tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post6968489827038543658..comments2024-02-23T04:59:26.907-05:00Comments on But I Did Everything Right!: Ahhhhh.. the Memories.Angelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07820446523257638689noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-82451708971222090922010-01-20T08:55:29.606-05:002010-01-20T08:55:29.606-05:00Just because Angel was put on a grading curve on o...Just because Angel was put on a grading curve on one particular exam does not mean she was outperformed by the other students who were placed above her on the curve. It means that this professor used a STUPID basis for trying to evaluate the differences between the exams. Creative license to issue-spot does NOT mean you outperform. If anything, it makes you OFF-TOPIC. i had a professor who would actually deduct points from your exam for going off-topic, and certainly didn't reward a student for not being able to recognize what is a criminal law issue and go through the proper analysis. My favorite exam ever in law school was an impossible test. The professor told us we couldn't finish. if we finished, we were not being detailed enough. out of the 5 page essay prompt, i made it through 1 and a 1/2 pages and made an A because of thorough, on-point analysis. spotting 50 issues as a benchmark to who will be lower or higher is STUPID.PhantomSartrehttp://www.enjoyincubus.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-9267664002537787772010-01-13T05:26:19.590-05:002010-01-13T05:26:19.590-05:00You know, MIT has a policy where your first semest...You know, MIT has a policy where your first semester grades are not put on your transcript, which I think is a great idea. <br /><br />I did an undergraduate in science and I went to an easy high school - therefore I found my first semester impossible - constant labs, class, homework, etc. It was also my first time away from home in a foreign city - I went to an out-of-country college. <br /><br />I did well the rest of my college career but I got an astounding 1.75 my first semester.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-43970316273801504202010-01-12T16:26:34.247-05:002010-01-12T16:26:34.247-05:00I'm not sure.... I went to school before the i...I'm not sure.... I went to school before the internet was helpful. I think they told me in orientation and the curve was school wide--not just one class. I would call the school and ask.Angel the Lawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07902928273488771301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-13268287388561181402010-01-12T12:25:33.011-05:002010-01-12T12:25:33.011-05:00Well, I can't top that one, but I just wanted ...Well, I can't top that one, but I just wanted to ask if there is a way to find out what the curves are at law schools for first year classes or can it all vary depending on what professor you get?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-66593290429917578842010-01-12T01:42:51.180-05:002010-01-12T01:42:51.180-05:00The real problem people like Angel had with law sc...The real problem people like Angel had with law school, is that it was the first time in their life that being very bright AND working as hard as humanly possible wasn't enough to gain the success they wanted, and it freaked them out. <br /><br />There's nothing wrong with law school exams, except they have an uncanny way of proving to people who are very smart that being very smart and really, really, really, really, wanting something doesn't guarantee you will get it, because guess what, you don't deserve anything. <br /><br />This is the same reason the wash-out rate in big-law is so high. Everyone is very smart, and no one could possibly work more, but all of these super-overachieving douche bag praise whores find themselves in the "average" category for the first time in their life and it destroys their ego.<br /><br />99% of them never cared most about the money, they cared about "winning", the $160k is just a way to keep score. Of course, the game don't end there, it never ends.<br /><br />Angel's lucky though, she has a vagina. She can "exit" law for that face saving trump card of motherhood and never be forced to admit failure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-88099524314865006702010-01-12T00:35:09.100-05:002010-01-12T00:35:09.100-05:00"Law school measures your ability to analyze ..."Law school measures your ability to analyze every textbook issue available and then go the step further to gain the edge over your classmates..."<br /><br />Not in most of my classes. Though my crim law exam wasn't like hers, my torts exam was little more than an issue-spotting race. No hard curve in that class, but hard curves in other 1L classes. So it's beyond unfair to make such a sweeping statement about law schools when not every exam is measured the same not only among the different law schools, but among various classes within the same school.Jerrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-34752343645450748592010-01-12T00:30:33.988-05:002010-01-12T00:30:33.988-05:00Thanks for your input. I am a True Crime Buff and ...Thanks for your input. I am a True Crime Buff and I'm also well versed in the criminal justice system and the laws. But, it's okay. I didn't post this to feel sorry for myself. I am just putting an embarrassing story out there for my readers that are just getting their grades. I can do this because I'm anonymous. Otherwise, law school takes a big bite out of your ego--whether it be big or small. I'm totally over it. And, actually, I am a very good lawyer. I practiced for a number of years--albeit outside of criminal law. So, I won't let you put me down and tell me that law school determines what kind of lawyer you will be. The valedictorian of my class hardly spoke three words to anyone all three years. I can charm a judge with my knowledge, skill and articulation. BUT, my issue with practicing law is that it's hard to get a decent paying job doing it... or a job at all.<br />I'm actively trying to get out of the law. Not because I didn't love going to court and having clients that adored me and referred me many cases, but because it's a dying industry. <br />I don't have a big ego. I really don't. But the law school experience has a way of making otherwise extremely competent people feel stupid. And if I spotted all of the same issues as my Harvard educated Professor, then I don't think I did a poor job and neither did he.Angel the Lawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07902928273488771301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-11272020945378390822010-01-12T00:22:14.371-05:002010-01-12T00:22:14.371-05:00Angel, I've been a silent reader of your blog ...Angel, I've been a silent reader of your blog for a few weeks and I have to say this: you need to get over what happened to you in law school, stop blaming "the system," and move on. Do you think your poor Crim grade had just a bit to do with your over-confidence in your own ability regarding the subject?<br /><br />Law school isn't about knowing about crime. It isn't about knowing about trends and undertanding the dynamics of serial killers. That's what forensic investigators do. Law school measures your ability to analyze every textbook issue available and then go the step further to gain the edge over your classmates - because that's what you'll have to do in practice. You can regurgitate the model penal code all day long, but if you can't manipulate it to suit your client, you're not going to be worth the suit you're wearing. <br /><br />Maybe you weren't meant to be a lawyer. You can't blame "the system" for that. If you're so interested in crime and the justice system - you should try a career in it. You'll probably find it much more fulfilling.<br /><br />I think law school grading was the best judge of true "merit" I've ever seen. It's completely blind and based solely on performance on a completely equal test. I think you can learn a lot about yourself and how you'll practice law by how you do on your exams. My advice to those 1Ls who had a bad first semester is to not worry about how the curve screwed you over, but to try to learn where your own weaknesses are when taking the exams. That's the person I want working in my office.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-83258624120591004082010-01-11T20:30:06.369-05:002010-01-11T20:30:06.369-05:00fucc you to tha playa hatr above me!fucc you to tha playa hatr above me!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-40593408818930698202010-01-11T20:28:36.307-05:002010-01-11T20:28:36.307-05:00@ 4:53, Maybe you can help Doug play with his litt...@ 4:53, Maybe you can help Doug play with his little monkey. But you might need a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers. Dougie tried "male enhancement" but it failed. It actually shrunk his penis, and his brain size.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-63545931133360393862010-01-11T19:53:42.665-05:002010-01-11T19:53:42.665-05:00Angel n Nadno, you'z all bitchez! mother fuck...Angel n Nadno, you'z all bitchez! mother fuckin' bithches!!! JD 2 Be speaks truht. He know what it take to perform. I'm lookin' at law school and I trust Dug's blog more than any of you'allz cuz you'all lozers!!You may make fun of my spellin' but I be scoring 165 on the LSAT! I'm goin' to Indiana on a full ride and wen I graduate, I'm making bank $$$$$. Fuck you'll!<br /><br />Don't hate on Doug mothafuckaz!! he gonna make more money than youz. fuck you niggaz!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-70389837531109278192010-01-11T15:47:33.465-05:002010-01-11T15:47:33.465-05:00hard curves happen at all top school in all majors...hard curves happen at all top school in all majors (not just law).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-4757224809323211282010-01-11T15:36:13.352-05:002010-01-11T15:36:13.352-05:00Doug, immaturity is your imprimatur. You rely on ...Doug, immaturity is your imprimatur. You rely on inanities, to make your point. And when did anyone here say "you can't comment on this because you haven't been through it"? <br /><br />You definitely are hopeless. Have fun buying the dean a new Mercedes M-Class, moron!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-39982605683377080972010-01-11T15:30:22.205-05:002010-01-11T15:30:22.205-05:00If you aren't in the top 10% of your class you...If you aren't in the top 10% of your class your grades don't matter much. Employers care more about your ethnicity, family connections, good looks - a host of other things that will help or hinder you in promoting the firm and getting business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-17129346065952143402010-01-11T14:38:58.249-05:002010-01-11T14:38:58.249-05:00When I walked into my legal writing class; I rec&#...When I walked into my legal writing class; I rec'd the same lecture. The grades are based on a hard curve: only one "A" mostly "C"s, but at least one "F." She then went on to say that she could only give us limited help. What!? This was the first time in my academic career I was told," you are on your own."<br /><br /> * * *<br /><br />The first year is the hardest. Probably like you, I had a 6 crd Contracts Class, 5 crd Property, 5 crd Torts etc.. getting a "C" or "D" in a high credit class is hard to undue with 3 crd upper division classes. Also, during your 2L and 3L year you are actively looking for P/T work, doing clinics, and looking for a graduation job; academics is pushed to the back. YOur GPA and class rank barly budge after the 1L year.The Yuppie Attorneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05697997369307991468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-32083342163228030212010-01-11T14:30:42.406-05:002010-01-11T14:30:42.406-05:00Okay. I agree that if I were in your shoes I'...Okay. I agree that if I were in your shoes I'd have thought I'd have been at about a C as well, and I'm not down on you for being disappointed in your grade, as I would/will be too.<br /><br />I guess that's what all of the books mean when they say how competitive it is and how you can come out of a final and have no idea whether you're going to get an A or an F.<br /><br />I admit that doesn't sound reasonable and I won't like dealing with it either. That's all--I go in peace now.<br /><br />For future reference: I will not be responding to Nando's sure-to-come follow-up comment (or most comments in the future) but not because I have no blog-etiquette, just because it has come down to simple attacks and nothing meaningful.<br /><br />DougAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-43425632352145142292010-01-11T14:24:08.781-05:002010-01-11T14:24:08.781-05:00I assumed that most people would be piled around 7...I assumed that most people would be piled around 70. And there would be an outlying A and F. I was told that employers knew my school to be difficult and Cs abound there. But it's not that simple. I dunno. The point is really that most people don't fully understand any of this before law school.Angel the Lawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07902928273488771301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-30315492013107088172010-01-11T14:22:16.069-05:002010-01-11T14:22:16.069-05:00This quote from the a WSJ article gets to what I&#...This quote from the a WSJ article gets to what I'm saying, “If you were in the bottom half with a C and now you’re in the bottom half with B, the employer will still see that you’re in the bottom half. And changing our curve is not going to change that fact.”<br /><br />So, is just the "getting a 'bad (D)' grade" that bothered/shocked you? Or was it that half the people actually performed better than you on this exam? <br /><br />Giving everyone an "A" but still giving all of the people above you a slightly "higher" A is the same thing... or should all of you have been put in "bands" where differences didn't matter? If that's the case, then we're bordering on the "everyone gets a trophy" race again...<br /><br />DougAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-27508350313748296252010-01-11T14:14:10.229-05:002010-01-11T14:14:10.229-05:00Nando, you really are an idiot, aren't you? I...Nando, you really are an idiot, aren't you? I can't help that you failed in life, bud.<br /><br />It makes no sense to say that because someone hasn't been in law school then they have no idea how any of it works and can't discuss it.<br /><br />DougAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-26147677431637352912010-01-11T14:12:15.876-05:002010-01-11T14:12:15.876-05:00No, I saw your point, I just didn't see how yo...No, I saw your point, I just didn't see how you got there.<br /><br />It's fine, I just am wondering how you think it should have been graded (aren't most law school 1L grades on a curve?). That's why I asked if you thought that a majority of the class should have gotten As. If you had a 100% (based on the 50 issues), and if half of the section had 50+, then there should have been at least a simple majority of A grades.<br /><br />If the prof. is forced to grade on a curve, how else are they supposed to determine who is on what part of it?<br /><br />I'd be happy if they all got rid of the curve too, but from what I've read I just thought that was a standard part of law school--you are competing against the other law students, unlike undergrad, in most cases.<br /><br />I have always thought of it like running a race...maybe everyone is in the 90+ percentile when it comes to average speediness, but the participants still get ranked based on who is fastest among them.<br /><br />You don't have to get defensive...I am seriously not attacking you.<br /><br />DougAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-84195808355672882622010-01-11T14:08:18.532-05:002010-01-11T14:08:18.532-05:00He can't see the point. When he gets a D in a...He can't see the point. When he gets a D in a class he studied his butt off for, then he will know. Right now, Doug is talking out of ignorance. And, no, you can't help him. They don't make brain augmentation pills.Nandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06423524039657355134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-13025195035346234222010-01-11T14:03:48.895-05:002010-01-11T14:03:48.895-05:00Well, it was just shocking to me. In every other ...Well, it was just shocking to me. In every other class I had been in, 100% mean an "A". I just didn't realize that creative license in spotting issues would be valuable. In another class, like civ pro, it would be a negative. <br />I'm not a fan of the curve because it made me seem like I was a bad student, when I did fine. <br />If you don't see my point, I can't help you.Angel the Lawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07902928273488771301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5452025352696285200.post-69894066492376012942010-01-11T13:05:21.395-05:002010-01-11T13:05:21.395-05:00Okay, at the risk that my question is going to cau...Okay, at the risk that my question is going to cause a flurry of profanity and other assorted inanity from the commenters, I just want to see if I can get some clarification on this, as I will be in this position next year at this time.<br /><br />You explained how the crim law grading process worked, and it seems easy enough to understand (not that I like it). But then you ended with, if your grades were worse than expected...it's not you, it's the system.<br /><br />I am failing to put 2 and 2 together here, and I'm NOT saying I agree with the curve. But you said you knew the subject like the back of your hand--that it was easy for you. Then, somehow, over half of your section knew it even better than you know the back of your own hand, because they spotted more issues that you did. If that was the case, how can you blame your grade on "the system" and not on the fact that you did not do as well as the others (in issue spotting, anyway)?<br /><br />Forget about the fact that the prof only saw 50--that is largely irrelevant. The instructions for the exam probably said something generic like, "discuss all issues in the previous scenario" and not "discuss the 50 issues...." right?<br /><br />So while the "curve" did mean that what grade people in the middle got relied on "the system," where you fell on that curve depended totally on your ability to spot and discuss the highest number of issues.<br /><br />If over half of the class did a better job in answering what was asked, isn't it fair that those people all get placed above you in the grading distribution?<br /><br />What do you think you deserved? Or are you just saying that you think there should be the possibility that 100% of the people should get a 100 if they do what the professor expects, and damn the curve altogether? That would be nice, but I think it would just end up causing other problems (perhaps less severe though).<br /><br />DougAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com