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Dean's list both semesters (slightly better second semester but no significant GPA difference to speak of).

one CALI in Civpro, another A in civpro 2nd semester (mentioning that because i want to do litigation).

I know i want to do litigation bc my prior WE was 2 years at a V10 doing transactional work on a small team devoted to JPM offerings, ended up kind of running the team of 4 other paras and doing pretty substantive work for about 18 months; the demanding senior attnys and clients, the long hours, the deadlines, the whole biglaw bit

strong interviewing and interpersonal skills.

bump

Anonymous User wrote:Dean's list both semesters (slightly better second semester but no significant GPA difference to speak of).

one CALI in Civpro, another A in civpro 2nd semester (mentioning that because i want to do litigation).

I know i want to do litigation bc my prior WE was 2 years at a V10 doing transactional work on a small team devoted to JPM offerings, ended up kind of running the team of 4 other paras and doing pretty substantive work for about 18 months; the demanding senior attnys and clients, the long hours, the deadlines, the whole biglaw bit

strong interviewing and interpersonal skills.

Haha...strong beer pong skills?

Also very interested in this as I am in just about the same position, though minus the beer pong skillz.

So, OP - As I said before I am in about the same position as you. I am at a 3.55 which I figure is somewhere between 20-25%. Sound about right? In any case, I am not focusing on NYC. I will give you some advice as if I were.

First of all, you have to remember that most students are not in the position you are in grade-wise. The hot bids will be on firms that pay market but have more lax hiring criteria. On at least one of the days of the NYC fair, I think you should put 2 of those firms as your high bids. That way, you should get at least one interview with a firm where you will be stronger than most of the people they interview.

Our school ranks employers in 3 categories. We will probably get about 12 interviews (I am guessing in NYC). Try to get about 4 with the least selective firms, maybe 8 with the mid-range firms (we seem to be well within their callback range for last year, so you should have a shot at all these), and maybe 1-2 with the reach firms. I mean, the first objective is to get a market-paying job, right? No sense in aiming too high, but it might be worth it to interview with at least one of the very top firms (Valut 10 or so) just to take a shot and say that you did.

Just my 2 cents. Again, my list is pretty different since I am focusing on a different market. Good luck.

Is top 25% at Cornell really only getting 12 screening interviews?

Well. Not sure exactly. I added up all of the interviews, and it seems like there should be about 17 per student if all students participate. There is one major event in NYC, that occurs over 3 days. For that event, I think that 4 interviews per day is a conservative estimate. Again, not really sure.

Just wanted to add that OP's Top 25 status will not help him to get more interviews, since all students have equal shots at OCI slots.

So, I guess I am the only one interested in this thread, but OP, if you are still around, maybe you could say what your geographical preferences are and some of the firms you are considering.

KMaine wrote:So, I guess I am the only one interested in this thread, but OP, if you are still around, maybe you could say what your geographical preferences are and some of the firms you are considering.

NYC. it's pretty much my world entire. [anyone who catches that one gets a highfive].

some places i'm considering? i guess, for a start:

Wilkie Farr
Paul Hastings
Jones Day
WilmerHale
Fried Frank
Goodwin
Freshfields
Kasowitz
Weil [reach]
Gibson [reach]
Paul Weiss [reach]
Shearman
Milbank
Carter
Mayer NY
Curtis Mallet
Kramer Levin

prob throw a bid at the V10 I worked worth just for the lulz. i think i did well enough there that if got a screening interview and if folks at firm were asked about me they would remember me and put in a good word. this is all very nerve-wracking, and blind bidding ITE seems like it's going to be a crapshoot.

I am a recent Cornell grad. The common wisdom for my year (and the one before it) was that the Dean's List cutoff was generally slightly above 3.5 (meaning 3.51-3.53). That means a 3.55 would put you closer to top third than top quarter.

For what it's worth, I can verify that for my year a 3.6+ was good enough to get you a callback at just about all of the V20, save S&C, Cravath, DPW and maybe Debevoise (I think Deb just doesn't like Cornell for some reason). The 3.6+ didn't guarantee you a callback, but if you clicked with the interviewer you'd get one.

However, that was then and this is now. Having around a 3.6 should get you callbacks, but not necessarily at the same caliber firms. If I were you I would target the firms with the largest summer classes outside of the V5, that might be your best bet.

Finally, were journal decisions made yet? LR would give you a positive bump and no journal at all would be a negative one.

Anonymous User wrote:I am a recent Cornell grad. The common wisdom for my year (and the one before it) was that the Dean's List cutoff was generally slightly above 3.5 (meaning 3.51-3.53). That means a 3.55 would put you closer to top third than top quarter.

For what it's worth, I can verify that for my year a 3.6+ was good enough to get you a callback at just about all of the V20, save S&C, Cravath, DPW and maybe Debevoise (I think Deb just doesn't like Cornell for some reason). The 3.6+ didn't guarantee you a callback, but if you clicked with the interviewer you'd get one.

However, that was then and this is now. Having around a 3.6 should get you callbacks, but not necessarily at the same caliber firms. If I were you I would target the firms with the largest summer classes outside of the V5, that might be your best bet.

Finally, were journal decisions made yet? LR would give you a positive bump and no journal at all would be a negative one.

Dean's list cutoffs and 10% cutoff for our class were lower. 3.66 for top 10%. First semester DL cutoff was something around a 3.475 or 3.48x, and was prob similar or lower for this semester. a 3.55 is closer to top 20% than top 30%, and almost surely above top 25%, given the data we have for our class. but who knows if employers will know that/care. it's right in the meaty part between top 10% and Dean's list, that's all they'll know for sure.

We won't know about journals until after our bid lists are due but before resumes are to be uploaded. i guess knowing wouldn't really change the bidding at all, but could end up helping once interviews begin...

If you worked at the V10 for 2 years and developed any type of relationship with a partner or senior associate I would exploit that connection. Firms DO give somewhat of a GPA discount to former paralegals that they liked (I know of 2 from Cornell that went to former V10 employers despite not having V10 GPAs).

I would add White & Case to your list and maybe take of Mayer Brown (they have DRASTICALLY reduced their program size and will probably get a ton of bids due to their low GPA requirements).

Another thing to keep in mind is that firms may contact you if you bid on them and don't get them through OCI. My year, if you had a 3.6+, Gibson and Cleary called you up and added you to their interview list if you were not selected through the lottery.

Anonymous User wrote:If you worked at the V10 for 2 years and developed any type of relationship with a partner or senior associate I would exploit that connection. Firms DO give somewhat of a GPA discount to former paralegals that they liked (I know of 2 from Cornell that went to former V10 employers despite not having V10 GPAs).

I would add White & Case to your list and maybe take of Mayer Brown (they have DRASTICALLY reduced their program size and will probably get a ton of bids due to their low GPA requirements).

Another thing to keep in mind is that firms may contact you if you bid on them and don't get them through OCI. My year, if you had a 3.6+, Gibson and Cleary called you up and added you to their interview list if you were not selected through the lottery.

i worked closely with a senior associate (who actually was made 'of counsel' or whatever that thing that isn't is, right before i left...); was basically on the phone with him all day for 18 months, basically was the go between between him and the rest of the paras. we had a good working relationship, even though he was an, ahem, difficult man to deal with at times. my question is, i guess, how to exploit that? i could see how it would be 'exploitable' if i were to get a screening interview [which is possible i guess, this firm, for some reason, has like 60 interview slots] but aside from that, is there any advice on how to exploit that connection?

Contact him directly outside of the OCI process. Send him an email updating him on how law school is going, tell him you are interested in coming back to work for the firm and explain why. I wouldn't wait until OCI, I'd just go through him. Hopefully he will put in a good word for you and forward your info to recruiting. With any luck you'll get a "callback" without having to do a screening interview.

Agreed that you are closer to top 20% than to Top 30%. Also, I would def. look to explore the connection you have with your former employer in any way possible. You have an "in" and have shown that your are capable as a law student at a T-14. It is tough to imagine that they would not be a little lenient with you.

Anonymous User wrote:Contact him directly outside of the OCI process. Send him an email updating him on how law school is going, tell him you are interested in coming back to work for the firm and explain why. I wouldn't wait until OCI, I'd just go through him. Hopefully he will put in a good word for you and forward your info to recruiting. With any luck you'll get a "callback" without having to do a screening interview.

thanks for the input from the last two posters. any advice on when exactly i should contact him (e.g., now/shortly before OCI, right before OCI....). Thanks again to those who replied.

I would guess about 2 weeks before OCI (though it may not hurt to touch base now). If you contact him early you may want to say something like "I am afraid that I will not get an OCI slot, so I wanted to know if there is anything that I could do to make sure I get an interview." I say about 2 weeks before OCI just because they probably have not started thinking about interviews too much at this point, but if you contacted now, you could make sure to be on their radar. It may not matter too much which path you choose.