I definitely didn't mean to sound tooly at all.  I'm sorry if I came off that way, but its better for me to gripe on an anonymous messageboard than in person to my friends (who would probably string me up).

I just finished my first year at UIUC and I really like it there.  The atmosphere is relatively laid back and most of the professors are great.

Found out today that I did make the top 10%  .  I actually ranked 5th (along with 7 other people) in a class of 168.

I mean I love LSD, both the online board and the gelcaps, but seriously people why the FU#K are you posting your grades. "Because I am proud! That's why you negative S-bag". Well I am sorry but it is still royally gay and call me negative if you must and tell me inremsleep how "I've got it all figured out" but realize that I do have one thing figured out; as 3L I have seen every kind of disorder possible I think at law school. I have seen the mighty fall, I have seen the weak jump for joy upon receiving their first good grade, I have seen professors who apparently are smart act like children and preach about "real world" lawyering while their behavior is borderline absurd. I have seen law students snort ritalin and abuse adderall, I have seen law school relationships that are as conducive to good health as rubber is to electric, I have met some really good people and I have had a little, and I repeat a little, fun in law school. But one thing I insist upon time and time again is that publicly declaring your great grades should be reserved for your parents and close friends and prospective employers. One of my favorite axioms is, "speak softly and carry a big stick."

If you have As galore great! Get a biglaw job, get a trophy wife, talk about yourself, attend sporting events in box seats while criticizing the sad state of the nation while wearing European high end fashion but just shut the F#CK up about your grades-is it too much to ask from you?

I love you all so much it hurts.

I'm sorry you feel this way, but you come across a hypocrite and a bitter jerk in this post.  You chide people for "talking about themselves" but in the previous paragraph proceed to tell us how you have this law school thing down pat. Your comments are just oozing of ego and bitterness that some people may be doing better than you. For the record, I did well my first semester but I realize how quickly things can change. A lot of people who are just as smart as me and worked every bit as hard didn't do as well, but I expect them to close the gap on me real soon.  That being said, I'm damn proud of my effort and think i have every right to be.  That's not being arrogant, that's realizing how tough the first semester of law school is and being happy that my hard work paid off. Maybe if you studied more and spent less time crying about people posting their grades on a messageboard and spewing anti-gay slurs, maybe people's success wouldn't bother you so much.

There is no way to tell for sure, as it is entirely possible (although very unlikely) that enough people got straight A's and enough people got straight C's to make 3.89 outside the top 10%, however I think this is pretty unlikely.  As far as jobs you are not allowed to say you are in the top 10% until you get the GPA cutoff's for this semester from your school, however you can look your school up on http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/ and then look under the "MINIMUM GRADE REQUIRED TO ATTAIN (Based on May 2006 graduation class)" section on the profile in order to find out what the cutoff for graduation in a certain percentile was last year.  It is my understanding that law school curves 'loosen up' at alot of schools after 1L, as people figure out what test format they are good at, some people give up, others take classes known to be easier, etc...  Having said this I think you can discount the "top 10% gpa cutoff for graduation" a little and your semester cutoff is likely to be slightly lower then that.

Congratulations on the excellent grades and the start on a successful path through school.  Care to share what you think made the difference for you?

A couple of things I did this semester that i think helped:
-I attended every class and never missed a reading (pretty straightforward, but you'll be amazed how people put themselves behind the eight-ball by falling behind.)
-I took notes on every reading assignment on my laptop and briefed every case (people often tell 1L's not to brief cases, but it was helpful to me.)
-A big factor for me was that was happy in the environment I was in and was cool with all of my classmates.  The environment was surprisingly relaxed and laid back, even during exams (some people experiences differed)
-I made sure to go out on weekends and maintain a healthy balance of fun and work.
-I actively participated in class discussions.
-I formed a study group with people that were not only smart but that I enjoyed being around.
-Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards
-I took lots of practice tests
-I did a vast majority of my studying at home rather than at the library.
-Whatever you do, don't get caught up in the petty law school drama that tends to flare up (DO NOT HOOK UP WITH YOUR CLASSMATES UNLESS YOU GENUINELY WANT TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM)

These things worked for me, and may not work for everyone.  Also, I may have gotten lucky this semester so don't take my advice as gospel.