A+ average in 2L - AMA

[dillpickles]

I can't tell any of my classmates because we don't really talk about specific grades, and also I don't want to sound like an @$$...but I honestly can't quite believe I pulled this off and I need to share somewhere. Feel free to ask my anything about studying, exams, etc and I'm happy to answer!

[biffo852]

What was your general method for doing well with exams, what do you focus on when studying? How many hours are you devoting on a weekly basis to studying? I assume your school is similar to a lot of schools where the grading all happens through testing.

[BlockedQuebecois]

Would you have preferred to have an A average but a shred of social skills, or are you happy with your current situation? 🙂 

(For clarity, this is a joke. Congrats on the good semester!)

Edited January 19 by BlockedQuebecois

[dillpickles]

6 hours ago, BlockedQuebecois said:

Would you have preferred to have an A average but a shred of social skills, or are you happy with your current situation? 🙂 

(For clarity, this is a joke. Congrats on the good semester!)

thank you!! And tbh having most of my friends out of province, not in law school probably helped...

[dillpickles]

13 hours ago, biffo852 said:

What was your general method for doing well with exams, what do you focus on when studying? How many hours are you devoting on a weekly basis to studying? I assume your school is similar to a lot of schools where the grading all happens through testing.

It was a mix of exam-based and assignment/paper-based courses. I don't dedicate a set number of hours a week, but I would say on average I probably spend around 2-4 hours a day on school outside of class. I try to take weekend mornings off completely. I don't feel like I study much more than average, but I'm involved in a lot of volunteering stuff that keeps me pretty busy. 

As for exam methods, I think the biggest thing is not even exam specific: staying on top of readings and make my own reading notes & take good notes in lecture. That's what I focus on during the year, and I only really start studying for exams 1-2 weeks before. For preparing for exams, I make a detailed exam study guide that will vary depending on the course (ex. if it's an exam with a hypo and an essay, I will organize all my notes in a way that will help me answer a hypo or an essay). These tend to be pretty long--like 30-40 pages--but honestly I think the process of making them is more useful than the actual final guide. The #1 thing I focus on when compiling my exam guide is "how will I actually use this on an exam." It really helps distill information & organize notes in a way that will be helpful. Then once I've finished my guide (usually 1-2 days before the exam) I try to do 2-3 practice exams, ideally under timed conditions.

I guess if I had to sum up my general method, it would be "do everything myself." I don't tend to do study groups or use other people's CANs, and I do every single reading. I think being a fast reader and a fast typer have been really helpful, but those aren't really law school specific.

I hope some of this is helpful!

Also, I do think there is an element of luck/chance in grading (within a certain range). In 1L the course I worked the hardest on I got the worst grade in. Compared to my undergrad, I find it very hard to predict what my grade will be on exams, midterms, assignments, etc. 

[lilolemenotmuch2see]

Was your 1L average drastically different from your 2L average? If so, why do you think so?

[dillpickles]

1 hour ago, lilolemenotmuch2see said:

Was your 1L average drastically different from your 2L average? If so, why do you think so?

My 1L average was an A, so not drastically different. I only got one A+ in 1L though, and I got a B+ as well. I will also say my first law school assignment I got a C on and didn't get an A on anything until my first set of exams. 

I do feel like I put in less work in 2L than 1L, though, so I was expecting my grades to go down if anything. But it is an advantage to have a year of knowing what is/isn't working - I got way more efficient at taking notes and doing the readings. This was good because if I studied like I did in 1L, I think I would have been massively burnt out.

I also did better in my paper/assignment-based courses in 2L, although that trend has reversed in 3L for me. 

[capitalttruth]

 Very impressive. It's extremely difficult to get an A+ in law school, let alone a semester full of them. I worked my ass off all three years and ended up with an A- average. Some things are just out of your control when it comes to grades, so I'm even more impressed at your grades knowing that.

[dillpickles]

4 hours ago, capitalttruth said:

 Very impressive. It's extremely difficult to get an A+ in law school, let alone a semester full of them. I worked my ass off all three years and ended up with an A- average. Some things are just out of your control when it comes to grades, so I'm even more impressed at your grades knowing that.

Thank you! I agree, I think there are a lot of moving parts beyond your control with grades (the curve, your prof, everything going on outside of law school) so maintaining an A-average isn't something I expected at all. I also didn't go to one of the top-ranked law schools, so I imagine it was probably easier for me than it would be for someone at UofT. 

That said, I feel like one of the reasons I was able to do as well as I did was anticipating what profs wanted to see on exams and trying to deliver that. Some profs are really interested in original thought and analysis, others just want to hear what they've told you in lecture. Figuring out what kind of exam profs want to see is an underrated hack for good grades (not necessarily learning, but good grades).

Curious if you have any study tips to share or insights on how you were able to maintain an A-average as well!

[Dinsdale]

Enjoy Davies!

[dillpickles]

On 2/7/2024 at 2:41 PM, Dinsdale said:

Enjoy Davies!

never....big law is emphatically not for me