2012 UVA OGI Thread Forum

[Law Sauce]

wait....the gpa calculator is the correct way to get it??? I thought we just got it from sis???

Yea, we just get it from SIS. The calculator will give you the same number anyway. The calculator is useful for picking number of credits, figuring out what gpa you'd have if you got what, other not important things like that. But thats all behind us 2Ls now.

[Anonymous User]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

[dixon02]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

Fellow 1L so I cannot actually answer your question, but I can tell you that you'll need to be much more specific for anyone to actually answer. It will totally depend upon your bidding strategy and the markets you target. Use half your bids on V25 DC firms? Not very many. Spread your bids out among V150 NYC firms with huge SA classes and larger firms in a home market where you have lots of ties? Many more.

[Law Sauce]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

Fellow 1L so I cannot actually answer your question, but I can tell you that you'll need to be much more specific for anyone to actually answer. It will totally depend upon your bidding strategy and the markets you target. Use half your bids on V25 DC firms? Not very many. Spread your bids out among V150 NYC firms with huge SA classes and larger firms in a home market where you have lots of ties? Many more.

Maybe, but from looking through last year and getting general sense around here, it seems that PSs are not the bread and butter of median students looking at NY or DC (if you have clear ties on your resume to a secondary market with firms coming, you will probably get preselected there). While you may get randomly selected by firms that have lots of spots in NY, the lottery and the special request may account for more of your interviews +mailing. Problem seems to be that the firms that may yield protect so to speak and preselect a median student are also the ones that tons of people bid, whereas the firms that have the most interview spots seem to be more grade selective firms in the V10 range.

Edited to say that, from the thread, several people last year around median seemed to still get a good number of interviews, maybe in the teens. I don't see why firms wouldn't want to talk to you if they can since many hire median people, median just may not be enough to make them PS you. Also V150? No such thing.

[Anonymous User]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

Fellow 1L so I cannot actually answer your question, but I can tell you that you'll need to be much more specific for anyone to actually answer. It will totally depend upon your bidding strategy and the markets you target. Use half your bids on V25 DC firms? Not very many. Spread your bids out among V150 NYC firms with huge SA classes and larger firms in a home market where you have lots of ties? Many more.

Maybe, but from looking through last year and getting general sense around here, it seems that PSs are not the bread and butter of median students looking at NY or DC (if you have clear ties on your resume to a secondary market with firms coming, you will probably get preselected there). While you may get randomly selected by firms that have lots of spots in NY, the lottery and the special request may account for more of your interviews +mailing. Problem seems to be that the firms that may yield protect so to speak and preselect a median student are also the ones that tons of people bid, whereas the firms that have the most interview spots seem to be more grade selective firms in the V10 range.


Edited to say that, from the thread, several people last year around median seemed to still get a good number of interviews, maybe in the teens. I don't see why firms wouldn't want to talk to you if they can since many hire median people, median just may not be enough to make them PS you. Also V150? No such thing.

Yea, I was thinking NY and my home secondary (which I'll supplement with mailing)

Edit: -Kendrick Perkins

[RVP11]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

About 15.

[Anonymous User]

So what do firms see when deciding whether or not to preselect? Obviously they get GPA, but do they see our uploaded resumes/Symplicity profiles as well?

-J.G. Wentworth

[Law Sauce]

So what do firms see when deciding whether or not to preselect? Obviously they get GPA, but do they see our uploaded resumes/Symplicity profiles as well?

-J.G. Wentworth

From what I understand. Transcript, Resume, and if they ask Cover Letter and Writing Sample. I think its just everything that they ask for what you bid in Simplicity. I don't know about Simplicity profiles probably.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L here, bottom third. Got selected for interview in a CA career fair. I searched the firm's website and find one UVA alumnus (unlike its DC or NYC office, tons of UVA people), should I contact him for some information? Will it look unprofessional since I'll be interviewed instead of casual chat? The interviewers list has not come out yet.

Also, when is the good time to start mass-mailing firms? From reading here, I got a sense that it's a bit too early now.

Last Q, the Loyola Patent Interview Program and the 4-school On-tour Interview Program (SF, LA) are on the same days, hypothetically, if I get selected for interview (I know, with my gpa, any selection is a luxury) at both, which one should I go? In other words, which one gives a bottom-third UVA student better chance?

[$$$$$$]

Why would it be unprofessional? You should be crushing alumni at this point with bottom-third grades. Your interview is not until august, you can say that you were selected and you are really interested in learning more about the firm and what they do. In fact, you should be doing this for any firm you want to work at. With those grades, it may be the one person who pulls for you that gets you a job, so I would't take networking lightly, go out there, meet people, be likeable. This is the time to lay it all out there, you don't want to feel like you could have done more while everyone around you congratulates themselves for getting offers.

[Anonymous User]

Why would it be unprofessional? You should be crushing alumni at this point with bottom-third grades. Your interview is not until august, you can say that you were selected and you are really interested in learning more about the firm and what they do. In fact, you should be doing this for any firm you want to work at. With those grades, it may be the one person who pulls for you that gets you a job, so I would't take networking lightly, go out there, meet people, be likeable. This is the time to lay it all out there, you don't want to feel like you could have done more while everyone around you congratulates themselves for getting offers.

Same anon here.

Thanks for the advice. With my grades, I understand I need to try any way possible. I just don't want to go from zealous/enthusiastic to the side of too annoying.

[dixon02]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

Fellow 1L so I cannot actually answer your question, but I can tell you that you'll need to be much more specific for anyone to actually answer. It will totally depend upon your bidding strategy and the markets you target. Use half your bids on V25 DC firms? Not very many. Spread your bids out among V150 NYC firms with huge SA classes and larger firms in a home market where you have lots of ties? Many more.

Maybe, but from looking through last year and getting general sense around here, it seems that PSs are not the bread and butter of median students looking at NY or DC (if you have clear ties on your resume to a secondary market with firms coming, you will probably get preselected there). While you may get randomly selected by firms that have lots of spots in NY, the lottery and the special request may account for more of your interviews +mailing. Problem seems to be that the firms that may yield protect so to speak and preselect a median student are also the ones that tons of people bid, whereas the firms that have the most interview spots seem to be more grade selective firms in the V10 range.

Edited to say that, from the thread, several people last year around median seemed to still get a good number of interviews, maybe in the teens. I don't see why firms wouldn't want to talk to you if they can since many hire median people, median just may not be enough to make them PS you. Also V150? No such thing.

Yeah, obv supposed to say V100, not sure what was going on there. Anyway, I don't think we're really disagreeing. Someone at median should go hard after their home market and hard after NYC firms with large class sizes. There are some V10 firms (ie Cravath, S&C) that would be a wasted bid. Outside of that, you should bid NYC like most would: spread out your apps with some reaches, some targets, and some that don't care as much about GPA. Don't want to put all your eggs in one basket. Then stay patient through lottery and alternates, and you should get a decent total of interviews.

[$$$$$$]

Why would it be unprofessional? You should be crushing alumni at this point with bottom-third grades. Your interview is not until august, you can say that you were selected and you are really interested in learning more about the firm and what they do. In fact, you should be doing this for any firm you want to work at. With those grades, it may be the one person who pulls for you that gets you a job, so I would't take networking lightly, go out there, meet people, be likeable. This is the time to lay it all out there, you don't want to feel like you could have done more while everyone around you congratulates themselves for getting offers.

Same anon here.

Thanks for the advice. With my grades, I understand I need to try any way possible. I just don't want to go from zealous/enthusiastic to the side of too annoying.

you dont even know if he will respond to your email. And if anything, hitting up a partner will show the firm that you are interested in learning about them and will help you even more. Then if the partner likes you, you have someone to help you get in the door. It's all about how you come off.

[Anonymous User]

Why would it be unprofessional? You should be crushing alumni at this point with bottom-third grades. Your interview is not until august, you can say that you were selected and you are really interested in learning more about the firm and what they do. In fact, you should be doing this for any firm you want to work at. With those grades, it may be the one person who pulls for you that gets you a job, so I would't take networking lightly, go out there, meet people, be likeable. This is the time to lay it all out there, you don't want to feel like you could have done more while everyone around you congratulates themselves for getting offers.

Same anon here.

Thanks for the advice. With my grades, I understand I need to try any way possible. I just don't want to go from zealous/enthusiastic to the side of too annoying.

you dont even know if he will respond to your email. And if anything, hitting up a partner will show the firm that you are interested in learning about them and will help you even more. Then if the partner likes you, you have someone to help you get in the door. It's all about how you come off.

Thanks. I'm just really bad on the first encounter, either in person or through email. So what should be a "proper" subject for the first email?

[$$$$$$]

Why would it be unprofessional? You should be crushing alumni at this point with bottom-third grades. Your interview is not until august, you can say that you were selected and you are really interested in learning more about the firm and what they do. In fact, you should be doing this for any firm you want to work at. With those grades, it may be the one person who pulls for you that gets you a job, so I would't take networking lightly, go out there, meet people, be likeable. This is the time to lay it all out there, you don't want to feel like you could have done more while everyone around you congratulates themselves for getting offers.

Same anon here.

Thanks for the advice. With my grades, I understand I need to try any way possible. I just don't want to go from zealous/enthusiastic to the side of too annoying.

you dont even know if he will respond to your email. And if anything, hitting up a partner will show the firm that you are interested in learning about them and will help you even more. Then if the partner likes you, you have someone to help you get in the door. It's all about how you come off.

Thanks. I'm just really bad on the first encounter, either in person or through email. So what should be a "proper" subject for the first email?

Pm me

[5ky]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

About 15.

But median students probably won't have 15 pre-selects right off the bat, which is important to remember. Eventually, after the trickle down, lottery, special requests, and misc. picking up of interviews, that's about right. You shouldn't freak out if you have single digit pre-selects the day they come out. That's what happened last year, and it was so bad KD had to send out an email telling people to chill.

[Anonymous User]

Should a transcript be included for mailings?

[Anonymous User]

Should a transcript be included for mailings?

Yes. A "standard" mailed (or emailed) application should be:

Cover Letter
Resume
Transcript

If emailing, send these documents as pdf's.

-'12 Grad.

[Anonymous User]

How many OGI interviews should those of us at median expect?


-Kendrick Perkins

About 15.

But median students probably won't have 15 pre-selects right off the bat, which is important to remember. Eventually, after the trickle down, lottery, special requests, and misc. picking up of interviews, that's about right. You shouldn't freak out if you have single digit pre-selects the day they come out. That's what happened last year, and it was so bad KD had to send out an email telling people to chill.

I'll do my best not to mean mug KD if I get into early foul trouble.

-Kendrick Perkins

[Anonymous User]

How suicidal is anything other than going all-out for New York? I have a 3.45 and am trying to construct my bidlist. As much as I know it's probably my best shot at biglaw, I just can't get myself over the fact that I really, really don't want to live in New York.

I'm from a small Midwestern market which I would definitely be fine ending up in, but has fewer than ten biglaw/midlaw firms, so that's not really something I can count on.

I feel like I can make a credible case for wanting to be in LA (dad grew up there, grandparents and aunt and uncle still live there, visited a lot, love it, etc.) and Dallas (wife has lots of family in North Texas, one other thing that would definitely out me), and I'm planning on doing the on-tour interview programs in both of these cities. But none of these things are evident from my résumé. So am I right in assuming that I'm going to get slaughtered if I bid these markets?

I'll suck it up and bid New York if it's the only way to ensure (as much as one can) not striking out, but I'd rather avoid it if there's any other way.

-Lane

[Law Sauce]

Is using my essay from journal tryouts for a writing sample a bad idea? It is ten full pages and it is not exactly case analysis in the same way that a memo from LRW is.

[Anonymous User]

An alumnus partner asked me to call him tomorrow. What kind of questions should I ask?

[crossingforHYS]

I want to use it as a writing sample too--do we have to clear it first?

[Anonymous User]

How suicidal is anything other than going all-out for New York? I have a 3.45 and am trying to construct my bidlist. As much as I know it's probably my best shot at biglaw, I just can't get myself over the fact that I really, really don't want to live in New York.

I'm from a small Midwestern market which I would definitely be fine ending up in, but has fewer than ten biglaw/midlaw firms, so that's not really something I can count on.

I feel like I can make a credible case for wanting to be in LA (dad grew up there, grandparents and aunt and uncle still live there, visited a lot, love it, etc.) and Dallas (wife has lots of family in North Texas, one other thing that would definitely out me), and I'm planning on doing the on-tour interview programs in both of these cities. But none of these things are evident from my résumé. So am I right in assuming that I'm going to get slaughtered if I bid these markets?

I'll suck it up and bid New York if it's the only way to ensure (as much as one can) not striking out, but I'd rather avoid it if there's any other way.

-Lane

Very interested in this as well. Similar grade (3.53), but basically no tie to LA. A few years of corporate-related work experience. Would Irell, GDC, and OMM be wasted bids?

[desertlaw]

How suicidal is anything other than going all-out for New York? I have a 3.45 and am trying to construct my bidlist. As much as I know it's probably my best shot at biglaw, I just can't get myself over the fact that I really, really don't want to live in New York.

I'm from a small Midwestern market which I would definitely be fine ending up in, but has fewer than ten biglaw/midlaw firms, so that's not really something I can count on.

I feel like I can make a credible case for wanting to be in LA (dad grew up there, grandparents and aunt and uncle still live there, visited a lot, love it, etc.) and Dallas (wife has lots of family in North Texas, one other thing that would definitely out me), and I'm planning on doing the on-tour interview programs in both of these cities. But none of these things are evident from my résumé. So am I right in assuming that I'm going to get slaughtered if I bid these markets?

I'll suck it up and bid New York if it's the only way to ensure (as much as one can) not striking out, but I'd rather avoid it if there's any other way.

-Lane

Very interested in this as well. Similar grade (3.53), but basically no tie to LA. A few years of corporate-related work experience. Would Irell, GDC, and OMM be wasted bids?

O'MM would be a solid bid. GDC it'd be a toss-up. Irell probably a long shot. But if you're going to a west coast firm, you need a good answer as to why you're going to stick around.