Grades

My grades have all come in, and I find myself shocked. I spent most of last semester getting wined and dined, missing class and not doing reading, yet I managed to do around the same as I did 1L year when I was actually a diligent 1L. I chalk it up not to any brilliance on my part, but to how none of my classes this semester were curved (well, brilliance that I decided to take non-curved classes and independent study, and leave the fancy schmancy curved business associations and fed tax and accounting to the hardcore types). Almost like undergrad all over again, where I took all the wishy-washy English major seminars (my personal favorite: Literature and Motion Picture, where we read books and watched their movie adaptations) and stayed the hell away from any kind of math or science or econ.

To the 1Ls who weren't satisfied with your grades, here are some pointers:
1. First-year classes are curved, so only 1/4 of you will get some sort of A. [25-70-5]
2. Law school is different from undergrad, so what worked for you in undergrad does not necessarily work in law school. So, no more of the cramming and regurgitating that served you so well during undergrad.
3. Y'all focus too much on classes and not enough on exams. No matter how smart or stupid you sound in class and whether you gun or not and whether you suck up to the professor or not does not make the slightest difference in terms of your grades. It is your ability to take exams and wrestle with the material that matters. So, focus on the exam primarily. From day one. Do practice exams, practice problems, practice exam writing, practice arguing in the alternative.