Well, apparently grades have begun to trickle in, because I just got an IM from a classmate, “Did you see? Crim grades are posted!”

So I went up to check, and viola! Bitter disappointment! Hooray!!
I am so glad I skipped town right after finals and hadn’t thought about them until now. Otherwise, I’d be a basket case.

What sucks is that I really, truly felt that I was prepared for this round. I did the practice tests. I wrote my own outline. I was pretty confident I knew the material. And then bam! I am starring at one of the worst grades of my academic career.

I know, it has to happen at some point, but I was still not ready for the shock. Granted, it’s only in one class, and it’s not enough to put me on academic probation or anything, but it is enough to make the law school experience, shall we say, less pleasant?

I’ve decided I’m not playing any silly law school games. When people ask how I did, I am candid: “Not very well.” If they press, I’ll reveal the actual letter… I feel like it’s already branded on me like a scarlet “A”. Well, not an A, exactly…

What’s most upsetting is that I actually enjoyed the class. I kept up with the readings and I thought I had a good handle on the material. I studied. As one of those over-achieving assholes who always did well in school without really trying, I decided law school would be different. I applied myself. And the reward I got was a lousy grade!

So, should I go back to my slacker ways? I think I could do this well with a lot less work. Or should I chalk it up to experience and the fact that I’m still learning exactly what law professors are looking for in an exam? Or should I write it off as one bad test, hardly an estimation of my self-worth, or even my (potential) ability within the practice of law? I dunno. I suppose I should wait and see if this one grade was an anomaly, or an indication of a bad semester.

Sigh.