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PaulaKimFirstPaper 4 - 22 Jan 2013 - Main.IanSullivan
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The Law School Grading System | | | Is it a good one?
Law students care deeply about grades. Our grades are supposedly a reflection of how much we know, and perhaps also of how well we will do as lawyers. | |
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< | Law school grades are generally determined by a final exam taken at the end of the semester. These exams are written to test how much we have learned in each class. Although a timed exam might not be the best way to test knowledge, and knowledge is definitely not the only thing worth measuring, the system itself is not horrible. But I think the way many students, myself included, respond to the system is destructive. We have a tendency to let our grades define us, as Abby said here. | >
> | Law school grades are generally determined by a final exam taken at the end of the semester. These exams are written to test how much we have learned in each class. Although a timed exam might not be the best way to test knowledge, and knowledge is definitely not the only thing worth measuring, the system itself is not horrible. But I think the way many students, myself included, respond to the system is destructive. We have a tendency to let our grades define us, as Abby said here. | | | I’m not sure why this happens. For me, I think it may partly be habit and the way I was raised. In elementary school, my parents rewarded me for good grades with little toys and trinkets. By the time I reached middle school, they discovered it was much cheaper and easier to just guilt me into getting top grades by telling me they were disappointed in me whenever I got anything lower than an A. In high school, I no longer needed parental pressure to motivate me. The thrill of getting a good grade was enough. | | | Is there anything we can do to change the system? Honestly, I think it’s too late for us. | |
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< | One way to mitigate the negative effects of the grading system is to opt out of the curve with Rule 3.1.2. Of course even with this option, there is still some determination of merit by the professor (whether the effort one put into the class was, or was not, enough to pass), but the pressure to get an A (or to avoid getting a B-) is no longer there. Maybe without the focus on letter grades, those who choose to use Rule 3.1.2 would focus more on learning and figuring out how to apply what they learn to become good lawyers. | >
> | One way to mitigate the negative effects of the grading system is to opt out of the curve with Rule 3.1.2. Of course even with this option, there is still some determination of merit by the professor (whether the effort one put into the class was, or was not, enough to pass), but the pressure to get an A (or to avoid getting a B-) is no longer there. Maybe without the focus on letter grades, those who choose to use Rule 3.1.2 would focus more on learning and figuring out how to apply what they learn to become good lawyers. | | | I don’t think I will be one of these people. I am not brave enough to opt out of the curve. It’s not just that I fear I won’t be able to get a job. I know there are employers who don’t consider grades when hiring people. Eben tells us that as a hiring lawyer, he never looks at transcripts when he makes his decisions. Many of the jobs I applied to did not require transcripts and the place where I will be working this summer made me an offer before receiving my transcript. Even employers who purportedly only care about grades, don’t just look at transcripts (at least, I don’t think they do). If big law firms only cared about grades, they would only want transcripts. There would be no need for them to conduct interviews or look at resumes for past experience. So I know that I would be able to find a job even with a transcript full of CRs. |
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