Now What?
There are generally one of three thoughts law students have after they take their first midterm.
1. "Wow! I did awesome! I'm going to do great in law school!"
2. "Hmm, well, I did as well as the curve, I'm doing okay, I'm going to be just fine!"
3. "Oh my! What happened? I can't believe I got a D! Maybe I am not cut out for law school!"
No matter what your grade, or what your thoughts, you should always meet with your professor and get feedback and use it to improve your study habits. Meeting with classmates can also help get feedback on your study habits. Take the next couple of weeks to fine tune what works for you.
If you thought #1, great! But don’t stop studying. Just because you did well, doesn’t mean all your classes would have had the same outcome, keep up the good work…but don’t stop!
If you thought #2, good! You are going to be just fine, try to retrace your study habits and make some adjustments. For some of us, we just need to take one test to be able to know what to expect. Now that one is out of the way, you’ll be able to know how to prepare for the next one and improve.
If you thought #3, don’t worry, life isn’t over. Most every law student at one time or another takes a bad test. It happens, learn from the experience and start studying for the next one. You can certainly pass the class, and even do quite well, with one low midterm grade. Meet with your professor and take advantage of any ASP workshops going on. There are plenty of people and resources to help everyone be successful and help you recover from this one midterm.
Well done, now take a break for a few hours and do something fun!
