Decided to quit LS.

[proletariat]

I finally got my grades back, and they seem to land me around the 35th percentile of a 4th tier.  I made the decision a while ago that I would quit if not in the top 20% because the chances of advancing my finances (over and above my current career) would be slim.  My entrance statistics of having a 161 and 158 on the LSAT and a 3.0 in an engineering undergrad curriculum boosted my confidence that I would do well.  It seems, however, that my talents don't include taking timed essay tests. 

I did best (B+) in legal writing which is graded on multiple choice tests and long-term written assignments.  I did worst in CivPro (C+), in which the professor writes analytically easy exams, but obsesses over how accurately you state obvious facts.  Got a B in Contracts and a B- in Torts.  I felt I knew all the material very well.  At the end of the day, it's what you get on the paper that counts.

I'm a part time student with an established career, so this definitely isn't the end of the world, but it's a little depressing none the less.  The worst part is that my plan for the next 3.5 years vaporized, and I have to figure out what to do next. 

I'm thinking an executive MBA program is in my future.

[drbuff123]

those grades don't seem too bad at a T4, what kind of curve are you on

[xferlawstudent]

I hope this is a flame.  35th percentile means you are better than 2/3 of your classmates...and its only been one semester.

If this is for real, you should stick with it.

[DutchessA]

I think you should wait to find out your rank officially, grades similar to yours put me in the top 11% my first year at a T4.

It's a little ridiculous that you are so eager to drop out.  Do you want to leave regardless?  Are you unhappy with law school?  Don't use your "bad" grades as an excuse. 

BTW, 35% is not bad and with an engineering degree you could be 50% and people would still be clammoring for you after school.

[proletariat]

It's for real.  Search my username and you'll see I haven't made BS posts in the past.  I'm interested in comments about my situation is the reason I posted.

[proletariat]

BTW, 35% is not bad and with an engineering degree you could be 50% and people would still be clammoring for you after school.

If you're talking patent law, those firms simply aren't interested in Civil Engineers. 

[loki13]

Give up, just quit, because in this life, you can't win. Yeah, you can try, but in the end you're just gonna lose, big time, because the world is run by the Man. The Man, oh, you don't know the Man. He's everywhere. In the White House... down the hall... your CivPro Prof, he's the Man. And the Man ruined your grades, he's fixed the percentiles against you, and he kidnapped Shamu and put her in a chlorine tank! And there used to be a way to stick it to the Man. It was called the LAW, but guess what, oh no, the Man ruined that, too, with a little thing called first semester grades! So don't waste your time trying to make anything cool or pure or awesome 'cause the Man is just gonna call you a fat washed up loser and crush your soul at a fourth tier school law school. So do yourselves a favor and just GIVE UP

[DutchessA]

Nope, I wasn't specifically addressing patent law. But a lot of construction defense/prosecution law firms would absolutely adore you.

If I had a dollar for every law firm that I applied to my first year that said they wanted anykind of engineering degree my law school bill would be paid. 

Quit being so negative.

[patent]

I plan on doing the same thing.  I got a 3.1, but haven't found out the rank yet.  I'm currently an electrical engineer, and wanted to get into patent law.  Everybody tells me I need to at least be in the upper 1/3 to get a good job in patent law, so if a 3.1 doesn't get me there, I'm gone.  They tell me an EE degree is most in-demand, but rank in law school still matters a lot.  I enjoy law school, but the cost/benefit ratio just won't make sense unless I get a good class rank.

I'm still going to stick it out the rest of the year, even if my rank does come back bad.

[DutchessA]

You know, I went a different route than most 1Ls, I went to school full-time and worked part time with the specific intention of networking and securing myself employment for after school.  I've done just that, I started as a word processor at a great firm, and moved up to law clerk because they were impressed with my work ethic. I did just fine my first year, but at this point with my work experience, I'm not concerned with my ranking so much (of course I still work my butt off).

While rank may matter during OCI, etc., when you graduate and you are not employed I think you will see during your interviews that very few people are asked about their rank (especially if you have good work experience and references).  Of course, you can always skip out of the rank percentage and simply put your GPA, a 3.1 is good!!!

Finish the year, this summer (instead of doing summer abroad or sitting on your coach getting fat) get an externship at a construction defense/prosecution firm.  Call and offer to work for free, they won't turn you down (you have the proper degree). 

You can complete law school in a vacuum thinking that rank is the only thing that matters.