Need to explain grades before being asked? Forum
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Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
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Anonymous User
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Need to explain grades before being asked?
I was wondering if I should explain my GPA drop off during my first year. I won't give specifics, but what do you think is a big enough drop that warrants an explanation? Do you think I should explain this in my DOJ application specifically?
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OneMoreLawHopeful
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
You really shouldn't call attention to any weak spots unless you are specifically asked about them during an interview.Anonymous User wrote:I was wondering if I should explain my GPA drop off during my first year. I won't give specifics, but what do you think is a big enough drop that warrants an explanation? Do you think I should explain this in my DOJ application specifically?
If it's REALLY bad, and it puts you below a GPA cutoff, then MAYBE bring it up, but even then probably not. Your materials only get looked at for something like 30 seconds, you don't want a weakness to be seriously considered during that time.
Are you a 3L? If so, do your grades bounce back during 2L? If your grades obviously came back, don't even bring it up, your normal performance will be obvious.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
Yes, I am a 3L and my grades did bounce back significantly. There were some personal issues going on my first year. There's no GPA cut-off, but I have improved.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
I had two poor grades that stuck out. Only one of my interviews asked about it. No one else did, so I didn't offer any explanation.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
Thanks. Would appreciate a few more perspectives.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
Had a similar experience with a couple very bad grades second semester of 1L year. If there is a legitimate explanation, offer it. I had one such explanation and have gotten about an average number of callbacks despite low overall GPA.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
i'm in the same boat. did you proactively address it during screeners ("oh, X happened and led to very bad grades in Y and Z class") or did you wait 'til asked? screeners didn't ask me so i didn't bring it up. did you address it w/o being asked during a cb? did you weave in the story so interviewers would draw inferences? ehhhhhAnonymous User wrote:Had a similar experience with a couple very bad grades second semester of 1L year. If there is a legitimate explanation, offer it. I had one such explanation and have gotten about an average number of callbacks despite low overall GPA.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
What is your guys' definition of "very bad grades". Are we talking like going from A to C or just like some As and Bs, but then going down to B+s?
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Anonymous User
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Re: Need to explain grades before being asked?
I had some experience with this. My advice is mention it preemptively if you connect with the interviewer and think that it would come across as genuine.
I had median grades and some firms at OCI did ask me. I didn't receive CBs from those firms. I mentioned it preemptively for other firms (who did not ask me) and received CB (and offers) from those firms. There were some firms who did not ask (and I did not preemptively mention it) and I did get CB and an offer from them as well.
Note: on the ones that I preemptively mentioned grades, the conversation was flowing well and I was able to fit it in. I think it just depends on what kind of interviewer you have. For the ones that I didn't discuss grades with, it was clear that it would have been awkward.
More importantly, talk about grades in a confident, "I'm going to make adjustments and bounce back next term" way.
Hope this helps.
I had median grades and some firms at OCI did ask me. I didn't receive CBs from those firms. I mentioned it preemptively for other firms (who did not ask me) and received CB (and offers) from those firms. There were some firms who did not ask (and I did not preemptively mention it) and I did get CB and an offer from them as well.
Note: on the ones that I preemptively mentioned grades, the conversation was flowing well and I was able to fit it in. I think it just depends on what kind of interviewer you have. For the ones that I didn't discuss grades with, it was clear that it would have been awkward.
More importantly, talk about grades in a confident, "I'm going to make adjustments and bounce back next term" way.
Hope this helps.
