2L Spring and I got nothing.... Forum

[Anonymous User]

The Spring semester is rolling on, and I've got absolutely (almost) nothing.

I am at at T-14 school, and I've got what equates to an exciting and unique though also professionally relevant resume, with internships and activities (IP journal and Mock Trial) to boot.

I have an internship lined up with the attorney general's office for the first half of summer2k16, but other than that, no real career prospects.

The Spring OCI was a bust (not a single attractive option on the list, which was surprising), and I wasn't able to participate in Fall OCI because I transferred late from a T4 (and the haters said it couldn't be done)

My gpa is... not great, a measly 3.25. BUT! I plan on kicking it up a lot this semester, and can realistically do so.

So... what now? I send out apps all the time, about 5 or 6 a month, and NEVER hear back from any of these companies. What more can I do? Any late success stories?

My end goal is to be working in New York City at a big law firm. Can it be done? Has it been done?

[Anonymous User]

only 5 or 6 applications a month? you aren't even trying.

use NALPdirectory and apply to 10x as many firms. also max out your GPA to increase your chances at 3L hiring, during which it will also be incumbent on you to do your own research and mass mail applications.

[wolfie_m.]

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[mvp99]

yea you should send out more apps but more important why 2k16 instead of 2016?

[cowgirl_bebop]

It's still February so you have some time to find something to fill up the rest of your summer. Small-mid size firms, government, and in-house opportunities (paid & unpaid) are still out there at this point, but they are filling up fast and you've got to hit is hard. 5-6 applications a month isn't going to cut it. Hell, 5-6 applications a WEEK probably won't cut it.

3L OCI and the rest of the 3L hunt always sucks, but you're going to have to bet on that. Also be sure to hit up any contacts you have, especially alumni and professors, because they may be able to at least get your resume looked at when it otherwise might just thrown out with the rest of the pile.

[Anonymous User]

This is ALL fantastic advice.


But... where are the success stories?

[Neff]

This is ALL fantastic advice.


But... where are the success stories?

Lol I smell a troll. 5-6 resumes a month and he expects success stories. Lol.

[rinkrat19]

This is ALL fantastic advice.


But... where are the success stories?

Does it make a difference whether there are 10,000 success stories or 10? Are you just gonna not even try?

The only good advice (which you've already gotten) is to keep hustlin' until you have something to fill up 2L summer, and then keep hustlin' some more until you have something permanent.

I mean, unless you're already independently wealthy, or your parents will support you forever. Then feel free to not hustle.

[Anonymous User]

EDIT: it's 5 to 6 a week, not a month.

Not trolling.

[foregetaboutdre]

Flood your home market and flood NYC with resumes.

[PeanutsNJam]

Is this a common occurrence? Transfers missing OCI?

[Anonymous User]

Missing OCI: I missed the cut off date for bidding. I still put my self out there, but did not get any call backs. My GPA at the T4 had me in the Top 10%, and in obvious hindsight, I probably should have attempted to just do OCI with that school.

FWIW: I DO NOT live in NYC. I don't even live in NY.

[foregetaboutdre]

Missing OCI: I missed the cut off date for bidding. I still put my self out there, but did not get any call backs. My GPA at the T4 had me in the Top 10%, and in obvious hindsight, I probably should have attempted to just do OCI with that school.

FWIW: I DO NOT live in NYC. I don't even live in NY.

I just said to spam NYC as the firms there don't care about ties and also the market is huge.

[cron1834]

Listen to the haters next time.

[pancakes3]

Top 10% from T4 with a 3.25 at GULC after 1 semester is not a good look

[RaceJudicata]

5-6 per week is not nearly enough. Also, when you say Spring OCI had "no attractive options" do you mean to you, personally? Or nothing panned out?

At this point in the game, every firm job is an attractive option (biglaw or otherwise)

[jt91isles]

The Spring semester is rolling on, and I've got absolutely (almost) nothing.

I am at at T-14 school, and I've got what equates to an exciting and unique though also professionally relevant resume, with internships and activities (IP journal and Mock Trial) to boot.

I have an internship lined up with the attorney general's office for the first half of summer2k16, but other than that, no real career prospects.

The Spring OCI was a bust (not a single attractive option on the list, which was surprising), and I wasn't able to participate in Fall OCI because I transferred late from a T4 (and the haters said it couldn't be done)

My gpa is... not great, a measly 3.25. BUT! I plan on kicking it up a lot this semester, and can realistically do so.

So... what now? I send out apps all the time, about 5 or 6 a month, and NEVER hear back from any of these companies. What more can I do? Any late success stories?

My end goal is to be working in New York City at a big law firm. Can it be done? Has it been done?

5-6 a week/month is nothing. Send out 20 times that amount and I'm sure you will pick up some interviews.

[gaddockteeg]

FWIW, I struck out at OCI, and only sent like 1-2 apps a week afterwards. Got a SA and then upgraded firms during 3L.

10 REALLY good apps is better than 1000 mass mails imo.

My conversion rate of applications to screener interviews was somewhere between 50%-66%. Screener to CB was a different story but I basically had a screener at least every week. My grades were between median and top third at a t20.

[Anonymous User]

You really have to approach finding a job as more of a priority. It's easy to prioritize school, because you are a student and it's easier to focus on something you invest yourself in every day. The reality is that finding a summer job is just as important, if not more important than school. My classmates at MVP who prioritized school and had a "I'll try again next year attitude" generally wound up getting nothing, and those who prioritized the job search generally got something.

With each passing month your odds of getting a good job go down. Interviewing is also a skill so if you only have one interview every few months you're much likelier to make the same mistakes over and over again. I don't want to freak you out, but the I'll improve my cumulative GPA by .15 and try again next year is a losing strategy. A few of my friends who were below median 1L year were brilliant and had never been below average at anything before so they gave 2L and 3L 100% of their energy, and some graduated with higher GPA's than those who had graded onto law review. Ultimately, employers didn't care nearly as much about their GPA improvement as they did.

I don't want to freak you or anyone reading this out, and take my advice with a grain of salt as it's based on anecdotal evidence and a small sample size. That said, I'd encourage anyone in this position to ask themselves why getting an A in fed courts would drastically improve their likelihood of getting an in house position with a company like Bank of America.

[Anonymous User]

Like you, I transferred from t4 to t14 and was unsuccessful at OCI. But post-OCI through later October I sent out over 250 mass mails to every firm in every city that I could fathom myself living in for at least a year. Of all of that I got one offer at a v20 nyc firm, but the search/struggle literally consumed me, in every spare minute that I had I was researching to find more firms, companies and paid legal positions generally. This experience showed me that even though you worked hard and went from t4 to t14, firms don't care - they want the kids who went to t14 from the get - so you're already behind the eight ball. This may be harsh but your lackadaisical approach of 5-6 e-mails a month isn't going to get you a job. If you have a boilerplate template you can literally send 50+ a day by just replacing the name of the firm. Not sure if you're looking for this summer since you've got the internship, but you need to get a game plan together yesterday and execute like that ish like 4th quarter tom brady. Also you should look at the 3L OCI for advice/tips/conversation from people similarly situated

[Anonymous User]

I think OP has an ass-backwards approach. Who cares that you transferred into a T14 if you don't have a job that makes it all worth it? If OP is not at HYSCCNP (and we all know he's at Georgetown) then he's probably not going to get BigLaw at all. His best shot is bring grades up and nab a federal clerkship...and then enter the clerkship hiring game.

As for his general attitude, it's also pretty backwards. I struck out of my school's OCI last semester because of shitty grades. I skipped the first four weeks of school to just send out applications. Ended up getting multiple offers, including a V30 in New York. Not too impressive, but it was a JOB. And honestly, my last semester's grades weren't all that different from my (previously shitty) GPA.