Today is exactly one month prior to my first final exam. For a 1L, the impending approach of exams can be scary. I believe I've mentioned this previously, but your exam results from the first semester set a tone for your future.
I've almost always done well in school, and I thrive on academic success. A law school of UConn's caliber attracts some very smart people. My class has MDs, PhDs, and several people with master's degrees. The curve, however, is a mandatory B average. Getting all A's is not probable. We had a practice exam question in my Torts class, and 3 people of 66 got A's. Needless to say I was not one of them. Nevertheless, I'm coming to grips with the fact that I might not be the best law student. I at least need to be above average. A B+ or an A- average should empower me with plenty of opportunities to do what I want. I think I can do this with continual focus and a little extra effort down the stretch.
Someone told me that success on the LSAT (the law school admission test) is not a good measure of what kind of student you will be, and that your GPA as a student is not a good measure of what kind of attorney you will be. Unfortunately, most firms and courts can differentiate you only through grades.
I'm still enjoying the ride, and I have learned a lot of law in the past 2.5 months. I absorb the material more quickly now, although there are so many subtleties one cannot absorb them all in such a short time frame. I've written memos (the legal terminology for 'papers') on whether a horrible boss can be sued for intentional infliction of emotional distress, whether a company must allow a disable CFO to work from home, and whether a boy could recover for injuries suffered in a dog attack on a neighbor's property. The answer to all of these questions is the same: it depends.
