My blogs are going to be sparse for the next month or so. It is exam season. The grade for every one of my classes except legal writing is based entirely on the final exam. We as students are graded on a curve system. About 50% of the class has to score a "C." At the most, I think 5% can score an "A." A certain percentage of the class has to be awarded a "D" as well. While professors are not required to fail anyone, if you get a "D" in all of your classes you will eventually be kicked out of school. The students here come from Duke, Stanford, Davidson, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Dartmouth, etc. One lady who sits close to me in class has a master's degree from the London School of Economics.
So here we go.
The 2L I spoke with and wrote about in an earlier blog was right. People have stopped speaking to each other much, and we sort of look like zombies here in the library. I find myself walking past people I know without speaking. It's not that we're being rude, it's just that we have a lot on our minds. I'll be thinking about some concept of contract law rather than paying attention to faces.
Before I sign off, I will tell one story:
One of my professors was trying to help us relax.
"The first grade I got in law school was the lowest one I ever got," she said. "I was miserable. I thought I was terrible at law school, that I was worthless and that my life was over."
One of the students behind me said quietly, "It was a 'B,' wasn't it?"
The class laughed. But the professor blushed and froze for a second. The class's laughter turned into astonishment.
"Oh my gosh!" One student exclaimed. "You mean you got 'As' for the rest of your time in law school?"
"Well," the professor said, "Would you rather have someone up here who didn't make those kind of grades?"
"Yes!" another student said. "We need someone we can relate to."
"Okay," the professor replied. "Which one of you wants to teach the class today, just so you all can relate?"
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
Friday, November 7, 2008
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