I do not like the curve at California Western.
The curve forces about a quarter of the class to fail out. This happens even if all the students perform well. The negative effect on students is two fold. First, those in the bottom quarter are left in an enormous amount of debt. Second, it reflects poorly on the school if they are admitting such a large volume of students that are doomed to fail.
I've heard the argument that California Western drops these students to improve their bar passage rate. After all, there is no point in going through 3 years of law school piling on debt if a student is incapable of passing the bar. The school could still maintain a high bar passage rate by simply raising the standards (gpa/lsat) of admission. This would cause the rank of the school to rise and maintain the bar passage rate.
Some posit an argument along the lines that some students are poor test takers on the lsat or slept through undergrad and still deserve a shot at becoming a lawyer. I would be O.K. with this if the school did a better job of informing the incoming class of the exact nature of a law school curve. I really think there is a 'failure to warn' on the part of the school. This could be ameliorated by publishing the curve and where each student's lsat score from the previous years lined up with where they landed on the curve. This information does not exist (as far as I know, feel free to correct me with a link).
This leaves me wondering why the school admits so many students it will simply fail out or ask to leave. The only rationale for this behavior that I can think of is to collect tuition.
Curves exist at law schools around the country and I'm rather opposed to systems that force good students completely out of the school or limit the number of As that can be given. I would suggest moving to an undergraduate grading system where displaying knowledge of the law and lawyer-like thinking gives you an A regardless of some irrelevant detail the professor is forced to use to differentiate between an A and a B.
My own grades:
I'm not really sure how I did. I studied hard and hopefully that pays off. I'll probably post my grades here so incoming students can see what I did and how well I did. My only concern is that I've revealed enough about myself that someone from my section will find it, realize who I am, and take the information the wrong way.
My impression of the tests is they're pretty standard law school exams. You spend much of the semester studying how to do well on a law school exam and the students to figure that out first will likely get the As.
I have a feeling I probably didn't do as well as I wanted which means I will have to change some things after talking to professors/ tutors. So far I've kept on track this semester. I started outlining this weekend and so far things look good. I'll adjust when grades are released on Friday.
UCSD Rumors:
A few faculty members at UCSD talk about a merger between the schools as if it is already a done deal. The rumor buzzing around the school is the next edition of the school news paper will be released when the committee to discuss a possible merger/ buyout/ whatever comes to a decision. A few of my professors keep having to cancel their office hours to serve on the committee. These are all rumors, so who knows. Hopefully we become UCSD. That would make me happy.
No one likes the curve at Cal Western, but I can tell you this—all those who truly studied hard will make the cut, albeit you may not rank as well as you anticipated. This is simply because your colleagues are equally ambitious. You sound like an intelligent and hard-working individual that is only evidenced by this blog you created! I am sure you used to enjoy being the top student at your undergraduate, however, you are now in an environment surrounded by others just like you. I am certain you will not only pass, but I am sure you will do well.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, my only advice to you once you've received your passing grades, is to take advantage of the many opportunities Cal Western provides. You should look into the California Innocence Project which has received nationwide recognition; Bail Project which works with the Public Defender’s Office; and of course Cal Western’s amazing trial team just to name a few.
I agree that a merger between Cal Western and UCSD would be highly beneficial to both institutions. As a Cal Western and UCSD alum, I received an amazing educational experience from both institutions. If UCSD and Cal Western merge, it would not only benefit the San Diego community by producing well-rounded attorneys, but it would create a phenomenal public institution combining one of the top-ranked universities with the oldest law school in San Diego. Both institutions are dedicated to providing students with a diverse educational experience, not only academically, but through practical experience. Good luck!
The curve at California Western is still abnormal in comparison to most other law schools. It is also odd they allow students to proceed this far into the semester and pay their tuition without knowing their grades.
ReplyDeleteI'm considering trying to get involved with the California Innocence Project, but thats contingent on if I even survived first semester academically.
I just updated with an email from the Dean and information regarding a possible merger. Its exciting to be at California Western right now. I wish I could eves-drop on the panel.
Thank you for the feedback. Its very much appreciated!
All who truly study hard do not make the cut. I knew a number of very bright people who worked extremely hard and still flunked out after the first year. I knew people who were on law journal and were on probation their third year. I saw people call the registrar's office to make sure they were going to graduate before they allowed their parents to purchase plane tickets to come to graduation, and the registar's office was not the least bit surpirsed that they were calling. I am thankful that Cal Western gave me a chance (my grades during my first two years of undergrad were poor due to goofing off) and most colleagues consider me to be a very good lawyer, but make no mistake about it: the curve is brutal, and there is an intentional failure to disclose.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There are a few bright kids from my section that are no longer in law school. If California Western ever wants to get out of the 4th tier and attract better students they are going to have to reform the curve and fix their horrendous attrition rate.
ReplyDeleteUCSD and Cal Dub have been talking about merging for 30 years.
ReplyDeleteYes, but no longer.
ReplyDeleteI just started as a 1L and this grading curve is already weighing heavily on my mind. Our class size is 245 students and I'm guessing the cut will be around 20%. Knowing that I have a 20% chance of wasting a year of my life and over $40,000 is very stressful. Any advice as a 3L?
ReplyDeleteYou're gambling with 40k + living expenses your first year. I know a lot of people who worked hard and still failed out. A few people will quit or fail out of 2L too. Coming into it from undergrad I was always top of my class and assumed even if I didn't do as well as I wanted I'd still be near the top. Law school is a different animal though. If I could go back and do it again I would not have rolled the dice at cal western and gone with a different school.
ReplyDeleteMy two younger brothers went to Loyola in Los Angeles and USC. They have a much less stressful time.
You're probably already committed to Cal Western so my advice is to stay nice to other people. The curve can really sour relationships. People get seriously bent out of shape over sharing outlines, or exchanging briefs, or who gets invited to hang out where, or the smart kids after grades get published form some weird clique. Just ignore it, be nice to everyone, and share what you know.
Also - legal skills is an ass kissing course. The students who do the best in it are the ones who spend the most time in office hours getting the professor to slowly write their paper for them.
If you're looking for a study buddy you're more than welcome to hang out with me on weekend afternoons and outline.
I definitely see what you mean about Legal Skills and its only day 2. If you were to do it all over again though, and had already paid for fall semester, do you think transferring to a different school is a viable option after one semester or would you just have seen how you did after fall and drop out early?
ReplyDeleteBased on their admissions statistics, I fall right in the middle so the risk is cutting a little too close to home. I'm already committed, but I guess I'm trying to find some sort of a parachute just in case.
You can't transfer after one semester. You have to stick it out for 1L and apply to transfer after you get your fall grades. You have to be top of the class at Cal West to transfer anywhere. Cal Western has their grades set so 95 is the highest grade you can get. It looks funky to other schools unaccustomed to the weird grading seeing grades below 95.
ReplyDeleteSee how you do. I don't mean to be gloom and doom. Unless you're top 10% of the class your grades aren't really going to help you get a job out of cal western. However, there are plenty of independent opportunities to go out and get experience practicing and building your resume. I work with the in house counsel for the San Diego Zoo currently, and over the summer I went to court as a certified law student and argued contested motions for the Santa Barbara District Attorney.
I'd say get through your 1L and take whatever internship you can find that will give you the most hands on experience with practicing law. If you like your summer job, you might want to stick it out. Besides, no one talks about the sweet grades they received in law school at their firm unless they're socially stunted or something.