Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum

[bk1]

Digging around for a little info while balancing some personal issues. What grades make order of the coif? Around what grade point is highest after 1L? 3L? What grades allow someone to transfer to a top three school? Do people often transfer? What grades are needed for clerkships?

Coif and highest GPA vary from year to year. You can search this thread for Coif discussions. No idea for transferring to HYS, I'd suspect around top 10%. Transfers out are relatively rare because HYS are about the only schools where it would make sense to transfer (not that people don't also randomly transfer to UChi for whatever weird reason). There is no "needed" grades for clerkship, anybody can obtain one. I'd say that top 1/4 to top 1/3 it becomes a possible shot, top 10-15%+ where that becomes more realistic (and of course, people with top 10% or better grades still strike out for clerkships).

[Micdiddy]

Digging around for a little info while balancing some personal issues. What grades make order of the coif? Around what grade point is highest after 1L? 3L? What grades allow someone to transfer to a top three school? Do people often transfer? What grades are needed for clerkships?

Coif is not automatic based on grades, but must be top 10%.
After 1L top grade is probably high 4.1x, might be 4.2x.
Not sure what grades allow top three transfer, but I think relatively few people transfer (maybe 5-7 any given year? Maybe one of those to a top 3?).
Kadens will go over clerkships in depth towards end of this semester. I think 3.6 at this point has a chance at fed clerkship somewhere (your grades will generally only get better throughout law school).

[Desert Fox]

This thread shouldn't allowed traitorous transfers. They should excluded from this thread and IRL social events.

[Uncurved]

The whole class gift bit seems generally removed from reality.

explain

Reality is in one place, and the whole class gift bit seems to be in a different place, generally.

[wojo98]

Transfers out are relatively rare because HYS are about the only schools where it would make sense to transfer.

Transfers out are quite rare indeed: just three in 2013, two in 2014 (1 S, 1 Berkeley) and six in 2015 (1 Y, 2 S, 1 UChi, 1 NYU, 1 ?).

[Micdiddy]

Transfers out are relatively rare because HYS are about the only schools where it would make sense to transfer.

Transfers out are quite rare indeed: just three in 2013, two in 2014 (1 S, 1 Berkeley) and six in 2015 (1 Y, 2 S, 1 UChi, 1 NYU, 1 ?).

Even with HYS, unless you want academia, if you have the grades to transfer you likely have the grades to get what you want from NU.

[rinkrat19]

Transfers out are relatively rare because HYS are about the only schools where it would make sense to transfer.

Transfers out are quite rare indeed: just three in 2013, two in 2014 (1 S, 1 Berkeley) and six in 2015 (1 Y, 2 S, 1 UChi, 1 NYU, 1 ?).

I believe one of the 3 2013 transfers moved largely to be in the same city as her husband (although she did also transfer to a higher-ranked school).

[cookiejar1]

Transfers out are relatively rare because HYS are about the only schools where it would make sense to transfer.

Transfers out are quite rare indeed: just three in 2013, two in 2014 (1 S, 1 Berkeley) and six in 2015 (1 Y, 2 S, 1 UChi, 1 NYU, 1 ?).

Even with HYS, unless you want academia, if you have the grades to transfer you likely have the grades to get what you want from NU.

To build on this - OP, what kind of career do you want? If you're already thinking about Coif then no doors should be closed to you. Don't see much benefit to transferring unless you already are paying sticker here. In which case, see ya!

[onionz]

I got accepted to transfer to H with a 3.9x. Turned it into a big scholarship. I recommend anyone else to do the same rather than actually transferring.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

I'm going back and forth on taking a curved class I'm very interested in, or taking an uncurved class I'm not very interested in with a prof new to the subject, and hence has no record of either giving a lot/little-to-no As, has no outlines from previous students, and has no old exams. I haven't attended any lectures of the uncurved class yet nor read anything on the syllabus.

Right now I think it's basically a wash, and so I should stick w/ the class I'm interested in, especially cuz I know how the prof grades and what s/he's looking for.

Thoughts?

[Micdiddy]

I'm going back and forth on taking a curved class I'm very interested in, or taking an uncurved class I'm not very interested in with a prof new to the subject, and hence has no record of either giving a lot/little-to-no As, has no outlines from previous students, and has no old exams. I haven't attended any lectures of the uncurved class yet nor read anything on the syllabus.

Right now I think it's basically a wash, and so I should stick w/ the class I'm interested in, especially cuz I know how the prof grades and what s/he's looking for.

Thoughts?

You will prob try harder/learn more in the class you care about. Without knowing anything more about your gpa, goals, etc., I would say stick with that one.

[Uncurved]

I'm going back and forth on taking a curved class I'm very interested in, or taking an uncurved class I'm not very interested in with a prof new to the subject, and hence has no record of either giving a lot/little-to-no As, has no outlines from previous students, and has no old exams. I haven't attended any lectures of the uncurved class yet nor read anything on the syllabus.

Right now I think it's basically a wash, and so I should stick w/ the class I'm interested in, especially cuz I know how the prof grades and what s/he's looking for.

Thoughts?

You will prob try harder/learn more in the class you care about. Without knowing anything more about your gpa, goals, etc., I would say stick with that one.

To play devil's advocate: http://www.scribd.com/doc/140671611/Spr ... n-1#scribd

[personofinterest]

I'm going back and forth on taking a curved class I'm very interested in, or taking an uncurved class I'm not very interested in with a prof new to the subject, and hence has no record of either giving a lot/little-to-no As, has no outlines from previous students, and has no old exams. I haven't attended any lectures of the uncurved class yet nor read anything on the syllabus.

Right now I think it's basically a wash, and so I should stick w/ the class I'm interested in, especially cuz I know how the prof grades and what s/he's looking for.

Thoughts?

If you want biglaw/clerkship/anything that cares about grades, I strongly recommend taking uncurved classes. Only 1 more semester (if you just want biglaw) of grades that matter. You can take all the classes you want over the next two years. If you take easier electives right now, you can put your extra time and effort into your remaining in-section classes.

Also, I think there is a third option, bc it's unlikely that there are not uncurved classes you could take with a professor who tends to give good grades in uncurved classes. Do some light research and pick one of those. Good luck!

[cookiejar1]

Devils advocate: my lowest grades in law school all came from throw away uncurved classes because I suck at school. If you know how to write a law school exam and are confident that you can kill it then stick with what works. Its high risk but if you're a god damn nerd who wants to avoid an A- then go with your bread and butter.

[Asia101]

Fairly disturbed by the notion that LLMs should avoid classes that are a lot of work and difficult...
I mean, I get the speaks fast problem, but c'mon now.

Ya, I understand. But it seems like Horwich and Markell were extremely hard on LLMs last semester, but perhaps it's just that material is that much harder.

[BaberhamLincoln]

Anyone taking English Legal History? If so, PM me.

Also, if anyone did a 2 draft for Animal Law, also PM me please.

[personofinterest]

Devils advocate: my lowest grades in law school all came from throw away uncurved classes because I suck at school. If you know how to write a law school exam and are confident that you can kill it then stick with what works. Its high risk but if you're a god damn nerd who wants to avoid an A- then go with your bread and butter.

Fair point. My advice applies to people who are mere mortals at law school (below top 10%). If you typically get solid A's in curved classes, then by all means keep doing what you're doing.

If you are in the bottom 90%, and you want to maximize your OCI-potential (whatever that means to you, be it Vault ranking, location, etc.), your interests are best served by maximizing your GPA by taking uncurved classes.

[lhanvt13]

Labor Law = 42 people. TWO PEOPLE PLEASE

[dstars823]

Labor Law = 42 people. TWO PEOPLE PLEASE

will pay cash for people to keep this uncurved

[Uncurved]

Labor Law = 42 people. TWO PEOPLE PLEASE

will pay cash for people to keep this uncurved

How much?

[nlaw123]

Hey guys,

So what's the consensus on environmental law? Easy? Hard? Hard exam but generous on grades? Also looking at Torts 2, Economic Analysis, and E&T. Trying to raise my GPA after last semester.

-Clueless 1L

[Chrstgtr]

How is the grading in the law an economics colloquium with Friedman and Schanzanbach?

I am getting a little worried by the syllabus saying that past papers were generally bad...

[furrrman]

Whats the final exam like for legal ethics with Foster? Does it require any actual studying/outlining, or is it ok just winging it?

[kennethellenparcell]

Damn, hope Labor Law becomes uncurved. That class will suuuuuuuck if curved. Although, honestly, you can get an A+ by doing some of the extracurricular stuff he (if still taught by Prof. Crystal) asks you to do (like go to a Board hearing and e-mailing him about your thoughts on it) and not slacking off on the final exam. Maybe saying a few things in class once in a while.

I took the Law & Econ colloqium with Litvak and it wasn't too bad as long as you consulted with her about your paper. Not sure how it will be with Friedman and Schazenbach but they seem like they would have higher expectations than Litvak. I enjoyed the class though and the papers we talked about.

I'm still mad at Foster because she curved an ethics class when it wasn't supposed to be curved with the number of people we had. I think she got pressure from the administration cause the other sections were curved but goddamit. Make ethics uncurved already! I just used outlines from outline banks though, I didn't want to waste time making an outline for a 2 credit class.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Are firm mixers worth going to (besides free booze)? I'm having a hard time seeing the value added given that all invited 1Ls will be gunning to speak with all attorneys.