Overcoming Your First Bad Law School Grades

So, you’ve gotten your first law school grades, and they’re not what you hoped for. We understand – this can bring up feelings of embarrassment, reassessing your decision and investment in law school, and even questioning your own self-worth. Most people who choose to go to law school have been high achievers up to this point in their education and careers; this may be the first time seeing grades that aren’t top notch, possibly even the first time that classroom concepts didn’t come naturally. Attending law school is also such a profound investment in time, money, emotion, and possibly sacrifices of relationships and other potential career and life paths, that it’s natural to question whether it was a good decision when you aren’t getting the outcome you had hoped for or even expected. Our advice is not to make a quick and rash decision based on one grade or even one set of grades, but rather to take some time, process your feelings, do some research, make a game plan, and remember that you are much more than your grades. Here’s sage advice from others who have been through this stage:

• First – let yourself go through the stages of grief. “It is inevitable that a competitive person will place at least some of his self-worth on his performance as compared to his peers. It is the nature of the trait. Thus, losing, or at least not winning, damages his self-esteem. I am him. However, I knew that, to move forward, I had to find a way to get my heart back, to get my legs under me, and to stay in the game.”
• Second – breathe through the disappointment, and work for a big picture perspective. “If I could go back 27 years, sit my 22-year-old self down, and have a candid conversation about grades, this is what I would say.”
• Third – make a game plan for what your next steps will be to turn around the outcome next time. “[I]t’s time to figure out what went wrong first semester and correct it going forward.”
• Fourth – take some steps to bolster your mental health. Remind yourself of all that you’ve accomplished, all the things that make you unique and special and worthy, and why you wanted to go to law school in the first place.
• And Lastly – your grades are only a part of what will impact your future legal career. “As a lawyer with 20 years experience who is always looking for prospective hires and mentees, law school grades are part of the conversation, but I’m generally looking for more. I’m looking for hustle, drive, commitment, and fuerte. Great grades are just one of the many ways to tell if a student is going to be a good lawyer. If your grades don’t show it, then you need to figure out how else to show it. In the real world, your grades help get you in the door, but your success depends on everything else.”

Remember, you aren’t on your own. The National LGBTQ+ Bar is here to help you so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need some mentorship and advice around school itself or possible career options available to you. A good place to start is sending an email to Mari Nemec, Advocacy Counsel, at mari@lgbtqbar.org. Mari is always willing and happy to chat with law students about their concerns, goals, and needs – and more than likely can help you build connections and a support system.

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