IrrX is correct. By "first time around," I meant the midterm. By the time I sat my crim final, I had a much more savvy understanding of law school exams. My crim midterm was the first graded law school exam I had ever taken, and while I knew the black letter law as well as anybody, my approach to the exam was utterly naive. I anticipated making points by showing my in-depth understanding of every nuance of homicide, for instance, whether it was relevant to the discussion or not. In so doing, I wasted valuable time and failed to discuss every possible crime the fact patterns disclosed. In my naivete, I thought it was neither possible nor expected by the professor that we should discuss every incidental larceny that appeared. Wrong on both counts. It is possible if you practice and yes, they expect you to see and discuss everything. Okay. Lesson learned. Unlike some of my classmates, I did not take any pre-law classes. I had to learn it the hard way. But that's nothing I haven't done before. Law school reminds me of my parachute jumps in the Marines: I never knew where I was going to land when I jumped. I had to figure it out on the way down.
Discussion
Resources
