The Great Change: Turning Cathy into a Lawyer

Cathy...

If you normally don't look at your grades, then how are you able to answer questions about them when you are asked at job interviews.

I can't imagine not knowing my grades (at least for the purpose of knowing what study strategies worked and what didn't). Do you at least know your GPA?

Mark

Nope. I don't know my GPA. I don't talk about them in interviews (although, granted, I've had very few of those).

When I applied to clerkships I sent my transcripts, but they were delivered to me in an envelope and I was able to put them into new envelopes without reading them.

I'm vaguely curious, but otherwise rather pleased with the success of my obstinance.

Wow... Your willpower far exceeds mine...

Aside from the fact that I think that knowing one's grades is useful (and also is a useful guide as to where it is worth applying for positions), I don't think I would ever have had the willpower to not peak when moving the transcripts to clerkship applications.

Mark

So if you were ever arguing an easy case before a court you'd lose?

I dispute your "if the exam was harder" analysis of your low grade. That does not make sense. If you really knew the material so well, you should have been able to ace that exam. Don't you think at least part of the problem was that maybe you had difficulty boiling all of your knowledge down to something that was clear?

I cannot imagine interviews without knowing my grades and where I stand, especially if you're not at a top 10 school. So where will you go to work after graduation?

I have edited my post slightly to make my point more clear.

A part of my objection is that a test that does the "favor" of only covering two areas isn't much of a favor at all. If a person learns 98% of the material, but gets tested on the other 2%, I don't think it is either equitable or - forget fairness - useful as an evaluative mechanism.

Cathy -

Interesting. So the IP professor found an obscure 2% of the topical areas and tested you on it and this TRIPped you up?

Where will you go to work after graduation? You ignored my question! If it's a previous post, please direct me to it.

Just out of curiosity, when you say that you are "pleased at the success of [your] obstenance", does that mean that you are pleased that you have been successful at being obstiante (ie haven't peeked at your grades) or that you are pleased that your obstinance (ie not looking at grades) is successfully achieving some goal? If the later, what is the criteria by which you think not looking at grades has been successful? I'm curious, just because it doesn't seem like a plan that is geared towards any specific goal...

BTW, Carter-- I don't know who you are (and don't know if Cathy knows who you are), but chill... Cathy clearly isn't looking for big firm jobs, so of course she wouldn't know yet where she is working. Different folks have different goals from Law School other than just getting the best paying job.

Mark, you bring up a good point. What kind of job are you looking for, Cathy, after graduation? I noticed the "hire me" resume link. Hire you to do what?

Take this advice for what it cost you, but I believe a resume/C.V. should be 1 page in length, particularly if you are young in your career. And if not 1 page, then certainly fill the second one so that it doesn't cut off in the middle of a page. I have never seen a 1 1/2 pager "work."