Final OCI results: 2011 Version Forum

[Anonymous User]

School: HYS
Market(s): LA, SF
Approximate class rank: Around top third
Law review: Secondary
Work experience: Year of interesting but decidedly non-impressive work
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact? (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)
Screening Interviews: 25
Mass mails: 5
Callbacks received: 9
Callbacks accepted: 6 (2 V10, 2 V25, 1 V50, 1 non-Vault)
Offers w/vault ranges: 1 V20 (home office), 1 V50 (satellite office)
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? One
Thank-you notes sent: None.

Very happy with the two offers I got, but man, I am not a good interviewer...

[Anonymous User]

School*: CLS
Market(s): NY
Approximate class rank: 25%
Law review: Secondary Journal
Work experience: Straight from undergrad; interesting summer internships
IP background: non
Anything else that might have an impact? (diversity, etc. or whatever, really): non
Screening Interviews: 26
Mass mails: 0
Callbacks received: 8
Callbacks accepted: 8
Offers w/vault ranges: 4 (1 V15, 2V30, 1V60)
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? 4
Thank-you notes sent:
- Sent after receiving callbacks; none after callbacks

[Anonymous User]

School: DNCG
Market(s): DC/NY
Approximate class rank: Below median
Law review: Secondary
Work experience: No
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: No
Screening Interviews: 20
Mass mails: 0
Callbacks received: 3
Callbacks accepted: 3 (2 V75, 1 non-Vault but is AmLaw 125)
Offers w/vault ranges: 1 (AmLaw 125, accepted immediately and withdrew from two remaining firms)
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? One
Thank-you notes sent: None.

[Anonymous User]

School: T20
Market(s): CA/Chicago
Approximate class rank: Top 10%
Law review: Secondary
Work experience: Yes; 1 year
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: Interesting UG major (Brought up in every interview), Fluency in Chinese, Japanese, German, WE, Interesting 1L job (USAO/Fed COA/Fed Agency)
Screening Interviews: 15
Mass mails: Some
Callbacks received: 8
Callbacks accepted: 4 (Accepted a 5th, cancelled later post offer)
Offers w/vault ranges: 4; V5, V10, 2 NLJ 250s
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? Maybe 10, only massmail firms never got back to me
Thank-you notes sent: 4 - 1 each to the oci interviewer post-CB, and 1 to the hiring partner if I met them.

[Anonymous User]

School: UT/GULC/Vandy
Market(s): East Coast, not NYC or DC
Approximate class rank: between median and top 1/3
Law review: No; secondary journal
Work experience: Yes; two years
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: moderately interesting WE and 1L internship, HYP undergrad, good ties to market
Screening interviews: ~8
Mass mails: ~10 (targeted)
Callbacks received: 2
Callbacks accepted: 2
Offers w/vault ranges: 2; one V50, one NLJ250
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? only a few
Thank-you notes sent: absolutely!

[Anonymous User]

School: MVP
Market(s): DC & NY
Approximate class rank: Top 1/3
Law review: No, but secondary journal
Work experience: One year
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: "different" work experience and did worked for a professor that has been at the school forever and alumni interviewers loved to talk about
Screening interviews: 20
Mass mails: 1
Callbacks received: 8
Callbacks accepted: 4 (but called one right after the CB to remove myself from consideration for an offer)
Offers w/vault ranges: 3 (one V5, one V15, one v50); accepted the v15
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? none
Thank-you notes sent: two of the three firms extended offers either on the spot or that night, so I didn't get a chance; I sent thank you notes to everyone I met with at the firm that took ~5 days to deliberate

[gunner joe]

School: DCNG
Market(s): NYC
Approximate class rank: Top 5%
Law review: No
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: Top 5 UG (mediocre grades), no NYC connection, 30 years old
Screening interviews: 25
Mass mails: 1
Callbacks received: 8
Callbacks accepted: 8 (one V5, two V15, one V20, three V50, one V100)
Offers w/vault ranges: 3 (two V50, one V100)
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? 3

[dissonance1848]

Even though the results are skewed towards the top end in terms of schools and class ranking, the results seem a lot better than I was expecting. Good news.

[Anonymous User]

School: MVP
Market(s): DC
Approximate class rank: Top 5 - 10%
Law review: Yes
Work experience: No
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: No
Interviewing skills/strategy: Be polite, be charming, etc. Nothing fancy
Screening interviews: 20
Mass mails: 0
Callbacks received: 9
Callbacks accepted: 4
Offers w/vault ranges: 3(two V25, one V100)
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? 0
Thank-you notes sent: To certain individuals

[gunner joe]

To poster in top 5% from T20:

Do not drop out. I had similarly stats (DCNG 5%) and also a disappointing OCI (ended up with V50). At least use the J.D. for management consulting or even an academic career.

[Anonymous User]

School: CCN
Market(s): DC, NY, LA
Approximate class rank: Top 10-15%
Law review: Yes
Work experience: No
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: diverse
Interviewing skills/strategy: nothing special
Screening interviews: 18
Mass mails: 0
Callbacks received: 14
Callbacks accepted: 8
Offers w/vault ranges: 3(one V5, one V10, one V20)
Dings: 5 (three V5, one V15, one V50)
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? 0
Thank-you notes sent: none

[Anonymous User]

School: V
Market(s): NYC
Approximate class rank: Top 25%
Law review: Secondary crap journal
Work experience: No
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: Apparently I'm a really good interviewer
Interviewing skills/strategy: Be normal
Screening interviews: 19
Mass mails: 0
Callbacks received: 12
Callbacks accepted: 4
Offers w/vault ranges: 3 (v5, 2 v15)
Dings: 0
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? pulled out of a v5 before hearing back after accepting
Thank-you notes sent: none

[Anonymous User]

School: UT
Market(s): NYC, DC
Approximate class rank: Top 10%
Law review: Yes
Work experience: Yes
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?:
Interviewing skills/strategy: Be as calm as possible, it looks like confidence. My friend (I've said this elsewhere) calls it the zero-deductions approach: if your resume is good, just don't give them a reason to ding you.
Screening interviews: 20
Mass mails: 0
Callbacks received: 6
Callbacks accepted: 6
Offers w/vault ranges: 1 V10, accepted and withdrew all my other callbacks.
Dings: 0
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? None, but then, I pulled the plug.
Thank-you notes sent: none

[Anonymous User]

School: Illinois/ND/WashU
Market(s): NY, Chicago, Texas, South
Approximate class rank: Top 20%, which is either the biglaw cutoff or maybe 5% above it.
Law review: No journal
Work experience: No
IP background: Yes
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: Very good southern undergraduate school (helps in southern interviews), and I'm tall and fairly attractive. Seems strange, but both of those things can be helpful in connecting with a certain kind of interviewer, IME (other tall, fairly attractive dudes).
Interviewing skills/strategy: Southern bro'd it up all over the place. Did my best to play to the situation when I could. Was generally just a non-aspie (big advantage over IP competitors), nice guy who was cheerful, primarily concerned with personality fit, and happy to be talking to whoever I was talking to. Doesn't play well in NY, but I don't think I'd play well in NY either so no loss there. Did have a few screeners that were just painful so I asked two questions and cut it off 5-7 minutes early.
Screening interviews: 30+, turned some down after my first offer
Mass mails: ~10-20, all to southern markets - got 2 CBs in a tertiary quasi-home market and nothing else.
Callbacks received: 9 - big disparity between screeners and CBs because a lot of the screeners were granted based on my first semester grades, which were much better; charm can only get you so far when your rank is markedly different from what they expect when you walk in
Callbacks accepted: 8 (turned one down once I got my first offer since the city was less desirable)
Offers w/vault ranges: V60 (first choice, I'm incredibly fortunate), V90.
Dings: I dunno, lots.
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? I dunno, a couple.
Thank-you notes sent: lolno

Best of luck to my T25 brothers in arms.

[Anonymous User]

School: MVP
Market(s): NYC (90%)
Approximate class rank: Top 15%
Law review: Secondary
Work experience: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: No
Interviewing skills/strategy: moderate to mediocre
Screening interviews: 24
Mass mails: 36
Callbacks received: 12 (3 from mass mailing)
Callbacks accepted: 7 (withdrew from 2 post-CB)
Offers w/vault ranges: 3 (V10, 2 V50), withdrew/canceled callbacks and accepted V10
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? none
Thank-you notes sent: none

[Anonymous User]

School: CCN
Market(s): NY
Approximate class rank: Below median
Law review: Secondary Journal
Work experience: Yes
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: languages, different background
Interviewing skills: great, if I do say so myself.
Screening interviews: 25
Mass mails: 27
Callbacks received: 11 (OCI only; did not pursue mass mail after getting OCI interviews; I did get some bites)
Callbacks accepted: 5
Offers w/vault ranges: 3(one V5, one V10, one V25)
Dings: 1 V15
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? 1, I withdrew candidacy after getting another offer.
Thank-you notes sent: to one firm, where I got an offer. I also got dinged from a firm I didn't send a TY note to and an offer from a firm that I didn't send a TY note to.

[Anonymous User]

To poster in top 5% from T20:

Do not drop out. I had similarly stats (DCNG 5%) and also a disappointing OCI (ended up with V50). At least use the J.D. for management consulting or even an academic career.

Are you saying that a V50 job is a disappointment?

If so, sheesh.

[Anonymous User]

To poster in top 5% from T20:

Do not drop out. I had similarly stats (DCNG 5%) and also a disappointing OCI (ended up with V50). At least use the J.D. for management consulting or even an academic career.

Are you saying that a V50 job is a disappointment?

If so, sheesh.

Not that anon user, but for somebody in the top 5% of DCNG? Hell yeah. Pretty much everybody I know with those numbers had multiple V5 offers. To end up with a V50 with those stats would be crushing.

[Anonymous User]

School: MVPB
Market(s): NY, two smaller secondary markets
Approximate class rank: Transfer
Law review: Secondary journal
Work experience: 5+ years
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact (diversity, etc. or whatever, really)?: Not really
Screening interviews: 27
Mass mails: Cancelled a few screeners I received through mass mail
Callbacks received: 13
Callbacks accepted: 10 (but removed myself from consideration for an offer right after 2 of them)
Offers w/vault ranges: 5 (one V10, two V50-100, two non-vault); still deciding which to accept
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? 1
Thank-you notes sent: Started out sending thank-yous, stopped part way through. I was 3/5 getting offers from firms I sent thank-yous to, and 2/3 at firms I didn't send notes to.

Just want to add that the vault ranges of my offers are probably not very instructive, as over 70% of my screeners were in secondary markets, where most of the biglaw firms are low-vault, or non-vault. I'm very happy with the results.

[Anonymous User]

Not that anon user, but for somebody in the top 5% of DCNG? Hell yeah. Pretty much everybody I know with those numbers had multiple V5 offers. To end up with a V50 with those stats would be crushing.

Crushing? This is so ridiculous. Other than continuing to feed your own ego on prestige, and not losing face with the rest of law review who have v10 offers, the difference in your career based on this alone is likely to be negligible, if existent at all.

[Anonymous User]

School*: CCN
Market(s): NY, SF
Approximate class rank: Slightly below median
Law review: No
Work experience: Yes, a few years, sort of interesting
IP background: No
Anything else that might have an impact? (diversity, etc. or whatever, really): No
Screening Interviews: 29
Mass mails: appx. 25
Callbacks received: 10 from interviews, 1 from mailing
Callbacks accepted: 9 from interviews, 1 from mailing
Offers w/vault ranges: 2 V20, 3 V30-V100
How many firms just didn't get back with you with a rejection/callback? Accepted V20 firm, haven't heard from 4 firms
Thank-you notes sent: All interviewers at CB stage

[Anonymous User]

Not that anon user, but for somebody in the top 5% of DCNG? Hell yeah. Pretty much everybody I know with those numbers had multiple V5 offers. To end up with a V50 with those stats would be crushing.

Crushing? This is so ridiculous. Other than continuing to feed your own ego on prestige, and not losing face with the rest of law review who have v10 offers, the difference in your career based on this alone is likely to be negligible, if existent at all.

You don't think there would be a difference in your career, starting things off at Cravath versus starting off at dla piper?

[KMaine]

Though the t-14 dude is justified in being a little upset not to do as well as she/he hoped, the "hey, don't worry, I know you don't have a job, but keep your head up, the $160 k job I have isn't quite to my liking" probably rings hollow to the jobless person.

[Anonymous User]

Though the t-14 dude is justified in being a little upset not to do as well as she/he hoped, the "hey, don't worry, I know you don't have a job, but keep your head up, the $160 k job I have isn't quite to my liking" probably rings hollow to the jobless person.

Yeah, I agree with this. It's like when somebody with a 177/3.9 strikes out with all of HYS and has to "deal with" only being at a CCN school. Many would die to get into Columbia (and pay full-tuition), but I don't know if I can say that somebody with a 177/3.9 would not be justified in being a little bummed if that's what he/she ended up doing.

[Anonymous User]

Not that anon user, but for somebody in the top 5% of DCNG? Hell yeah. Pretty much everybody I know with those numbers had multiple V5 offers. To end up with a V50 with those stats would be crushing.

Crushing? This is so ridiculous. Other than continuing to feed your own ego on prestige, and not losing face with the rest of law review who have v10 offers, the difference in your career based on this alone is likely to be negligible, if existent at all.

You don't think there would be a difference in your career, starting things off at Cravath versus starting off at DLA Piper?

Okay, maybe you have a bit of a point, but you do know the attrition rate at Cravath over the first 2-3 years, right? Lateral and in-house hiring is much more individualized than OCI/SA. When we are talking exit options, a good part of it is probably that someone who is a good enough interviewer to land Cravath is going to be a good enough interviewer to be a more successful lateral 3-4 years down the road.