Columbia Law School in New York is offering a pass/fail grading scale as an optional measure amid the ongoing Pro-Palestine student-run protests on its campus, the first of their kind in the school’s history. Students have the choice to have a course graded on a full credit or fail basis up until an hour before taking the respective course’s final exam. This information was disclosed in a memo sent to the student body, available through Bloomberg Law.
The optional shift in grading was introduced to students on May 1 and final exams will continue to be held remotely from May 2 onwards. This move arrives as law students try to manage their final exams and recruitment into Big Law amidst the weeks-long Pro-Palestine protests on the university campus. The situation appears to be severe, with over 100 arrests made by the New York City police during the breakup of the university protests.
According to Bryson Malcolm, founding recruiter at Mosaic Search Partners, opting for pass/fail could be interpreted by firms as signifying a political position. On the other hand, it could be beneficial for students concerned about maintaining a high-grade point average, a critical metric utilized by top law firms when selecting junior talent.
As law schools and universities scramble to respond to the increase in Pro-Palestine protests, decisions are being made that have far-reaching implications. Notably, Foley and Lardner, and Davis Polk have revoked job offers from candidates who have made public comments about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
It should be noted that this is not the first instance of Columbia Law offering students this type of grading flexibility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a similar option was provided, emphasising fairness in education.