{"id":4258,"date":"2005-12-06T12:05:17","date_gmt":"2005-12-06T16:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/12\/06\/wanted-a-law-school-exam-pray"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:54:21","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:54:21","slug":"wanted-a-law-school-exam-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/12\/06\/wanted-a-law-school-exam-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"wanted: a law school exam prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Many law schools started their exam periods yesterday, and some desperate <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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soul — student, professor, ASP professional? — Googled law school exam prayer<\/EM><\/A>>.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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There were over 5 million results, but, looking through <\/FONT>the top 100 results, I found <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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nothing really on point, — not even our post <\/FONT>issue-spotting for faith-based law schools<\/FONT><\/A>,   <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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which came in #3, contained a special prayer to help assure law exam success. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Instead, the unfortunate search mostly finds links to items about court cases on <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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prayer in schools. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Oh, sure, Elizabeth Stillman at the Law School Academic Support<\/EM> weblog wrote    \"prayingHandsSN\"<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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about exam panic in the hallways, in a post<\/A> entitled “Oh My God, It’s Coming From <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Inside <\/FONT>the Building” (Dec. 2, 2005).  But, the closest mention of prayer is her suggestion <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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that “This may be a good time to indulge in superstitions.”  Also, on Oct. 12, 2005, Prof.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Stillman ended a piece<\/A> on study-aids by saying “Note, however, that in late November, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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when students come to me panicked because they have not outlined yet (exams here <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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start <\/FONT>in early December), I recommend prayer.”   Recommendation, but no specifics.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"tiny Similarly, Kimberly Swygert at Number 2 Pencil<\/EM> notes<\/A> that “The <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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impending LSAT drives<\/FONT>students to <\/FONT>pray,” and quotes the old saw — <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“As long as there are tests in schools, there <\/FONT>will be prayer <\/FONT>in schools”  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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— but offers no sample prayer.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"tiny Likewise, Dean Brauch<\/A> at Regent University Law School gives prayer <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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and God a lot of credit for increasing bar exam pass rates from under <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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50% to over 70% — but no prayer is specified.<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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A prayer calendar<\/A> (Summer 2005) from Trinity International University did note that <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Trinity Law School students would be taking the California State Bar Exam, from July <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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26-28, and it asks that readers “Pray for wisdom, along with physical and mental stam-<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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ina, <\/EM><\/FONT>during this three-day exam” <\/EM>on behalf of the law graduates. [Note: TIU Law School<\/EM><\/FONT><\/A>, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in <\/FONT>Santa Ana, California, is accredited by the California Bar, and may be one of those <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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schools <\/FONT>with special need for help on the state’s bar exam — as explored in Professor <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Steve Bainbridge<\/FONT><\/A>‘s little <\/FONT>poke at Kathy Sullivan and barriers to entry yesterday.]<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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long winter —<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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prayer bundles sway<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in the cedars<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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                                 <\/FONT>Billie Wilson<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A> <\/DIV><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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The most inspiring part of my “research” for this posting was finding the Home Page of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Dayton U. Law School’s <\/FONT>Vernellia Randall<\/FONT><\/A>. Professor Randall is an <\/FONT>expert<\/FONT><\/A> on issues <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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involving <\/FONT>race and healthcare.  Not only is one of Prof. Randall’s two sons named Issa, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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but she has <\/FONT>“spent 13 years in nursing, including serving as the Maternal-ChildHealth <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Nurse Coordinator <\/FONT>for the State of Alaska.”  Given her connections with nursing, medical <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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school (adjunct <\/FONT>professor) and teaching, and her love of poetry, Prof. Randall certainly <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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scores much <\/FONT>higher <\/FONT>than the average lawyer in the <\/FONT>Gallop Poll<\/FONT><\/A> released yesterday on <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Honesty <\/FONT>and Ethical Ratings <\/FONT>of People in Different Professions (Dec. 5, 2005) (via <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Blawg <\/EM><\/A><\/FONT>Review<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A> editor).<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"blackboard<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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You can see Prof. Randall’s attempt to bring more spirituality into the profession in the <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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advice <\/FONT>she gives at the Dayton Law School website for <\/FONT>exam preparation and taking<\/FONT><\/A>. <\/FONT> In <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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addition to <\/FONT><\/FONT>having discussions on studying and sample tests, her exam prep page ends <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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with a link to the <\/FONT>Serenity Prayer<\/FONT><\/A>.  Although there are times when I believe the Prayer is <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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a bit too passive and <\/FONT>expects too much assistance and action from God, its tone is probably <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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quite appropriate for the <\/FONT>panicked law student facing exams.  For those who do not remem-<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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ber <\/FONT>the prayer, which is often affiliated with AA and is credited<\/A> to either Reinhold Niebuhr or <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Friedrich Oetinger), here it is:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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The Serenity Prayer<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change 
The courage to change the things I can  
And the wisdom to know the difference  
Living one day at a time  
Enjoying one moment at a time  
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace  
Taking, as God did, this sinful world as it is, 
Not as I would have it  
Trusting that God will make all things right  
If I surrender to God’s will  
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,  
And supremely happy with God forever in the next<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Call me a perfectionist or a malcontent, but I wish we had something aimed far more <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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specifically <\/FONT>at law school examination takers, much like the dandy “<\/FONT>A Serenity Prayer<\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 for Law Review Authors,” <\/SPAN>presented last month at Contracts Prof<\/EM><\/A> Blog.  I’d take a crack <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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at writing a version, but (a) it’s been thirty years since I took a law school exam, and (b) <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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more important, I’m just not a prayer-oriented guy — I don’t believe in asking God <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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for <\/FONT>favors, especially because I don’t believe He does<\/EM> retail (like exams or at bats) or <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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wholesale (like hurricanes).    Therefore, I urge any and all visitors to make a sincere <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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attempt at writing A Serenity Prayer for Law Student Exams<\/EM>, or any other prayer on that <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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topic.  My own suggestion for test-takers: don’t take the exams too seriously, and take a <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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deep <\/FONT>breath whenever you feel yourself becoming uncentered.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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p.s.<\/STRONG><\/EM> Two years ago, back before AJC graduated and passed the bar,<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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a SuaSponte<\/EM> post<\/A> entitled “exam waves<\/EM>” stated: <\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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“To all the 1Ls starting exams this week…I’d like to do something <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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like a prayer chain, without espousing any particular religion that <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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may not be yours. I know how invaluable it was to me last year to <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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know that people were thinking of me, supporting me, pulling for <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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me all through exams. Now I want to return the favor.”<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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The f\/k\/a<\/EM> Gang sends its good-exam vibes to all those law students <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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who need comforting, along with the comforting thought that choking <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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really badly on the exam might just be you telling you that the legal <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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profession is not a good fit.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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update<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/EM> (Dec. 7, 2005):  Jeremy Richey has posted<\/A> a wonderful generic “Exam”<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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prayer at his website, taken from Celtic Blessings: Prayers for Everyday Life<\/EM><\/FONT><\/A>, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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which was compiled by Ray Simpson.  It deftly hits a lot of themes relevant <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to law exams, including:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Aid me to understand this subject
with my heart as well as with my head.<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Give me
Wisdom to know the nub of things . . .<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Thanks, JR. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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silent prayer– <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the quiet humming<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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of the ceiling fan<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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  <\/FONT>Lee Gurga<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT><\/STRONG>– <\/FONT><\/FONT>Fresh Scent<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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today <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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even the pigeon <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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says a prayer<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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           <\/FONT>Kobayashi Issa<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>,<\/FONT>
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                  translated by David G. Lanoue<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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catholic league playoff<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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i cut the ball<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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with my lucky crucifix<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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        ed markowski<\/FONT><\/A><\/DIV><\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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 <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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outdoor art show<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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three agnostics pray<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the rain will end<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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             dagosan<\/EM><\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>  <\/EM><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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                                                                                                            \"prayingHandsS\"<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many law schools started their exam periods yesterday, and some desperate soul — student, professor, ASP professional? — Googled law school exam prayer>. There were over 5 million results, but, looking through the top 100 results, I found nothing really on point, — not even our post issue-spotting for faith-based law schools,   which came in #3, contained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2926],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pre-06-2006"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kP1R-16G","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12885,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4258\/revisions\/12885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}