• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Law School Toolbox®

All the tools you need for law school success

  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Start Law School Right
  • Job Help
  • Law School 101
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About

Go See Your Professors—They Are There for YOU!

January 25, 2013 By Lee Burgess Leave a Comment

Law students around the country are returning to classes this month and getting scores back from fall exams. And we have been getting a lot of e-mails from concerned law students wanting to know what they can do to remedy disappointing grades from first semester.

Our answer is the same for every student. The first step is to collect your exams and get feedback from your professors about what happened (click here for questions to ask in your meeting).

Collecting your exams should be easy, but sometimes it is not.

We just heard a story from a student who went to the registrar to collect her exams (often the registrar will return printed copies of your exams) and she was told that circulating them was not allowed. Does this actually happen? Yes. Does that mean you will never get feedback? No!

Let’s be honest, not everyone in your law school is going to be as helpful as you would like. If you get turned away from the registrar empty-handed, you must follow up with your professors. There are two ways to do this: (1) You can send an e-mail and (2) you can go to office hours.

Some professors are terrible about answering e-mails. You likely know at this point whether your professor is responsive on technology. If you decide to e-mail your professor, ask to set up an appointment to talk about your exam. Note: You don’t just want to pick up your exam. You want to meet and talk about it. An exam paper without feedback is really not worth your time. (Sure, some profs write feedback on the paper but at times it can be cryptic or impossible to read. So try to actually talk through the comments with your professor.)

If your professor is terrible at answering e-mails, go to office hours this week. A professor’s office hours are not likely to be full this early in the semester, as classes are just getting under way. Besides, office hours are the time each week that professors have set aside to meet with students. It is part of their job. They are there for you. So go knock on the door, say “hello,” and get that much-needed feedback.

If your professor will only review your exam with you in the office but won’t let you take it with you that is okay. Just write down the feedback she is giving you during your meeting. It is the feedback, not the text of the exam, that is important.

I cannot stress enough how important these meetings with professors are for students. I know students who have learned a lot about themselves, their learning style, and how they want to study through such meetings. And you know what? Sometimes meeting one-on-one with a professor will help build a relationship that could serve you well in the future (it is great to network with professors).

Even if you did well in the class, get feedback on your exam.

If you got an A, congratulations! However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get feedback on your exam. You want to understand what went well (and also identify any mistakes, ones that perhaps didn’t hurt your score but can be remedied for future exams). And you would be foolish not to talk to your professor, because you know it will be a positive meeting. Who doesn’t want to listen to a professor tell you about what you did right!

The moral of this story is go talk to your professors. It is worth the time and effort on your part to reach out to them. These folks teach for a living. They typically like law students and want to help you. If nothing else, they get paid to talk to you. So stop by, say “hello,” and get all-important feedback so that second semester you can do even better than you did first semester.

—

Was this article helpful? Leave your feedback in the comments section and check out these other exam tips!

  • Law School Exam Prep 101.
  • Law School Outlining 101
  • Five Steps to Second-Semester Success.

Are you on our mailing list? Sign up now and we’ll send you lots of great stuff, totally free!

Image by gabetarian via stock.xchng.


 

Looking for some help to do your best in law school? Find out about our law school tutoring options.


About Lee Burgess

Lee Burgess, Esq. is the co-founder of the Law School Toolbox, a resource for law students that demystifies the law school experience and the Bar Exam Toolbox, a resource for students getting ready for the bar exam. Lee has been adjunct faculty at two bay area law schools teaching classes on law school and bar exam preparation. You can find Lee on Twitter at @leefburgess, @lawschooltools, & @barexamtools.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

If you find law school tough, you are not alone! The Law School Toolbox team is here to help you through it. Check out our helpful free content, podcasts, courses and one-on-one tutoring. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a line if you have any questions. We also invite you to join our weekly mailing list, for advice right to your inbox.

Recent Posts

Podcast Episode 283: Dealing with Interview and Workplace Mistakes (w/Sadie Jones)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we have our career consultant Sadie Jones back with us to share tips about dealing with … Read More about Podcast Episode 283: Dealing with Interview and Workplace Mistakes (w/Sadie Jones)

Three Ways to Build Your Endurance in Law School

Three Ways to Build Your Endurance in Law School

You’ve probably heard someone say law school is a marathon, not a sprint. You are working hard over the entire semester to get ready for your finals. … Read More about Three Ways to Build Your Endurance in Law School

Podcast Episode 282: Listen and Learn — Duty of Loyalty (Corporations)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! In today's episode, we're talking about the duty of loyalty owed by directors and officers of a … Read More about Podcast Episode 282: Listen and Learn — Duty of Loyalty (Corporations)

The Transfer Transition: What To Do After Accepting a Transfer Offer

The Transfer Transition: What To Do After Accepting a Transfer Offer

If you are reading this, you probably have decided to transfer to a new school. If so, congratulations! This is a big testament to your hard work … Read More about The Transfer Transition: What To Do After Accepting a Transfer Offer

Podcast Episode 281: Listen and Learn — Character Evidence

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're talking about the Federal Rules of Evidence, and how to apply the rules of character … Read More about Podcast Episode 281: Listen and Learn — Character Evidence

Want Better Law School Grades?

Sign Up for Our Exam Tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Job Help
  • About
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds

Copyright 2021 Law School Toolbox®™