Getting the Grades You Want During Second Semester
It's official. Last Friday marked the grade release date for 1Ls and while some were jumping for joy, others were less enthused or downright depressed. In speaking with one 1L she said she was "disappointed because [she] worked so hard." An understandable sentiment. First semester 1L grades are a right of passage of law school, right along with LRW and the 1L Moot Court competition. Some students may get it right off the bat, but for others, it takes a little bit longer. So if you didn't find yourself getting the grades you wanted and aren't particularly satisfied supporting the upper half of the class then consider what you can do to improve your grades.
It may seem like a daunting task to try and improve your grades and it does require effort, but you can do it. The approaches you can take to improve your grades can vary. 3L, Denise L. Turner, says to "know your limits" because she was overloaded first semester in trying to do too much by outlining all the time, study groups every week and doing all the E&Es. She says that "its important to keep up with the reading and take good notes" because you simply don't have time to re-learn the topic or read 500 pages of assigned reading at finals time. 2L Starr Brookins agrees that you need to pay attention in class and adds that she doesn't use supplements because the important thing is what the professor wants and sometimes there is extraneous information that you don't need or that your professor didn't cover. In addition, Dean DeVigne recommends a tried and true method that she has seen increase student success. She recommends that you take the following steps. Consider it a checklist if you may.
1. Get the facts. Don't assume that you know why you did badly on an exam. It's important to not only find out what you need to improve upon, but also what you did correctly so you can continue to do those things. Sometimes it's simply a matter of missing issues or not engaging in a thorough analysis. Or, it may simply be a failure to follow instructions. As humorous as the last one may sound, it happens. Your professor may be asking you to argue for one side or the other and you argue both sides. Don't forget, you got some points somewhere so you did something right.
2. Learn the professor's protocol for review. Some professors will do an in-class review of the exam while others may set up office hours for exam review. Inquire with your professor about how you can review your exam. Remember, some professors may set deadlines for this so don't wait until finals time comes back around to do this.
3. Analyze and Assess what you learned. When you meet with the Professor ask him or her if you can take some notes. It's easy to understand what is said when you're in the room, but sometimes the minute you walk out the door and the anxiety is over, it's as if the conversation didn't even happen. Write down the positives and the negatives and when you're reflecting on the information you got see if there is a pattern that emerges across your exams. Are you consistently misapplying the law or are you spotting all the issues, but your analysis is weak? Spend time reviewing your notes from the meeting. Please don't take notes, shove them in the back of your locker and forget them until finals time. By then, you won't have time to really analyze the situation.
4. Devise a new strategy. Figure out what you need to do to improve your performance based on what you've learned from meeting with your professors. There are several things that you can do including getting a tutor (see the box below). A tutor can be especially useful if you struggle to correctly apply the law. You can also do more practice exams. These will help you become familiar with the questions. But don't half-ass the practice exams. Actually do them in exam mode; set aside the time and write them out. 2L Starr Brookins has especially found this technique helpful. She adds that once you have done an exam try, if you can, to meet with the professor about it. Give your professor a heads up that you would like to review an exam because they may want to set up a separate time to do so. You can also ask your fellow students who did well in their courses to look over your exam responses and see if you are on track. Another strategy is to seek clarification of your questions throughout the semester. Meet with your professor at office hours, don't wait until the exam to ask questions. It can also be helpful to attend office hours even if you don't have a specific question because you can hear what other students are asking which may be something you didn't think about. But most importantly, the key here is to think about what you need to do better and move forward about it. Don't let yourself get stalled by the grade you got. Plan ahead and don't wait until the last minute. It's generally not a good idea to outline the day before the exam. You might find yourself still outlining at 8am the day of the exam when the exam is at 2pm. It's not worth the lack of sleep.
5. Use your resources. Don' forget to use your resources. You have professors, talk to them. They won't bite. Also, don't forget your Deans Fellows. They've been 1Ls and they get it. They also have had the opportunity to review your writing so they may also have some insights. Ask them if they would mind helping you out. Tutors can be a life saver as can your fellow students. Talk to those students who did well. Rumors fly fast so you'll know who they are. Lastly, consider study groups. If you didn't have one before, get one. If you found out that your study group was useless or that you didn't do anything but hang out and talk, get a new group. Study groups are important; they provide other students off of whom you can bounce ideas. Take it from this author. Working with one or two other people is helpful in finding out where you can improve or how you're analyzing something.
There are things you can do to improve, and if you do the work you will succeed. Remember, this is a learning process so embrace the process because if you were already an expert in the material and in exam taking, you wouldn't be a 1L. And please don't do your exam in text speak.
