Better to know (when for the hell of it)?
Dean O has announced that class rankings (for the Class of 2009) are available per request. From her email:
So I ask: is it better to know?
Please remember that disclosure of your class rank is permittedBoalt has been known to lag in the number of students who pursue a career in either of the two above exceptions. Yet, even Dean O "expect[s] to be innundated with requests" from students seeking their class rank. This indicates to me that there's a high number of requests from students that just want to know for the hell of it.
exclusively for applications for judicial clerkships for after
graduation. You may also disclose it if you are applying for a law
teaching job. Any other use of the ranking information is a violation
of the Academic Honor Code.
So I ask: is it better to know?
Labels: DO, Grades And Other Neurotic Bullshit, Rankings And Associated Bullshit
posted by tj at 11:28 AM
22 Comments:
i'm glad to see that the existence of berkeleylaw.blogspot.com is keeping you guys on your toes
My take: I don't think I'm going to request my rank.
I heard a story about someone who managed to never even look at his/her grades after first year. Ignorance is bliss and grades don't particularly matter much from here on out - doing your best should be sufficient without the need for stress.
11:49 - Sorry, I'll set my alarm to make sure that next time I'll be able to get posts up quicker. Today's post an hour and a half after Dean O's email definitely shows we're slacking.
I'm a 2L with zero interest in clerking or teaching. I will not be requesting my rank. I just don't care.
I feel kinda dumb asking this, but *how* does one request one's rank? Just reply to Dean O's email? Or is there an administrative process that needs to be fulfilled? A little searching on my part failed to get results.
I am a 3L who stopped checking her grades after 1L year. I am also not checking my rank. In my opinion, grades in a forced curve situation say nothing about a student's real capability, and I have seen people act in what I consider morally reprehensible due to the forced curve, including cheating on a final. I refuse to be part of the forced hysteria that the law school creates about grades. I still work hard and go to office hours and develop relationships with my professors because recommendations do matter to me. But grades and rank are relatively irrelevant in what I want to do with my law degree, and I honestly do not care.
I have heard you only get generalized rank unless you are top 10, meaning you just find out if you are in the bottom 50% of the class, top 25%, top 15%, etc. But don't take this as truth - I could be wrong because I have never requested my rank.
So my advice is check your grades and rank if it matters to you or your career choices. But if it doesn't matter to you, join the small group of us who refuse to play into the bullshit.
1:12:
You can email her and she will email you back..
I checked mine last summer because I was curious. I saw that, as I suspected, I probably wasn't competitive for clerkships, and let it go. I know it says nothing about my potential as a lawyer.
By the way, I'm sorry to hear what Colleen says. I did not realize that people here would actually cheat on a final. That's lame.
Yeah, just e-mail her back. Colleen is correct in that you get a generalized ranking, but when I requested it last year, it was in a 5% range, rather than a 25% range (i.e. "you are in the top X5th% of the class").
And yes, people do cheat. It's called taking uppers. Perhaps other kinds of cheating occur too, but that is the most pervasive form of it.
I personally think that taking uppers is cheating, but I'm not so sure it's such an obvious form of cheating to actually label it "cheating." I think when most people here "cheating on an exam," they think of other students using unauthorized materials, working with a friend, or something like that.
Maybe nothing I just said makes sense, but that's my take.
I meant "hear" and not "here"
-10:02
Taking "uppers"??? is this my dad making anonymous comments on N&B? What's next, concern about goofball abuse?
9:19 - you are clearly way too cool for skool
10:00, you just made me laugh out loud. Especially with your spelling choice.
10:00 - I knew it was you, pop! 11:01 - mom, stop laughing at his jokes just to make me feel bad.
I agree with Colleen that it isn't necessary to get caught up with grades or class rank. But she's kidding herself if she really believes grades and rank are "relatively irrelevant" to her law career plans.
There are a very small number of law jobs which are grade neutral. Virtually all private sector or government job are not. Very few of us will end our careers at the places we've started. And when we are all reapplying for jobs, grades matter--even after several years of experience as an attorney.
Assuming the GPA calculation of 2(P), 3(H), 5(HH) - does anyone know what the cut-offs for 10, 25, 50% are for c/o 2009?
Does anyone know if 20% is a ranking category?
You are ranked thusly:
No. 1*
No. 2*
No. 3*
No. 4*
No. 5*
Top 5 percent
Top 10% to 5%
Top 15% to 10%
Top 20% to 15%
Top 25% to 20%
Top 30% to 25%
Top 35% to 30%
Top 40% to 35%
Top 45% to 40%
Top 50% to 45%
Bottom 50%
* Must have attended Boalt for 5 semesters.
Thanks Armen.
(dammit)
I must tweak Armen's guide. They tell you Nos. 1-10. Then top 5%. I know because for one semester I was told my rank (a specific number between 6 and 10). Then I slipped to top 5%. Also, its in the academic rules in your Boalt planner.
Thanks, that sounds more accurate.
returning for a moment to the 'uppers' debate. Is using a prescription drug without an Rx any different than using steroids? I've certainly heard of rampant use of "Focusin."
I'm not particularly outraged by ritalin or aderol abuse or for that matter steroid use, but since I don't use either, a part of me feels that nobody else should either.
Query - Is coffee at 7:30 an upper?
coffee at 7:30 is a leveler.
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