University of Chicago 2010 OCI - callbacks Forum

[Anonymous User]

has OCS supported this notion of multiple rounds?

I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but OCS is pretty worthless. Pretty sure you shouldn't base anything on anything they say or support.

hth.

I don't think my question was an endorsement, tacit or otherwise, of OCS' wisdom. I'm simply asking if they have a position on this, one way or another.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but OCS is pretty worthless. Pretty sure you shouldn't base anything on anything they say or support.

hth.

OCS has been terrible this whole process - literally I would do the opposite of what they reccomend. Firms that I was told specifically not to bid at, I have callbacks at. Firms I was told I should be a shoo-in have all rejected me. Geographic areas where I was told to focus on are not hiring. OCS definitely dropped the ball this year, I'm not sure if they just weren't prepared for this, but I think that at a Top-5 law school we should receive better information than what we were given. This process could have gone much more efficiently if they had done a better and more realistic job of prepping us.

[USAIRS]

This is your friendly reminder that the deadline for DOJ summer hires is this Tuesday, September 7. http://www.justice.gov/oarm/arm/sp/sp.htm
For those of you with an interest in litigation, who don't have an offer in hand, or who are simply at all interested in working as a federal prosecutor, your #1 best window to seize it will close in 4 days. Tell your Chicago friends who don't have offers yet.

ETA: Some useful links -
http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/GovHo ... ntents.cfm
(List of all federal honors programs and description)

http://today.law.utah.edu/2010/08/depar ... ptember-7/
(I'm not sure how accurate the list of available positions is)

[Anonymous User]

Anyone hear from Cleary's DL interviewer? If so, around what time?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else think that UC got killed during OCI?

[Anonymous User]

Maybe...

24 screening interviews, 1 call back, 3 rejections... (transfer student)

[Anonymous User]

Here's one rundown so far from someone with good grades (not a Kirkland scholar, but GPA higher than 179):

23 interviews (3 pre-OCI, 20 OCI screeners)

10 cbs
2 offers
4 rejections
10 pending

I interviewed in a few markets and had good success in all but one: 0 for 10 so far in DC. Three possible reasons for that, I think:

1) Painfully clear lack of connection to DC on the resume, which leads to
2) Not a very persuasive answer to the "Why DC?" question
3) Grades a bit too low

Things next year's people can take away from this: Have a DAMN good reason why you want to work in a particular city and be ready to articulate it powerfully. The more connections to a city on your resume, the better. Grades definitely matter, but they aren't a completely necessary or sufficient condition for getting an offer.

One more thing next year's class should know: Your bidding strategy is very important - OCS will give you ZERO information about this, so you need to seek out upperclassmen to talk about it. You can't afford to make major errors in the bidding process (i.e. bidding for 8 different offices of the same firm).

Edit: Also be ready to deal with some randomness. If your grades are good you'll probably still get dinged some places you'd have thought would be a shoo-in. And you might get cbs/offers from some places where your grades seem too low if your work experience is good.

[Anonymous User]

top 30%, 23 interviews, 0 callbacks, 2 rejections. Shooting for NY

[Anonymous User]

Here's one rundown so far from someone with good grades (not a Kirkland scholar, but GPA higher than 179):

23 interviews (3 pre-OCI, 20 OCI screeners)

10 cbs
2 offers
4 rejections
10 pending

I interviewed in a few markets and had good success in all but one: 0 for 10 so far in DC. Three possible reasons for that, I think:

1) Painfully clear lack of connection to DC on the resume, which leads to
2) Not a very persuasive answer to the "Why DC?" question
3) Grades a bit too low

Things next year's people can take away from this: Have a DAMN good reason why you want to work in a particular city and be ready to articulate it powerfully. The more connections to a city on your resume, the better. Grades definitely matter, but they aren't a completely necessary or sufficient condition for getting an offer.

One more thing next year's class should know: Your bidding strategy is very important - OCS will give you ZERO information about this, so you need to seek out upperclassmen to talk about it. You can't afford to make major errors in the bidding process (i.e. bidding for 8 different offices of the same firm).

You've already gone to the firms for CB interviews and received offers? Or, did they just offer a position, skipping the whole CB process? either way, congrats.

[Anonymous User]

I can't speak with authority on Chi's OCS office, but as a transfer student, I can say that they have done far more for me in the last two weeks than what my former school's OCS office was able to offer throughout the entire 1L year. At my former school, all OCS would do is suggest changes to your resume, only to change it back again when you came back with the revised copy; oh yeah, they'd also offer the advice to "go network." Here, they've actually given me substantive advice. So long way to say, it could be much, much worse.

[Anonymous User]

Here's one rundown so far from someone with good grades (not a Kirkland scholar, but GPA higher than 179):

23 interviews (3 pre-OCI, 20 OCI screeners)

10 cbs
2 offers
4 rejections
10 pending

I interviewed in a few markets and had good success in all but one: 0 for 10 so far in DC. Three possible reasons for that, I think:

1) Painfully clear lack of connection to DC on the resume, which leads to
2) Not a very persuasive answer to the "Why DC?" question
3) Grades a bit too low

Things next year's people can take away from this: Have a DAMN good reason why you want to work in a particular city and be ready to articulate it powerfully. The more connections to a city on your resume, the better. Grades definitely matter, but they aren't a completely necessary or sufficient condition for getting an offer.

One more thing next year's class should know: Your bidding strategy is very important - OCS will give you ZERO information about this, so you need to seek out upperclassmen to talk about it. You can't afford to make major errors in the bidding process (i.e. bidding for 8 different offices of the same firm).

You've already gone to the firms for CB interviews and received offers? Or, did they just offer a position, skipping the whole CB process? either way, congrats.

No offers from OCI cbs yet. The offers were from a couple pre-OCI resume mailings. I did one cb pre-OCI and one cb during OCI. I suppose that's another good lesson for next year. Be proactive.

[Anonymous User]

I can't speak with authority on Chi's OCS office, but as a transfer student, I can say that they have done far more for me in the last two weeks than what my former school's OCS office was able to offer throughout the entire 1L year. At my former school, all OCS would do is suggest changes to your resume, only to change it back again when you came back with the revised copy; oh yeah, they'd also offer the advice to "go network." Here, they've actually given me substantive advice. So long way to say, it could be much, much worse.

+1. I've had some good advice from them also (as a transfer), and maybe one or two pieces of advice that were iffy, but as a whole, I felt like they have done a good job so far.

[Anonymous User]

I can't speak with authority on Chi's OCS office, but as a transfer student, I can say that they have done far more for me in the last two weeks than what my former school's OCS office was able to offer throughout the entire 1L year. At my former school, all OCS would do is suggest changes to your resume, only to change it back again when you came back with the revised copy; oh yeah, they'd also offer the advice to "go network." Here, they've actually given me substantive advice. So long way to say, it could be much, much worse.

+1. I've had some good advice from them also (as a transfer), and maybe one or two pieces of advice that were iffy, but as a whole, I felt like they have done a good job so far.

I'm not a transfer, but I also agree that much advice received was helpful. I will limit that to saying I received the brunt of my advice from LH (who I personally found to be amazing) and found most advice from PW in particular to be faulty.

The one thing I would fault OCS for is for not saying when to engage in write-in submissions, which I learned should have been done about a month ago. I thought that sending write-in submissions post-OCI was the norm, but I was told that I am going to be slightly late when I do that now. That is my sole complaint with OCS. I don't think they really have any control or influence on the hiring patterns of firms, the current legal economy/market, or the way firms are responding to the current economy/market. Placing fault on them for the hiring patterns of firms seems somewhat misplaced. Blame the invisible heart of the American economy for being cold and shriveled. On the whole, LH did a really solid job in my opinion.

(I'm median, have two callbacks, six rejections, and a lot pending.)

[Anonymous User]

Below Median. 6 Rejections. 3 CB's.

[Anonymous User]

Below Median. 6 Rejections. 3 CB's.

which market?

[Anonymous User]

Kirkland (Chi)

[Anonymous User]

Kirkland (Chi)

Today? Which interviewer?

[Anonymous User]

Approx 178.5. From the east coast, targeting NY. 25 interviews, 0 callbacks, 1 rejection. WTF

[Anonymous User]

Kirkland (Chi)

Today? Which interviewer?

yeah this morning - td and ms

[Anonymous User]

Kirkland (Chi)

Today? Which interviewer?

yeah this morning - td and ms

Did DM & BE already give out callbacks?

[Anonymous User]

Pretty much right at median (a little above).

Callbacks:
Sidley (Chicago), SK/FL
Ropes and Gray (Chicago), DM
Winston & Strawn (Chicago), MB

Offer:
(Big Chicago firm, not through OCI)

Rejections:
Skadden (snail)
McDermott (email)
Locke Lord (email)
goldberg kohn (snail)
Drinker Biddle (snail)

Have not heard from too many firms to count.

[Anonymous User]

Approx 178.5. From the east coast, targeting NY. 25 interviews, 0 callbacks, 1 rejection. WTF

omg

[Anonymous User]

A little below the median, targeting NYC and Chi.

Interviewed at 15 firms...

CB:
Mintz Levin (NYC) this morning
Greenberg Traurig (Chi) earlier this week
Morgan Lewis earlier this week (Chi)

Rejected:
Hughes Hubbard (NYC)

[Anonymous User]

178, targeting DC (w a couple Boston), interviewed at 15 firms.

CB:
Sheppard Mullin (DC)
Bryan Cave (DC)
Latham (DC)
Crowell Moring (DC)
Gibson Dunn (DC)
Choate Hall Stewart (Boston)

Rejected:
Steptoe Johnson (DC)
WilmerHale (Boston)
Jenner (DC)

[Anonymous User]

Jenner Chi is still making calls.