactly what the previous poster said

[barkschool]

Is everyone gauging how to study for the next few weeks or something?

[Companion Cube]

Is everyone gauging how whether to study for the next few weeks or something?

[umichman]

Is everyone gauging how whether to study for the next few weeks or something?

yes

[BizBro]

Is everyone gauging how whether to study for the next few weeks or something?

yes

I'm just bringing to light what everyone is thinking anyway!

Also, all of my classes are curved because I was a noob when signing up for classes.

[Lacepiece23]

Is everyone gauging how to study for the next few weeks or something?

You should probably study. I sort of bought into the 2L doesn't matter, curve is going to be easy, no one is going to study thing, in fall of my 2l year. Guess what, everyone did study and most people actually started to get better at taking law school exams. Ended up with like a 3.2 after being above median my 1L year. I studied three days before for every exam.

I'd just suck it up for the law few weeks like everyone else is going to do even if they tell you that they are not going to study (they will anyway).

[BizBro]

Is everyone gauging how to study for the next few weeks or something?

You should probably study. I sort of bought into the 2L doesn't matter, curve is going to be easy, no one is going to study thing, in fall of my 2l year. Guess what, everyone did study and most people actually started to get better at taking law school exams. Ended up with like a 3.2 after being above median my 1L year. I studied three days before for every exam.

I'd just suck it up for the law few weeks like everyone else is going to do even if they tell you that they are not going to study (they will anyway).

Oh everyone will most definitely study, have you seen your class mates? I guess this thread isn't about whether to study, but rather, if you should stress/feel bad about not doing well, like 1L.

Do employers ever look at your transcript and think "wow this kid took a shit ton of BS fluff sounding classes (i.e. law and ethics) or pass / fail courses? My school lets you take a maximum of 2 P/F classes, and I want to use one of them on tax. It's like geting a non stress easy 4 credits.

[Lacepiece23]

Is everyone gauging how to study for the next few weeks or something?

You should probably study. I sort of bought into the 2L doesn't matter, curve is going to be easy, no one is going to study thing, in fall of my 2l year. Guess what, everyone did study and most people actually started to get better at taking law school exams. Ended up with like a 3.2 after being above median my 1L year. I studied three days before for every exam.

I'd just suck it up for the law few weeks like everyone else is going to do even if they tell you that they are not going to study (they will anyway).

Oh everyone will most definitely study, have you seen your class mates? I guess this thread isn't about whether to study, but rather, if you should stress/feel bad about not doing well, like 1L.

Do employers ever look at your transcript and think "wow this kid took a shit ton of BS fluff sounding classes (i.e. law and ethics) or pass / fail courses? My school lets you take a maximum of 2 P/F classes, and I want to use one of them on tax. It's like geting a non stress easy 4 credits.

My employer didn't care. I took African-American studies my 2L year. I'm black. The class was cross-listed with the undergrad so I thought that it would be an easy A. In actuallity, I almost got a C and has to PF it. No one even looked at it. I doubt anyone really looks that seriously at your transcript again unless you want to clerk. I still don't but the whole lateral thing. I mean its possible if you're a first year, but if you have experience I'm sure there are many factors above what grades you got in law school.

[jbagelboy]

If you dont want to cluewrhk or "trade up" firms then no, your grades don't matter.

Does the experience matter? Well, it depends on the premium you place on how you spend your time and money. I'm sympathetic to the view that if you're paying (a shitload) for a product, you want to extract a high experiential value. Of course this doesn't mean stressing out about exams or going bunker-style on outlines, but it could entail taking courses and seminars you enjoy, joining student orgs, performance groups, literary magazines, sports leagues, reading groups, or other activities with like-minded individuals. It's a very different year from 1L but it can also be more rich if you make it. I took the opinion that I wouldn't give another fuck about classes or material that didn't interest me whatsoever, but I would sure as shit have fun in the city and pursue what did interest me. I also did a shitload of RA work to make dat $$$. So in that sense it and 3L still mattered.

You can also just get high and play fallout 4 and that's totally legit too