A 4.0 GPA Isn't for Everyone

Insider Tip: Your academic goals are valid, whether you're aiming for top honors or simply surviving the semester.

Challenge Yourself: Have you set any academic goals for the spring semester yet?

I recently posted on LinkedIn the incredible success stories of a few students who took my recorded course, The Law School Operating System™, last fall. 

Nothing makes me happier to see Joey and Sean reach their academic goals.  These two students absolutely knocked it out the park.  Beyond their success, they are incredible humans, too.

I am fully aware that not every student aims to get a 4.0 GPA in law school or aspires to be in the top 25% of their class.  

I believe that diversity of academic goals is beautiful.    

During my second semester of law school, my goal was to earn a 2.0 GPA to lift myself off academic probation and continue law school.  At the time, my GPA was a 1.919.  Here’s the proof. 

Pretty cool, right? Wink, wink.  

But when I achieved a 2.02 GPA the following semester, you’d have thought that I won the lottery.  I exceeded my goal by .02!

Because my school tied my future to a benchmark, I was forced to create a plan so I could track my progress toward the 2.0 GPA goal.

The plan was what led me to success. It paved the way for graduating with high honors, passing the bar on my first attempt, conducting my first trial (and many others), opening my own law firm, becoming a law professor, authoring my first book, and opening a national law school prep company.

I never considered setting academic goals during my first semester of law school. 

Now I know better. I set goals every time I embark on something new. The goal compels me to articulate and design a deliberate path to achieve it, (and usually exceed it with a .02 margin).  That's the beauty of setting a goal.  

Action Steps:

So today, I challenge you to:

1.   Set an academic goal your the spring semester.

2.  Create a strategic path to achieve it.

Reply to this email with your responses--I’d love to hear your goals. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a beautiful weekend.

Cheers to your success and happiness always,

P.S. Yep, my maiden name was Chiappetta. And yes, it means “little butt cheeks” in Italian.

P.P.S. I kept my probation letter. During law school, I stored it in the glove box of my sweet '91 Acura Integra as a reminder that I was capable of anything (super helpful those first 5 years of the practice, too). Today, it proudly hangs next to my JD and license on the wall of my very own office, Blasser Law, PC. It still reminds me every day.

P.P.P.S. Today I call the path a “study system." I created it based on the systems of other successful law students, as a way of giving back to help you avoid my mistakes. The freshly updated version of The Law School Operating System™ Recorded Course launches this Tuesday, if you’re interested. 

That's all for this week, thanks so much for being part of my incredible community, and see you again in two weeks!

Ways I can help you succeed in law school!