love that last sentence you said! never thought about it that way

I am so very sorry.. it's pretty bad when professors grade papers and they're so opinionated that rather than critiquing a paper, or pleadings like in law school, they grade so much on some opinions these days.. might be more opinionated than what I think.. I went to law school in the late 1990s and I went to a Christian law school at Liberty University. I graduated with a 4.0 plus because I did a lot of extra credit work.. not all but most of my classes I had over 100%.. that's just because I did extra credit all the time and most of our professors would give us a few extra credit questions when we had an exam. They did that because it was challenging and they knew that a lot of students knew the material but that sometimes they would get hung up on a question or two and that was usually me sometimes.. it's so unfair that certain students get graded differently anymore because it wasn't like that back in the 1980s or 1990s.. did go to nursing school in 2014 and I had a I didn't apply myself as much because I wasn't as passionate about it so I got what I believe I deserved.. I had 1 nursing professor who was just downright rude . Don't know why but she would occasionally get smart mouth with a few and so much that one of the younger girls rolled her eyes at the teacher and the teacher had something to say about her eye rolling.. it's just because the woman never stopped! It was unprofessional. She made a wise crack at one of the other girls and this woman stood up and told her she was being unprofessional and she didn't appreciate her thing such things about her.. Here I was 45 years old and I walked into class one day, and this same elderly nursing professor said "well there's the red-headed stepchild". I replied "I'm no child because I'm an adult woman with two grown children and I'm a blonde.. never talk to me that way again because it's very disrespectful.". I took it to the director of nursing because she was just making smart mouth Wise cracks to about four of us who were good students..(eye roller made okay grades... She had to retake her nursing math and college algebra. It was still rude that these professors would talk to students in such a way.. I'm so so sorry you had to go through that and especially if you worked very hard and you definitely deserved a better grade... I want to get my teachers education and license but I'm concerned that if I do, if I go to college and I'm teaching math, science, history that I would probably lose my job because I would teach about true history.. they're so much that they never taught us in high school and maybe they thought it too much above our heads but I really would have appreciated if they would have instructed us in our AP History class in high school or in college... No they never told us and it's research on my own as an adult.. Nursing was just old to me and after herniating my back and neck, I needed a more sedentary job.. the lawyers here in my area are nice but can be kind of snobby and they like me very much personally but they won't hire me because I have lupus for the ones that are aware. Second of all I was out of the legal profession from 2012 until presently now except for freelance work. . Have you ever tried to appeal your grades saying that you believe you deserve better because you worked a lot harder??

How’d you find such a great law firm to work at?

@@napoleon9970 Networking is definitely key. Even if you’re grades aren’t outstanding, if you know the right people you can get away with a lot more. Ik it’s a privileged position but it’s honestly such a key

@@Aj-sn1dp how do you network? Where do you meet these people?

May i ask what you mean by big law, and what is less traditional? I’m in my second year, and I really haven’t done so well. I’m constantly anxious of how i’m going to use it for my future career…

@@natasyaliyyin5755 I decided not to take the bar exam at all and went into policy/legislation and advocacy work instead of practicing at a firm. I use a lot of the skills I learned in law school (analysis, understanding both sides of an issue/argument, interpreting laws, etc.) but am less steeped in case law.

How’d you find a law firm to work at that gives you great work-life balance

@@napoleon9970 Loaded question, so short very "lawyer" answer: a variety of factors come into play. Just a few that come to mind: (1) Apply. A lot. Use your school's job listing site, use a recruiter, apply to jobs on Linkedin or Glassdoor or Indeed. Just apply. It's a question of fit and whether the firm sees potential in you. Being personable and good at interviews is therefore very important (even more so if you have mediocre grades like I did). I applied everywhere I could after I passed the bar and didn't get an offer for three months. I'm now a mid-level associate and that makes me more in demand so I can be more selective. When I first started, I did not have the work-life balance I find I have now, though honestly, it wasn't that bad at my first job either. (2) Once you land the interview, it's all about the research. Talk to the associates at the firm during the interview and ask. Look at the firm's website and LinkedIn for the turnover rate for associates/how long the senior associates and partners have been at the firm/whether associates stay and become of counsel and/or nonequity partners. Good balance usually = long tenures at the firm. (3) Trial and error. Know what matters to you, know what else is out there (by asking your peers, this is key!) and don't settle for less. If you can't find that at your first firm, work for a few months to a year (to show consistency) then start looking elsewhere. Same as to your second firm. Lather, rinse, repeat till you find what you're looking for but always put yourself in a better position than you were before.

@@gracelau3093 great advice. Glad it all worked out for you!

Facts lol

Okay, here’s my take. Honors be damned x2. Lolol I’m a daughter of immigrants too, and actually I AM an immigrant. Academics were heavily pushed as well, and very parallel to your story, through grade school I was “the cream of the crop.” Top 10%, class President, etc. College? Not so much. Did it bother me that I didn’t have the honors that others had? A bit. But like you, I moved on to higher education. And that too, was not academic peak, and that’s okay. The journey is what matters, specially while we unpack generational trauma, cycles, and expectations. The end result is what matters, graduation is what matters, being a better OVERALL person, and being in an overall better place is what matters. Sometimes that idea is a bit detached from what our families believe. And that’s okay too 🤍

I understand the pains of being an only child and a first gen immigrant. You are not alone.

What did you wind up doing, if you don't mind sharing?

@@aalegalfocus I run my own small firm doing civil litigation, primarily in Personal Injury; Business Litigation for small business (fraud, breach of contract, ownership disputes); and insurance bad faith). I've done appellate work at all levels of State and Federal courts, but I like trial work better.

I’ve got my first 1L midterm tomorrow and I’m stressing out because I got off to a bad start to the semester because of some personal issues that happened at an INCREDIBLY inconvenient time. Even though I feel like I know the material on the midterm, I’m stressed because everyone else is so stressed and I feel like I’m not taking this seriously enough and like I’m going to totally shit the bed tomorrow. I keep having to remind myself that most of my peers have probably gotten a B on anything in their lives, so this is the first time they’ve ever been in any sort of academic danger. Not to mention, we were all the smartest kids in the room at our high schools & under grad institutions. Now we’ve done the academic equivalent of going into the NFL and EVERYONE is just as smart, if not smarter than we are. And that’s basically the one thing that’s keeping me semi-calm. This is not my first rodeo. It’s my first time in LAW SCHOOL, but I was a deadbeat druggie drunkard who didn’t take college seriously and I had no idea I wanted to do Law school until like, a year ago. College wasn’t half as rigorous, but there’s been plenty of times where I’ve dug myself into crazy deep academic holes & had to dig myself out through a combination of grit & luck. That’s why I wound up with such a shoddy GPA Idk the point of all this rambling other than that I’m stressed and I have to keep reminding myself that I’m probably better prepared psychologically for this than my peers are. Because I will be ecstatic if I walk away with a B- or even a C+, that is not going to hurt my ego in the slightest. But for my peers, that will be devastating

@@CaptainTrips560 Good luck tomorrow. Shit's going to happen. I had to take one set of law school finals in a cast on my right hand - in the days before laptop finals were a thing. (they gave me accommodations) Use the stress to push yourself to study harder than you ever have, and then let it go. When you walk into an exam, worrying about whether you are prepared enough will only hurt you. If you're in a bad place for an exam, just content yourself with riding the curve. I did that in a couple of classes.

Yes!!

Don't worry, you're still graduating with your degree, & beyond the 1st job or two, most employers don't care about GPA. Congratulations!

Same story here. Immigrated to Canada from Eastern Europe when I was a kid in 2005. I'm currently finishing up my Bachelor's of Science and my GPA is not very good- mostly as a result of really bad grades in my first year due to things going on in my personal life and mental health struggles. I have a 70 average and can't land any research positions because of it (not even unpaid volunteer positions with my professors), and I feel like going to grad school and doing my masters is impossible with such uncompetitive grades+lack of research experience. How did you manage to get into a Master's program with Cs? Any advice would be appreciated.

@@AppleJuliusFTW I did a Master's in Biochemical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario. They only look at the last 2 years of your Bachelor's, at least for that program.

@@Nick.Georgiev Ah yeah I always forget most Masters programs only look at your last 2 years. That's reassuring. Did you have a lot of extracurricular/volunteer stuff or did you get in on grades alone mostly?

@@AppleJuliusFTW I worked in the Biotech sector for 2 years between my Bachelor and Master degrees.

Girl, you are SO strong for still persisting through all of that! I'm so sorry for your loss and sending you all the love and hope for success in wherever life takes you. Don't give up

So sorry for your loss. My mom was diagnosed with cancer & 2 relatives died my 3L year. Take a semester or year off if you need to. Law school will always be there. Best wishes.

Girl! What you just stated seems toxic & calls for a red flag. If you aren't into law school, you're so going to dread this & hate it for your entire life. Law school is hard enough & if you don't feel passion for it then I suggest getting out & finding something else that you love. You really don't want to accrue school debt & end up with mediocre grades.

@@gemalopez6885 This ^

@@gemalopez6885 I agree that people who go into law school being ambivalent, or aren't even sure if they should apply, shouldn't go. It's hard enough for the vast majority of people who started out with excitement & enthusiasm. Depending on one's financial situation, it can also be a costly financial decision.

You'll be fine! I guess a running joke is that many Ph.Ds are underemployed & bitter anyway, especially if they spent 5+ years toiling away & still didn't get the degree. Wishing you the best!

Wishing you good luck & positive vibes!

Good luck with whatever you do!

Congratulations on getting into Brown. My sister went there as a transfer & had a tough time at first. It's very competitive, whereas when she was at Tufts, she was at the top of the class. Please seek out the student counseling staff if you're having bad anxiety. Everyone needs help sometime.

Very true. Most people lucky enough to get big law are fired, told they're not partnership material, or voluntarily quit within 5 years. 90% of grads aren't in the top 10%.

Congratulations!

Good luck with your masters program!

Wishing you good luck & positive vibes. Eventually you should get a good job.

Great to hear. What kind of job did you get?

@@aalegalfocus started off as a public defender. Transitioned to civil less than a year ago. Just got a dream job at a great regional firm with amazing attorneys, benefits, and compensation. More importantly, the firm has me on the partner track right away.