No, not really. The nice the thing about the easy H classes is that there are a fair number of them, and they tend to be the more interesting ones anyway (as long as you pick the ones that you find interesting of course). I also like writing papers much, much more than taking exams, so I generally just liked the easy H classes better. And graded clinics are the easiest H classes (most of them give 100% Hs), and the most valuable IMO.omegaweapon wrote:Hey, incoming 1L here, and I had a couple questions about your suggestion to take at least one easy H class. It seems like, from the people I've talked to, the lack of curve and any mandatory graded classes make it a lot less like the traditional law school experience, and a lot more like undergrad, where you can take easy A classes to pad your GPA to whatever you want.
Do you feel like the pressure to do that stopped you from taking the classes and professors that you were genuinely interested in? If you could do things over, do you think you'd be more or less instrumental in your choices?
Well let's start with a big caveat here: A lot of people will tell you authoritative things about what matters at FIP, but I really believe no one actually knows what they're talking about. Every group of friends and every different class year seem to make different interpretations of what happened and what mattered. As far as I know, CDO doesn't keep track of (or at least release) anything about the grades or other characteristics of people who get callbacks or offers at various places. So take anything anyone tells you with a grain of salt.Relatedly, are firms aware that the grades they're using are less meaningful in your experience? Does it seem like they would choose someone who had 3Hs in a clinic and two seminars over someone who had all Ps in purely black letter stuff? I've heard that some selective firms just don't care about grades, and rely on who's on YLJ. Is that true at all?
I'll say this for sure: probably half the people at places Williams & Connolly and Covington didn't have YLJ. I think everyone who went to Susman didn't have YLJ, etc. The people I knew at Wachtell actually all were on YLJ, but I would be surprised if they made too big a deal about. So, basically, while I'm sure a lot of interviewers will see it as a plus, it's hardly dispositive.
As for grades in easy vs black letter classes, I just can't say. I think having straight Ps is just going to look bad, and should be avoided, even if the one H is in an easy class. I think that kind of analysis is going to matter more to certain elite judges, but I was never really in the running for the most selective ones and again couldn't say.
Yeah, that's a good call. Just a couple (perhaps obvious) thoughts if you want to go to government. First, if you know what area/agency you want to work in, obviously try to work there your 1L summer. If you don't, try to figure it out as quickly as possible. Places like government commitment, but they also really value commitment to the specific agency and subject matter. Then split between a firm and government your 2L summer (all the firms will let you). And try to publish something, even an online piece for one of the journals, about your subject area.I'm pretty set on trying to go into government, but I know how inconsistent the hiring for those jobs is, and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot if I need to do a stint in biglaw first.
