OCI callbacks thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have some thoughts that I hope will be useful to T14 people above median who are striking out at OCI that I'll try to post later on. The short version is that even if things look really, really bleak right now, if you look out 4, 12, 24, 36 months there are a lot of ways you can stay in the biglaw game IF you move your GPA up to top third territory over your 2L and 3L years. I know that must sound a little hollow right now, but I honestly believe you're still going to be just fine.

I'd like to think that we're not that screwed, and that there will be multiple tiers/rounds of callbacks/offers, but seeing people with pretty good grades striking out and being rejected by every firm they've interviewed with, I'm not feeling so great. I'm approximately top-25% at a T14, and unless I get some callbacks next week (which I'm not counting on) I'm thinking about dropping out or taking a year off.

I had hoped that pretty conservative bidding would help me get callbacks, but it seems like even firms who have traditionally hired right around median are now willing to pass over everyone outside top 10%.

you might just be a bad interviewer. my grades put my exactly where you are, at DCNG, and i absolutely cleaned up. where did you bid? mine were all NYC.

I dunno. I am not the greatest interviewer, but not the worst, and probably better than average. Career services at my school told me that they really couldn't help me improve, but gave me a few small tips anyway. I have been rejected from every NYC firm I applied to, being above median and on a secondary journal. I just don't see predictability in the process for the class of 2011, not at all.

[Anonymous User]

I have some thoughts that I hope will be useful to T14 people above median who are striking out at OCI that I'll try to post later on. The short version is that even if things look really, really bleak right now, if you look out 4, 12, 24, 36 months there are a lot of ways you can stay in the biglaw game IF you move your GPA up to top third territory over your 2L and 3L years. I know that must sound a little hollow right now, but I honestly believe you're still going to be just fine.

I'd like to think that we're not that screwed, and that there will be multiple tiers/rounds of callbacks/offers, but seeing people with pretty good grades striking out and being rejected by every firm they've interviewed with, I'm not feeling so great. I'm approximately top-25% at a T14, and unless I get some callbacks next week (which I'm not counting on) I'm thinking about dropping out or taking a year off.

I had hoped that pretty conservative bidding would help me get callbacks, but it seems like even firms who have traditionally hired right around median are now willing to pass over everyone outside top 10%.

you might just be a bad interviewer. my grades put my exactly where you are, at DCNG, and i absolutely cleaned up. where did you bid? mine were all NYC.

Definitely not a great interviewer, but better than a lot I've seen. My background is a little unusual and took a lot of time at a lot of interviews, but I don't know many students who are cleaning up right now. Scored another callback today, though, which at least gives me optimism I might hear from more this week.

All NYC, too.

[Anonymous User]

T14
3.67-4.0
Midwest/South
OCI: 3 callbacks, 5 dings, 4 pending
non-OCI: 2 phone screening interviews, 0 callbacks, 4 dings, 15 pending

Midwest: 0-3
South: 3-6

AmLaw 50: 3-5
AmLaw 51-100: 0-1
non-AmLaw 100: 0-3

Updated.

[Anonymous User]

Lower T14
Top 2% + LR
19 interviews
13 callbacks
1 ding
6 pending
Targeting several major markets

[FrankReynolds]

Update:

CCN, below median

~30 interviews (many way outside my gpa just for kicks)
3 callbacks from V50 and V100 firms
1 offer from my top choice
probably done.

[chipmunk]

Update:

CCN, below median

~30 interviews (many way outside my gpa just for kicks)
3 callbacks from V50 and V100 firms
1 offer from my top choice
probably done.

An offer from your top choice and you're probably done? Congrats!!

[FrankReynolds]

lol thanks... well top choices can shift after meeting more people at other firms, but I am most likely done

[Anonymous User]

I'm at a T20 school that finished OCI recently.
We don't rank, but from the info we get I estimate that I am top 10%, maybe top 5%. Moot court, no LR.
I applied to the local regional market only. I had 14 screening interviews.
So far I've gotten 2 callbacks and no dings.

I noticed at our OCI (which mostly pre-screens) that the classmates I saw the most were the ones who are older and have work experience. I don't know if this is because they had the best grades or if the local firms are showing a preference for work experience.
It seems like summer associate hiring in my local market is around 1/2 to 1/3 of what is typical in a good economy. I feel lucky to have 2 callbacks, and I was able to schedule them both very early so I think that is a good sign.

[FrankReynolds]

WE is key ITE. Median students straight from liberal arts undergrad degrees have a much harder time selling their stories now that T14 is not a golden ticket.

[hbb]

My tier 3 is a respected school in the region, but not so much out of it. I thought that was a factor but there are other transfers here from my old school and schools similarly situated who did really well, so I really have no idea what the deal is with OCI besides just my lack of interviewing skills (possibly?-- I really don't know though because a lot of firms really didn't interview me but just asked me what questions I had for them).

I know the mega spamming isn't the most effective method of getting a job, but it's just really hard to target firms because it's unclear as to what firms even have a summer program this year (about 50% that did last year don't this year), and then out of those that do it seems like most have cut close to 50% of their programs. I actually did have a large pile of rejection letters sitting around at home until I just started throwing them out right away. I think I actually threw a few away without even opening them because I knew they were rejections without even opening them. Many firms emailed back as well though-- It was actually pretty bad when I was spamming during the day because it felt like I was getting rejections just about as fast as I was sending out emails.

Overall, I think last year I would have at least ended up with something out of OCI (even if not a top vault firm), but this year is definitely rougher (but I guess it's not exactly new news that grades alone weren't going to cut it this year, and the lack of journal acceptance (yet) or prior experience didn't help).

I've received three requests to interview via U.S. Mail, two of which led to call-backs. I can't believe that it's actually necessary for me to say this, but if you receive correspondence from a law firm during the recruiting season, you might want to consider reading it.

[Anonymous User]

kirkland NY has started to call.

[gollymolly]

.

[Anonymous User]

Poster who got a call from Kirkland NY: Could you share which school you're at?

[Anonymous User]

kirkland NY has started to call.

The Chicago office has as well.

[Anonymous User]

Poster who got a call from Kirkland NY: Could you share which school you're at?

Michigan.

[Anonymous User]

my Kirkland caller said that all K&E offices were calling all the callback people from every school today.

[Anonymous User]

damn, i hope not

[Anonymous User]

Just to add to the mix:

T6, slightly above median, secondary journal + WE
~ 30 interviews, all NYC
10 CB's
4 dings
the rest are outstanding... but I assume almost all are dings since NY is pretty quick on turnaround and it's been a while since interviews.

[gollymolly]

.

[TTT-LS]

.

[rms5005]

how long did Latham-NY take to make calls

[gollymolly]

.

[Georgiana]

Did anyone hear from Kirkland DC today?

[Anonymous User]

CB from Ropes and Gray NY today, first CB and it was my last interview through OCI that I had...

[Georgiana]

Hi all! Just a quick update from Penn OCI!
[Post 1]
Firms that have called (nyc offices only):
Jones Day
Debevois
Winston Strawn
Davis Polk

[Post 2]
WilmerHale is making calls (I don't think it is city specific)
Jones Day Pittsburgh
Ropes & Gray also made calls, not sure the offices
Cravath
Also: In the past hour... Simpson Thacher NYC
Update: Weil Boston

[Post 3]
Updates I remember:
Cleary NY and DC
Proskauer
Perkins Coie
Cozen O'Connor
Hunton & Williams

News from today... I know there are firms I don't know about so feel free to update me if you like...
Kaye Scholer
Kramer Levin
Miles Stockbridge
Weil
Willkie (I think)
Paul Weiss

Edit for spelling errors... sorry firms!