Law school isn’t known for being a particularly joyful place, but the winter months can be especially forbidding.

During December and January, first-year law students (“1Ls”) take their first exams and receive their first grades. At most law schools, first-semester grades are based entirely on one final exam that is graded on a curve, with a set mean. At Stanford Law School (SLS), the mean is 3.4. Inevitably, half of these over-achievers — most of them accustomed to the padded GPAs of liberal arts majors — will find themselves below the mean.

Not surprisingly, during the weeks before exams and again before grades are released, chaos ensues. Stress-related illnesses are common (I developed a twitch under my left eye that made me look less like a law student and more like a patient at the Cirque Lodge in Utah). Sleep is nonexistent. Alcohol is undoubtedly abused.

But this fall at SLS, change was in the air. The faculty had begun to consider reforming the grade policy.

“Every summer I meet independently with every faculty member,” said Larry Kramer, dean of the law school. “This past year I found that many of them were commenting about the grading system and seemed to agree that the law school should transition to a system more like Yale’s.”

At Yale Law School, during the first semester all classes are graded on a credit-failure basis. After that, students are given a grade of honors, pass, low pass or failure. There are no GPAs.

The prospect of a new grading system led many 1Ls like myself to entertain grandiose visions of a new type of law school: one where we would learn for the sake of learning, not for a grade; where we wouldn’t constantly wonder if we could best fifty percent of our classmates; where the weeks leading up to winter break wouldn’t be shrouded in a sense of impending doom. Could it be true?

Not so fast. In the past few months, the push for grade reform at SLS has slowed considerably. Students and faculty point to several reasons, including student opinions and a concern about the impact of grade reform on study habits.

It turns out that not all students are in favor of the change. 1L Mark Gaber, a member of the student liaison committee on grade reform, is one of many students who prefer the traditional system.

“A lot of learning goes on in that crunch time before exams,” Gaber said. “Although you might be able to pass by just going to class and doing the reading, the incentive to do well on the exam pushes you to really synthesize the material.”

Gaber also expressed concern about the message grade reform would send to other law schools.

“I think it’s a little institutionally arrogant to assume that since we go to Stanford, we don’t need grades,” Gaber said. “It might insulate us from our peers at other schools whom we will work with throughout our entire careers.”

Most students, however, still seem to support reform.

“I don’t understand who wouldn’t be in favor of it,?” said 1L Matt Levy. “All of the students worked hard to get here, and I think they will continue to work hard whether or not they get a numerical grade.”

The impact of grade reform on study habits unexpectedly became the center of the debate when an unprecedented number of the 1L class — almost 25 percent — elected to take all of their first-semester classes on a pass-fail basis. Many students believe that choice led to below-average performance on exams, and professors are now skeptical of grade reform.

Kramer, however, thinks that belief is unfounded.

“I heard nothing but positive remarks from the faculty about the first-year class,” Kramer said. “There is no reason to believe that students who performed well all semester decided not to study for their exams. Last semester will not impact our decision on grade reform.”

1L Katrina Eiland, who took her classes pass-fail, thought that it actually improved her study habits.

“I was better able to concentrate because I wasn’t so stressed about grades,” Eiland said.

Eiland also dismissed another common fear that a lack of grades will disappoint employers.

“Not one organization asked about my grades,” Eiland said. “They were only concerned with my resume and writing sample. One employer told me that he assumed that since I went to Stanford I had the requisite skills.”

Ultimately, the decision will be made by an up-or-down faculty vote, and, if passed, it won’t be implemented for some time.

“Even if the faculty votes this spring, a new system would not be in place until fall 2009,” Kramer said.

By that point, most members of the current 1L class will already have jobs, based in part on their grades from their first and second years. Time to get back to studying.