Dear 1L,

💌 Dear 1L,

I got my Contracts midterm back. I scored a 35/100.
I was devastated. Yes, it was only a “practice” exam, but I freaked out. I think I cried.

I wallowed. I wavered between angry disbelief and utter embarrassment.

I had done all the reading; I had attended every class. And I had studied SO much.

I knew the material by heart.

I did. But that was not the point.

Some Takeaways:

🔹 I failed because the point was to apply the material I knew to brand new situations. I had no idea how to do this. Most 1Ls do not either—in early October.

🔹 You can learn. It just takes practice.

🔹 Do not get discouraged. That accomplishes nothing.

⭐️ But do start practicing how to apply legal standards to new hypotheticals. The more you practice, the better you’ll become. We’ll talk more about this.

🔹 A poor midterm grade should not matter. I ended up with an A in Contracts. You can, too!

* * *
More exam tips will be coming up. Please let me know more topics on which a letter might be helpful.

Fondly,

💌 Amanda