Tips for all As Forum

[megamega88]

So I can get a few A's here and there, the rest of my grades are in the B range. I have even had 2 Cs in my top-law-schools.com. How do people get all straight As? Any tips to get all straight As?

[de minimis]

So I can get a few A's here and there, the rest of my grades are in the B range. I have even had 2 Cs in my top-law-schools.com. How do people get all straight As? Any tips to get all straight As?

Pulling an A here and there is doable if you know the material, write a good exam, take a class that clicks for you, or get lucky. Straight A's requires 1) being smarter than 90% of your class, 2) working harder than 90% of your class, and 3) not being unlucky.

[jaekeem]

I think law school success breaks down into three factors.

1) natural intelligence

2) hard work

3) love for the material (which kinda plays into hard work. easier for someone that really enjoys class ___ to work their ass off in it, than someone who thinks it's the worst time ever)

granted, this advice assumes you're already approaching the material/tests correctly (skills you can learn by reading threads here), but I don't think there are any real 'tips' RE the people that get straight As, beyond "be willing to work as hard and as smart as that guy or gal that ends up getting the top 10-1% mark."

[TheSpanishMain]

Take easy, uncurved, seminar type classes after 1L.

[Wild Card]

Take easy, uncurved, seminar type classes after 1L.

Bad advice. From firsthand experience at NYU, I can tell you that seminars are "easy B+s," not easy As.

I've heard the same from friends at Columbia.

You can certainly find a few seminars that are "easy A-s" -- I'm talking about the most desirable ones taught by high-profile practitioners.

Some practitioners have their heads so far up their asses that they'll smack you with a B.

[BulletTooth]

Any class specific advice is going to vary from school to school.
I'll definitely echo the above comment on the importance of love for the material--which I think is underestimated by a lot of students. There's a huge portion of students in every class going in with the mentality that they just need to learn the subject material so they can pass the class and graduate. Another large chunk of the class is going to see doing well in the class as simply a means to an end--getting a good GPA so they can do well at OCI. Both groups are going with some level of motivation to do well, but it's really the students who want to learn the material because they truly enjoy the subject (and obviously want to get grades for employment prospects) that will do the best.

I think the worst thing that a student can do is go into a class with the mentality that they dislike (or just cannot understand) whatever the subject is and simply need the credits to graduate.

[texas1100]

Take racehorse issue potters. Memorize the key elements or points of an outline regardless of open or closed book. Type fast and take a ton of prac exams. Ideally you barely look at your notes bc your have it memorized so can spend more time "analyzing" (i.e. Being annoying and ping ponging arguments back and forth based on random facts given to you). Maybe memorize a policy paragraph you can word vomit for repeat offender issues that show up in your courses. Toss that at the end of the exam with like 30 secs to go.

[WalkingContradiction]

A solid 40-page outline divided by issue area. Have a table of contents but after practicing with it you should basically know where everything is. The outline should have every case and every note case the prof brought up or that may be relevant to an aspect of the law you talked about in class (especially if it's a minority rule- always good to include those). This helps you make sure you don't miss anything. Most of what you write should come from your head and practice tests will help with that but this outline should also ensure that you don't miss cases or policy issues. Almost every case you touched on in class (even as a throw away line) can find its way in somewhere on your exam answer.

[texas1100]

Agreed ^^

Basically, for race horse issue spotters, "show your math." I screwed that up for awhile. Don't just conclude thing in your head. Show your math/reasoning. To an extent, say why something is NOT something. "X statute doesn't apply bc this is not a private company." You'd be surprised at how counterintuitive that is to say an on exam but how many points you'll rack up bringing up class topics and doing throw away lines.

[Work-Life-Balance]

It's surprisingly easy to get an A in any given law school class. If you wanted to go for all As your best bet would probably just be to do everything you could to minimize your chances of getting an A- and then hope for the best.

[rpupkin]

It's surprisingly easy to get an A in any given law school class (with exceptions for certain professors and courses). If you wanted to go for all As your best bet would probably just be to do everything you could to minimize your chances of getting an A- and then hope for the best.

In your 1L courses all it takes to get an A is (1) knowing the relevant law, (2) knowing how to apply that law on an exam, and (3) applying that law on the exam slightly better than whatever percentage of your class is below the cutoff for an A according to your school's mandatory curve.

Have you considered becoming a professional tutor/consultant for law students? I can't believe you're willing to give this advice away for free.

[hasmith]

Does the sealocust still hawk his wares here?

[DeMihiNonCuratLex]

It's surprisingly easy to get an A in any given law school class (with exceptions for certain professors and courses). If you wanted to go for all As your best bet would probably just be to do everything you could to minimize your chances of getting an A- and then hope for the best.

In your 1L courses all it takes to get an A is (1) knowing the relevant law, (2) knowing how to apply that law on an exam, and (3) applying that law on the exam slightly better than whatever percentage of your class is below the cutoff for an A according to your school's mandatory curve.

Have you considered becoming a professional tutor/consultant for law students? I can't believe you're willing to give this advice away for free.

Hey! The advice was worth what we paid for it