Dose of Humility

LWR Memo came back. Seems that LWR doesn't like me any more than I like it. Big fat B-minus.

I'd say about 1/4 of the marks were things I'd argue--and will, in my sit-down review with my instructor next week. 1/4 of the marks were stylistic things that you always encounter with a new audience and experience has taught me to let them go (the word "several" really gets his goat...who knew?), and 1/2 were totally valid. {laugh} I probably did need a conclusion paragraph at the end of my first set of points. I did quote an older case than the one I should have quoted.

Given the curve, and the mistakes I made, I'm not shocked at the grade. But it does have a minus hanging off of it that I'd really rather not be there. It just hurts, I'd rather it wasn't there. I could do a rewrite to get the minus removed. But, the course is a non-GPA course.

I want to rant about the arguing points and his general lack of effort on our part, and that it's the first feedback I've gotten from him, so how could I know to avoid his stylistic pet peeves. But even if I those things for free, I'd still be looking at a B+ in the best case. Seems like it's not worth the rant if it won't even get me to an A. Truth is, I missed some important organizational points.

Today, when we went over the topic for our next memo, I volunteered cases, statutes, and senate hearings that I'd found. But, I'm aware that it's a curved class. When I volunteer what I've found, if others haven't found it, I hurt myself. It didn't stop me--I was happy to point to what I considered relevant parts of the law--well, for the most part. I did keep one rabbit-in-the-hat find to myself. I guess my point is that it seems silly to have group discussions about research and findings and then grade on a curve. The curve will kill the group discussion, eventually.

I miss problem sets. I liked the curve much better when the problems just got longer and harder until people didn't finish the test in time, or got them wrong. You could share the equations ahead of time and know you weren't hurting yourself. The competitive crap sucks. Oh well. Such is life as a 1L.