The Reviews Are In


Well, my first exam came back today. The professor's comment: "Interesting but eccentric in a way that defies conventional analysis (or grades)." While I don't think that "eccentric" was meant as a compliment, I'll take it as one. The comment about grades is more interesting. Let's count the layers of irony.

Zero: in law school, your grade typically depends entirely on your final exam.

One: even though this is a law school, we don't have grades in our first term here. Everyone gets a pass.

Two: even though we don't have grades in the first semester, we do have final exams.

Three: even though the exams aren't officially graded, some professors give shadow grades on first-term exams -- the grades you would have gotten had the exam been officially graded.

Four: even though my professor decided to give out shadow grades, my exam "defies conventional . . . grades."

Five: even though my exam "defies conventional . . . grades," that didn't stop him from pencilling in a shadow grade. It wasn't on the first page (where everyone else's was written), but on the fourth.

And said grade? Well, that brings my count to six: said grade was a pass.