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I regularly see lots of "don't worry if your grades suck" posts, but I rarely see advice about how to work around/through it. I, too, didn't have good grades 1st semester 1L. But I had good grades by the time I graduated. And lots of opportunities. I think that matters.
Don't be resigned to thinking your grades and rank are forever set by 1st semester 1L. They're not. And the opportunities that come with good grades open strategic opportunities for those of us without them.
While other people are interviewing, you can more easily keep up with your coursework, which sets you up for less stressful and more effective finals. You also have time to meet with your profs while they're interviewing.
As a 2L, while they're struggling with law review's intentionally brutal cite check process, you have other choices. You can put your time into studying, working, practicing, getting coaching, etc. They're just trying to survive the "work you to death" year.
You can also use that time to take a heavier course load by a couple of credits. If you do well, which you will now that you understand the game, you can work to mathematically outweigh your 1L grades.
I overloaded and became a curve-breaker in my last 2 years of law school. Finished above top 20%. I also got the job offers. And ultimately, I've had a better path than a lot of people who had the better grades.
So, yeah, not everyone can do it. But you should certainly try. There's an advantage and a disadvantage to timing and opportunity. I think you owe it to yourself to try rather than to put up a cat poster with platitudes and excuse yourself from every trying again.
PS I used an excel spreadsheet with a bunch of formulas to decide where to invest my time to get the best numeric outcomes. Sometimes the "harder" class was the better bet. I'd set myself up for a B+ in one class while striving to break the curve in another. Strategy matters.
