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How likely is it that I fail out of law school?


lawjunkie

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lawjunkie
  • Law Student

Hi all, I am super behind on school (got super sick for 2.5 weeks) and exams are coming up. I am a 2L who transferred to Oz from western. During 1L, I had honour roll and I found law school not too hard. However, this time around, I am struggling since I am so behind. I have crippling anxiety that Oz is much harder and I will get kicked out by failing...anyone have advice? 

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CleanHands
  • Lawyer

Almost nobody fails out of law school. If you performed strongly enough at Western to get on the honour roll and to get a transfer to Oz, it's even more highly unlikely that you fall into this category of "almost nobody."

I'm sorry you're going through a rough time but try not to catastrophize (easier said than done, I know). You could probably pass doing nothing but reviewing old CANs a few days before the exams.

That said, I'm sure you want to do better than just pass, so don't worry about the past that you can't change now, and focus on getting as prepared as possible at this point.

ETA - Also first term of 2L is just a mess and a write off for most people due to OCIs. That should help you on the curve.

Edited by CleanHands
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erin otoole
  • Lawyer

Below is what would happen at Windsor, I would be surprised if Oz is different. 

Email the profs, tell them what happened, especially in Covid times profs down here have been responsive to being sick and extending deadlines. If that fails:  see if York has an accommodation process, Windsor has case mangers that help you if you do have a legitimate claim for accommodations.

Get your mittens on some bomb ass CANs and hammer down IRAC or CREAC on your  exam. If you can puke out the issue and rule you already got 40-50% on the exam, some pity marks in application and you can squeak out at C. 

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GreyDude
  • Law Student

First, forgive yourself for getting behind. You can't do anything about it, and berating yourself takes up mental and emotional energy that's better put elsewhere. 

Second, what @CleanHands said about not catastrophizing and not being able to change the past is exactly right. So, move forward. Don't focus on the past. 

Third, prioritize. I'll bet you're farther behind on some things than on others, and I'll bet it matters more in some classes than others. Do the urgent stuff urgently, but remember that not everything is equally urgent. Breathe. It'll be fine. 

And finally, engage in positive self-talk. You were on the honour roll. You're perfectly capable of being on it again. And (this is important) if you're not on the honour roll this year, that's OK too. I'll bet you end up doing better than you think you can right now. 

You can do this. Breathe. 

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lawjunkie
  • Law Student

Thank you! I have just been feeling extremely "stupid" in comparison to these Oz students and feel heavy imposter syndrome. It's hard not to overthink but you all are right, I should acknowledge that I've done this before. I can do it again.  

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listerine
  • Law Student
3 minutes ago, lawjunkie said:

Thank you! I have just been feeling extremely "stupid" in comparison to these Oz students and feel heavy imposter syndrome. It's hard not to overthink but you all are right, I should acknowledge that I've done this before. I can do it again.  

Fellow transfer to Oz here and I've been feeling the exact same way. 

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You are extremely unlikely to fail out. The only people who fail out of law school do so intentionally. Also, 2 weeks behind isn't much. Just get some CANs and use them to catch up. 

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GreyDude
  • Law Student
8 hours ago, lawjunkie said:

Thank you! I have just been feeling extremely "stupid" in comparison to these Oz students and feel heavy imposter syndrome.

8 hours ago, listerine said:

Fellow transfer to Oz here and I've been feeling the exact same way. 

The thing about being a student is that by definition, you don't know stuff and have to work to understand it. That's true of every student (heck, everyone), no matter how brilliant they are, and if you're doing it right, it never stops. As a ski instructor once told me, if you never fall down, you're not being challenged. And if you're not being challenged, you're not learning. 

I get the imposter syndrome, I really do. But: positive self-talk. Osgoode Hall admitted you. You are Oz students. And if you don't do as perfectly as you would like to, that just means you're trying something hard (law school). That's a good thing. It takes courage. So if you fall down (if you fell down), it's fine! Next time you fall down, you'll do it a little more gracefully.

Edited by GreyDude
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99problems
  • Lawyer

You can easily catch up. Instead of reading the whole materials, use a summary. Granted you will probably miss some nuances, but you definitely won't fail.

You are at Osgoode, right? If you are really concerned about it, write to Mya Rimon and explain your situation. She is very helpful.

There is something called "supplemental exam period," which is when eligible students write their exams. I don't know the criteria of being eligible for writing a supplemental exam, but I suppose you must write a petition. Mya will surely explain better.

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MapleLeafs
  • Law Student
On 11/17/2021 at 12:31 PM, CleanHands said:

Also first term of 2L is just a mess and a write off for most people due to OCIs. That should help you on the curve.

I really hope this holds true, though my classes are mostly a split of 2L/3Ls. I have been struggling to keep up with anything this semester because of the recruit, and though I landed a job (which I am thankful for), I honestly think I might fail out and not even get the opportunity to work at the job I worked so hard to get. In 1L, I was always on top of my readings and updated my summary on a weekly basis, whereas this semester, I'm likely going to be using upper year summaries and barely understand the courses I'm taking. 

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cherrytree
  • Lawyer
12 minutes ago, MapleLeafs said:

In 1L, I was always on top of my readings and updated my summary on a weekly basis, whereas this semester, I'm likely going to be using upper year summaries and barely understand the courses I'm taking. 

I have some friends who swear by the process of making their own summary for every exam course throughout law school, but myself and some of my other friends are squarely in the camp of leveraging past summaries and customizing to the updated course content and our own organizing style. Using summaries is a tried and true method of studying for many law students. If you are really too short on time to make your own summary, give it some good faith effort and see how it serves you, it's totally not necessary to feel self-defeating about using summaries.

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Bachtowork
  • Articling Student
On 11/18/2021 at 9:56 AM, MapleLeafs said:

I really hope this holds true, though my classes are mostly a split of 2L/3Ls. I have been struggling to keep up with anything this semester because of the recruit, and though I landed a job (which I am thankful for), I honestly think I might fail out and not even get the opportunity to work at the job I worked so hard to get. In 1L, I was always on top of my readings and updated my summary on a weekly basis, whereas this semester, I'm likely going to be using upper year summaries and barely understand the courses I'm taking. 

I'm in the same boat, last year I made my outlines during the semester, just needed to cut them down during exam season. Now I have to make 3 outlines for 3 exams that are one after the other, it feels impossible at this point and I'm just hoping I do average. 

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  • 9 months later...
Jbens
  • Law School Admit

@lawjunkie

I'm a first year at Osgoode and I can definitely understand the imposter syndrome feeling. Im interested how you feel now/if ur still in osgoode? 

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QueensDenning
  • Articling Student
On 11/17/2021 at 12:46 PM, erin otoole said:

Get your mittens on some bomb ass CANs and hammer down IRAC or CREAC on your  exam. If you can puke out the issue and rule you already got 40-50% on the exam, some pity marks in application and you can squeak out at C. 

Bomb ass CANs and hammering down CREAC? That's at least a B! 

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