Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class... Forum
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
- A. Nony Mouse
- Posts: 29293
- Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:51 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
The OP doesn't owe anyone any more info than they're comfortable giving, you ghouls. (I get that it's a really weird situation and people want to know what's behind it but don't badger them to give revealing information.)
-
- Posts: 953
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 3:55 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
State clerkship or AIII? Regardless, if you do a good job the judge might hook you up and grades might be irrelevant. So no, your career isn't shot.
Although I must agree with the other posters in that an F in law school is generally reserved for the people who don't show up to the exam, write nonsensical answers, or fail to write anything down on the exam at all. Something else is up if you showed up for the exam, wrote SOMETHING down (even if you missed > 50% of the issues), and still received an F. I know people who made up issues that weren't there but still received points if they explained why they thought it was an issue.
Although I must agree with the other posters in that an F in law school is generally reserved for the people who don't show up to the exam, write nonsensical answers, or fail to write anything down on the exam at all. Something else is up if you showed up for the exam, wrote SOMETHING down (even if you missed > 50% of the issues), and still received an F. I know people who made up issues that weren't there but still received points if they explained why they thought it was an issue.
- grand inquisitor
- Posts: 3767
- Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:21 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
agree that there are missing details that make giving advice more difficult. my guess is there were some aberrations with your exam that were suspicious and you agreed to take an f and retake the course. given that, i think your career is certainly salvageable, but realize that the large questions raised by your answers in this thread are likely going to occur to employers who ask for an explanation for your performance in law school.
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
State clerkship.1styearlateral wrote:State clerkship or AIII? Regardless, if you do a good job the judge might hook you up and grades might be irrelevant. So no, your career isn't shot.
Although I must agree with the other posters in that an F in law school is generally reserved for the people who don't show up to the exam, write nonsensical answers, or fail to write anything down on the exam at all. Something else is up if you showed up for the exam, wrote SOMETHING down (even if you missed > 50% of the issues), and still received an F. I know people who made up issues that weren't there but still received points if they explained why they thought it was an issue.
I showed up for the exam and wrote answers responsive to the questions.
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
I did not commit any misconduct in the course of the exam, as I stated earlier.grand inquisitor wrote:agree that there are missing details that make giving advice more difficult. my guess is there were some aberrations with your exam that were suspicious and you agreed to take an f and retake the course. given that, i think your career is certainly salvageable, but realize that the large questions raised by your answers in this thread are likely going to occur to employers who ask for an explanation for your performance in law school.
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 1986
- Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:05 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
So if it's an MBE subject, there's a good chance it's Criminal Procedure or Evidence, since Torts, Contracts, Property and Con Law would typically be knocked out in first year.
If it's evidence, fashion yourself as transactional. If it's Crim, focus only on civil law. Then tell employers what you told us - that it was unexpected and the school went into radio silence.
Also, do everything you can to excel in this clerkship. A glowing judicial reference can blow away a solitary F. In hiring, I would certainly ask what happened. But if you said you honestly didn't know and accompany that with a great reference from a judge, I think you could get beyond it.
If it's evidence, fashion yourself as transactional. If it's Crim, focus only on civil law. Then tell employers what you told us - that it was unexpected and the school went into radio silence.
Also, do everything you can to excel in this clerkship. A glowing judicial reference can blow away a solitary F. In hiring, I would certainly ask what happened. But if you said you honestly didn't know and accompany that with a great reference from a judge, I think you could get beyond it.
- pancakes3
- Posts: 6619
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:49 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
- kellyfrost
- Posts: 6362
- Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:58 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
I don't know how to prove it to you, but I did not cheat on the exam. The F was justified according to the Dean.kellyfrost wrote:There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
- A. Nony Mouse
- Posts: 29293
- Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:51 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
Yeah, to be fair, I do realize that employers are likely to ask the same questions people are asking here.grand inquisitor wrote:agree that there are missing details that make giving advice more difficult. my guess is there were some aberrations with your exam that were suspicious and you agreed to take an f and retake the course. given that, i think your career is certainly salvageable, but realize that the large questions raised by your answers in this thread are likely going to occur to employers who ask for an explanation for your performance in law school.
-
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 8:23 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
mexicayotl wrote:I don't know how to prove it to you, but I did not cheat on the exam. The F was justified according to the Dean.kellyfrost wrote:There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
Employers are going to want to know why you didn’t press the issue and get specifics. You can’t even really explain why it was justified. Did you ask to go over your exam and get shown why? Employers are going to wonder why you just took the silence and justification.
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
A. Nony Mouse wrote:Yeah, to be fair, I do realize that employers are likely to ask the same questions people are asking here.grand inquisitor wrote:agree that there are missing details that make giving advice more difficult. my guess is there were some aberrations with your exam that were suspicious and you agreed to take an f and retake the course. given that, i think your career is certainly salvageable, but realize that the large questions raised by your answers in this thread are likely going to occur to employers who ask for an explanation for your performance in law school.
How would you suggest answering the question? Just say that the F was an aberration and not consistent with my performance in other classes/on the job?
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
I emailed and the prof and she didn't respond. The Dean confirmed that there was not clerical error and that the grade was intentional, though.IExistedOnceBefore wrote:mexicayotl wrote:I don't know how to prove it to you, but I did not cheat on the exam. The F was justified according to the Dean.kellyfrost wrote:There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
Employers are going to want to know why you didn’t press the issue and get specifics. You can’t even really explain why it was justified. Did you ask to go over your exam and get shown why? Employers are going to wonder why you just took the silence and justification.
Register now!
Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.
It's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
- TheSpanishMain
- Posts: 4744
- Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 2:26 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
And you weren't accused of misconduct, even if those accusations weren't actually justified, right?mexicayotl wrote:I don't know how to prove it to you, but I did not cheat on the exam. The F was justified according to the Dean.kellyfrost wrote:There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
-
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 8:23 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
Why didn’t you follow up? Forgetting the grade, the fact that you just let it go is bad form. Are you going to let client issues go when you send one email and no one answers you?mexicayotl wrote:I emailed and the prof and she didn't respond. The Dean confirmed that there was not clerical error and that the grade was intentional, though.IExistedOnceBefore wrote:mexicayotl wrote:I don't know how to prove it to you, but I did not cheat on the exam. The F was justified according to the Dean.kellyfrost wrote:There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
Employers are going to want to know why you didn’t press the issue and get specifics. You can’t even really explain why it was justified. Did you ask to go over your exam and get shown why? Employers are going to wonder why you just took the silence and justification.
You need to find out exactly why so that you can explain it. The outlier performance is not a good answer for an F. It’s a good answer for a C. You need to call the dean and your professor and you need to get a specific answer.
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
The school never accused me of academic misconduct.TheSpanishMain wrote:And you weren't accused of misconduct, even if those accusations weren't actually justified, right?mexicayotl wrote:I don't know how to prove it to you, but I did not cheat on the exam. The F was justified according to the Dean.kellyfrost wrote:There is a lot more to this story.pancakes3 wrote:all people are saying is that the F itself is bad but not being able to explain it satisfactorily to an employer is worse. there's not much more to it.
OP has stated there was no misconduct, and I have no reason not take his/her word for it. Anecdotally, I remember there being a potential plagarism issue in a Legal Writing class at my school. The school did an investigation, and it was ultimately agreed upon by the student that they would take a D- in the class. So an F really is strange.
- grand inquisitor
- Posts: 3767
- Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:21 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
you need to stop giving non-categorical denials. it just sounds more suspicious than it otherwise would if you came out and said "my professor suspected cheating but there was not enough evidence and i agreed to take an f".mexicayotl wrote:The school never accused me of academic misconduct.
Get unlimited access to all forums and topics
Register now!
I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:26 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
I didn't cheat and nobody suspected me of cheating. I didn't agree to take an F, I was given an F because of poor performance.grand inquisitor wrote:you need to stop giving non-categorical denials. it just sounds more suspicious than it otherwise would if you came out and said "my professor suspected cheating but there was not enough evidence and i agreed to take an f".mexicayotl wrote:The school never accused me of academic misconduct.
-
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2017 11:52 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
kykiske's post is on point.
Last edited by Subban_Fan on Mon Sep 25, 2017 7:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 1986
- Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:05 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
One other thought. If it's a public school, you may be able to FOIA any correspondence between the dean and other administrators and the professor regarding the exam and also possibly a copy of any marked up exam paper. Obviously that depends a lot on FOIA laws in your state.
- TheSpanishMain
- Posts: 4744
- Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 2:26 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
I've been burned before but I'm getting a manali vibe here
Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.
Register now, it's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 714
- Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2017 8:49 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
same tbhTheSpanishMain wrote:I've been burned before but I'm getting a manali vibe here
- A. Nony Mouse
- Posts: 29293
- Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:51 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
Oh fffffffuck I should have caught that sooner.
Y'all are absolutely correct. Good eye(s).
Y'all are absolutely correct. Good eye(s).
- A. Nony Mouse
- Posts: 29293
- Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:51 am
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
Unlocked to give fair opportunity to gloat.
TheSpanishMain wrote:
- TheSpanishMain
- Posts: 4744
- Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 2:26 pm
Re: Failed a course my last semester of law school, did not graduate with my class...
Thank you, thank you. As I face my own ineptitude as a new father, I can take some small comfort in having a good ear for a Manali yarn.A. Nony Mouse wrote:Unlocked to give fair opportunity to gloat.
TheSpanishMain wrote:
Seriously? What are you waiting for?
Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!
Already a member? Login