Disappointing grades in this economy = drop out?

[SuziQ0110]

You are retarded to drop out now. SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY. Why would you do that? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

[mzing12]

How far up is it possible to get grades in the next two years? 3.03 = below top 50% ... top 40% is like, 3.2 or 3.3. Is it possible to bring it up that far?

If I can graduate top 40%, I'm happy.

[,.,.,.;.,.,.]

Why the @#!* do you think your grades will suddenly perk up!?

Face it: you are not good at law school exams, at least in comparison to your peers.  When you were born, a wild coyote yawped in the wilderness and your aptitude at finding legal issues in a fact pattern was forever set in stone.

But, seriously, what will change?

Will you take more practice exams?  (I don't think you've not taken enough.)
Will your classmates suddenly lose their aptitude?  (Absolutely not.  Nobody will slack ITE.  Moreover, they can do better with less work, because they "get it.")
Will you get smarter?  (No.)

FIN.  I hate to break it to you, but you've reached the end of the road.  A slothful executor twenty-one years too late.  A murder of angry crows at the end of a Monticello cornfield.  The Hindenberg.  Your law school performance.  One and the same, all of them.

[mzing12]

What? Are you even in law school? 2L and 3L have completely different exam styles, which is why a lot of employers focus on 1L grades. and why do you think 2Ls and 3Ls who did great have more free time? They're the ones on Law Review and Moot Court.

It's not that I'm bad at finding legal issues; I'm excelling at doing my actual internship work for a pretty legit agency. The reason my grades sucked were because I shouldn't have gone that year ... depression, family problems, an illness, other bull, that's all pretty much taken care of. Basically, I wasn't working at my full strength, and that's different now.

But, I do see your point about not getting it in general. I "get it" re: actual legal work (even got an A on my appellate brief, C+/B- curve), it's a shame exams are so different.

Actually, addendum: you're someone in the legal profession who has time to post on this thing 6 times a friggin day on average? WTH, what's your advice worth.

[Red Rocket]

The keys to grades for 2L and 3L are course selection and professor selection.

[,.,.,.;.,.,.]

I'm a rising 2L at a good law school.  I think I know what I'm talking about.  I have no doubt that you're smart, but, unfortunately, intelligence and law school grades are not correlated.

[Matthies]

Why the @#!* do you think your grades will suddenly perk up!?

Face it: you are not good at law school exams, at least in comparison to your peers.  When you were born, a wild coyote yawped in the wilderness and your aptitude at finding legal issues in a fact pattern was forever set in stone.

But, seriously, what will change?

Will you take more practice exams?  (I don't think you've not taken enough.)
Will your classmates suddenly lose their aptitude?  (Absolutely not.  Nobody will slack ITE.  Moreover, they can do better with less work, because they "get it.")
Will you get smarter?  (No.)

FIN.  I hate to break it to you, but you've reached the end of the road.  A slothful executor twenty-one years too late.  A murder of angry crows at the end of a Monticello cornfield.  The Hindenberg.  Your law school performance.  One and the same, all of them.

Yes OP you can increase your GPA over the next two years, many people have done it, it’s not impossible. But its takes a plan that you need to develop now to maximize your odds of doing so. Obviously your current strategy has not worked as well as you hoped. Focus on the types of classes you have done good in (performance classes vs. standard hypo classes), the types of exams your better at (in calls vs. take home), what skills you have (better writer or better editor) and then focus all your classes on the areas you are good at avoiding classes in the areas you’re not.

[hawkpilot]

When it comes to improving grades, select your professors and, more importantly, exam grading style varefully.  If you are a below average typist, don't select professors who reward a "brain dump" by grading with a check-mark system.  If you cannot type as fast as others and end up with 5 less pages, that is five less pages worth of check-marks.  On the other hand, if you are an above average typist, the converse is true and will play to your advantage.

[M_Cool]

I think what's hard about trying to improve your class rank is that the curve gets easier so the GPA needed to hit a certain class rank goes up.  If top 40% is a 3.4 now, it will probably be close to a 3.6 by graduation.  That means that you really can't afford too many more B's if you really want to make a decent climb in class rank. 

[mzing12]

I'm a rising 2L at a good law school.  I think I know what I'm talking about.  I have no doubt that you're smart, but, unfortunately, intelligence and law school grades are not correlated.

Rising 2L? Well, for all intents and purposes, I was right: you do have no clue. Why talk *&^% like that? Get laid, man.