Year Three Student Sits First Years Down for Spooky Admin Law Story

DEN HAAG - In the spirit of Halloween, we found it fitting for students to tell their scary law school stories. We’ve selected a particularly poignant tale that still resonates in the hearts of many third-year students. So, shut your windows, close your doors, hide your law collections, and let us tell you the gruesome tale of the 2016 Administrative Law exam.

T’was the 12^th of January if my memory serves me well, a gloomy Tuesday, overcast clouds, a strong brisk wind from the west and an ominous feeling of dread in the air. It was the second day of exam week, nerves were frayed and students were on the lookout for course summaries for last minute studying.

Alas the day had come. Small victories had been won the day prior during the Criminal Law exam in which more than 90% of the class had passed, students hoped to continue that streak for the whole week but a particular obstacle stood in their way. That obstacle would become the most discussed exam on the 2015/2016 IEL Facebook group, that obstacle was Administrative Law.

Student’s had no clue what to expect on the paper “It’s totally going to be about the General Administrative Law Act” students said with confidence “Just study your assignment, you’ll be fine, I didn’t even bother with the reading” said the usual suspects before signing in for exams. “But what about neo-liberalism?” said the student no one ever listens to.

Blood ran cold in the exam room as it dawned on the students that neo-liberalism was basically the theme of the entire exam. As students turned to multiple choice questions for refuge they were met with obscure references to the reading, which unfortunately not many had done. MCQ’s were an inhabitable quagmire of malicious connected questions, so if you couldn’t answer question 1 you couldn’t answer 2,3,4,5 and so forth.

Students looked around the exam hall, and noticed that no, it wasn’t just them, this exam was challenging.

One student recollects:

 “I remember looking at my friend who used to get straight eights and nines. I used to look to her as a beacon of hope during exams, if she was tackling the questions I reminded myself that I could do them too. This time my secretive glance was met with a face of despair, she too had no idea what this exam was about, that was the moment I knew that we were all doomed”

 “I remember students left the exam room in dismay, there was a mutual look of confusion in everyone’s faces, no one exactly knew what just happened. We all gathered outside and accepted we’d see each other again at the re-sit, it was really weird.” Recollects another student.

Then in the end when the statistics came out 40% of the year had failed their administrative law exam, the re-sit was lit though.

[The moral of the story here is go for the re-sits] [REDACTED] - 

Personal words of advice incoming …

The moral of the story here is to never underestimate subjects, and of course, do your reading. Most importantly distance yourself from self-defeatism, sheepish negativity, doubt and despair. Doing well in exams is not all about preparation, there is a mental element to it too. One of the biggest dangers I’ve discovered in law school is the self-destructive group mentality that gives into despair and accepts as a collective that a subject is too difficult to pass in the first opportunity. If you can separate yourself from such negativity, and approach exams with a positive mindset I can assure you that you will see positive results.

If you’re unsure what self-defeatism sounds like, Lord Elrond of Rivendell put it well as he spoke to a doubtful Aragorn.

Don’t let this be your approach to an exam.

When I took this Admin Law exam I reveled in the fact that I wasn’t alone in the confusion and I let the doubt and despair consume me, I expected a failing grade and therefor put less effort into my work and as a result I received a failing grade. The grade however was on the margin of a passing grade, if I hadn’t approached the exam with a negative outlook I would have passed it the first time.

So this is a message to the first years, don’t find comfort in ‘failing together’, remember that you are ultimately the one that will solely be responsible for the repercussions, so please, put yourself first.

In the wise words of DJ Khaled “Don’t ever play yourself” and have a successful exam week.