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InLawSchoolsGradesGoUpJustLikeThat 12 - 28 Jun 2010 - Main.CourtneySmith
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| | I'm sure many of you have read the recent NYT Article, In Law Schools, Grades Go Up, Just Like That. I have enjoyed reading the comments of the article, which span from adamant support of tossing out the old regime to total disdain for a generation often described as entitled. I must admit, the article gives me a sinking feeling in my stomach, especially as we approach the Fall recruiting season. I fantasize about the minimal, or complete lack of, anxiety students at schools with no grades must be experiencing as they head into the process. What is most striking to me is that quite a few schools with students who compete with Columbia students for employment have made the determination that eliminating traditional grades altogether, or altering the curve, is in the best interest of their students. Even our friendly neighbor to the south has made alterations to its curve. This begs the question, what are Columbia's justifications for not rolling with the tide?
This topic has obviously received great attention in this course, but I still think this article is an interesting read. I would love to hear any comments or reactions people might have. | | | I also think grades give employers a false sense of security: a (sometimes unfounded) belief that they have won the lottery in luring the most intelligent, hardest working, and capable young lawyers to their organizations. However, given the arbitrary nature of grades, and sometimes sheer luck associated with them, it is hard to see why intelligent, hard working, and capable hiring partners would rely on them in this way. As Professor Wu wrote in his post-exam memo, the difference between a good and the best exam were not that great. Given this, as David suggested, one would think that grades would be one aspect of a more holistic assessment of the student as opposed to, in many cases, the sole determinant. Until this happens, I think it is and will continue to be employers' loss.
-- JenniferGreen - 28 Jun 2010 | |
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I would love the perspective of someone five or ten years out of law school on the grades issue. I know it seems very important now, but I am still not at all convinced that it will matter in 2020 whether your GPA at Columbia Law School was a 3.2 or a 3.7.
I also wonder whether grade-obsession is really a stand-in for other, deeper fears and anxieties that are harder to talk about, like the law school model itself, which Devin mentions, and the state of the profession in general (i.e. that some of us are going into great debt and working like mad to get jobs that we don't even want).
-- CourtneySmith - 28 Jun 2010 | | | |
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