How to bounce back from a disappointing mark and use it to your advantage in your next law exam.
Your mens rea was to get the best possible mark in light of no longer remembering what week it is. Your actus reus involved watching 'How to Get Away with Murder'. Only to realize you can't murder the principles enshrined in the AGLC 4. Laying down the law while balancing other responsibilities isn't always easy, but you are, a person. A person with a very particular set of skills, you will find those skills and briefly stop being Liam Neeson.
Don't forget you're not alone. Sure, you could ask your classmates what their mark was. (Basically, social suicide). You could ask the lecturer for the average scores by finding out all this information ex post facto, but it's probably not going to lift your spirits. So, grab a mojito to take the edge off! Acknowledge that your mark doesn't place permanent limits on your potential to rectify your mistakes and to try again.
Organize your thoughts. If you're genuinely dumbfounded, then schedule a meeting with your Unit Convener to dissect your assessment mark. Afterwards, you'll know what not to do next time. Yes, that probably means you should have bought tickets to Europe prior and changed your name to Geraldine but at least now you know for sure.
Understand that making mistakes is part of your learning process. Yes, you could spend all day every day committing yourself to the seductive mistress that is your law degree. But your legal career requires you to balance your career in conjunction with managing your full-time role in the circus of life. (As if you needed that reminder). Trapeze anyone?
Buckle down or break down, or take a page from an Al Paso taco advertisement and ask yourself why not both? Revise your understanding of the cases to address any misunderstandings from your mid-semester mark.
Take a trip down memory lane to reengage with your legal career. Open the family photo album if need be and question your choice of bangs. Flee from your barista of choice to the Supreme Courts of NSW. Or even the Downing Centre in Sydney's CBD, to remind yourself why you started your law degree. Only to commit yourself to the annual pilgrimage of case notes and having a clan of Hermione's in every classroom.
After following these steps to help you bounce back from a disappointing mark, there's one thing you won't have room for- doubt.