AnBryce: The Definitive Collection Forum

[DontShootFurbies]

So you've been selected for an interview for the best program ever (but not in a cultish way).

1)Welcome: Current AB scholars at NYU will be taking questions in this thread. We'll do our best to get back to you asap, but you can (and should) also utilize the lists of contact information that have been or will be sent to you.

2) The basics: Roughly 35 people received invitations to interview. There are going to be 4 interview panels this year. Up to 10 people will ultimately make up the new class of AnBryce Scholars.

3) For your interviews: Don't worry!! AnBryce interviews aren't really something you can prepare for. We're all happy to talk to you about our experiences, but this isn't something that you can prepare for, and it's nothing to be afraid of.

4) Why you should interview no matter what: AnBryce is so much more than money. There are extensive programmatic benefits attached to the scholarship, and the community that the program builds is incredible. People have turned down Harvard, Yale, and Stanford to be a part of this program. I can't speak for everyone, but I've never heard anyone lamenting that choice.

5) That sounds pretty awesome. What if I don't get it?
Anecdotally, people who are not selected as AnBryce Scholars still receive generous aid packages, and we're still happy to hang out with you.


Also: If you're going to the DC panel, I'm a good person to talk to.

[politics89]

This is amazing! Thanks!

Once I process I know I'm going to have a million questions.

[Mojosodope]

so what kind of questions are actually asked at the interview? is it about the adversity you've faced, your resume, or basically everything is fair game?

[DontShootFurbies]

so what kind of questions are actually asked at the interview? is it about the adversity you've faced, your resume, or basically everything is fair game?

I believe everything is fair game, but my interview focused on the things in my AnBryce statement. We talked extensively about my family. However, the interview wasn't a therapy session; while we touched on the adversity I'd faced, I spent much more time talking about how that adversity had affected my aspirations, and how I'd grown as a person because of it. Very little time was spent on my resume. I talked about my volunteer work, but only because it was directly relevant to my career goals.


That said, I think that everyone's interview is unique. I'm happy to speak in more detail, but I think the most helpful advice on this is to think about what has shaped you most as a person, and expect that to come up.

[vincanity1]

Gonna tag into this as an AnBryce 2L who was also on the DC panel. Sup Furbie!

[jk123]

Thanks a ton for doing this! Could you talk about those programmatic benefits that make AnBryce exceptional/worth it? How has the community helped you?

[vincanity1]

Thanks a ton for doing this! Could you talk about those programmatic benefits that make AnBryce exceptional/worth it? How has the community helped you?

It usually takes me a few minutes to answer this question orally, so I'll give the cliffnotes. Also, I don't want to get into too many specifics. PM me for more specific details about anything.

A big focus of AnBryce is providing valuable contacts to people who have come up in communities without access to those resources. That gets started from day one. You'll get to know a lot of the big players in the law school very closely very early on, sometimes in very cool settings.

The biggest headliner, and this was one of the biggest draws for me, is that we have a system where almost all of the 1L AnBryce scholars get 1L summer associate positions with major biglaw firms. The current AB 1Ls are going to work at Wachtell, Kirkland, Davis Polk, and Paul Weiss this summer. In the past, scholars have gotten 1L gigs at places like S&C, Skadden, Cravath, etc.

There's a ton more. Intimate dinners with prominent business executives, politicians, GCs of fortune 500s, etc. are some of my favorite. We also do a lot of less formal programming with dinners and lunches really frequently. We just had one of those casual dinners tonight, actually.

A little tangential but still relevant is that there are only like 80 total AnBrycers ever, yet we've had at least one SCOTUS clerk, tons of top circuit clerks, people in government honors programs, a white house fellow, not to mention that 3 of the last 5 law review EICs have been AnBrycers,

There's tons more I'm leaving out. I'll just say this for now (to everyone checking out this thread) :

I know the interview is super late this year. We had to work with SCOTUS's schedule. Tons of the people in AnBryce through the years turned down HYS. I HIGHLY recommend you hold back from committing somewhere before you get a chance to hear first hand why they did, and why you almost definitely should.

[DontShootFurbies]

Thanks a ton for doing this! Could you talk about those programmatic benefits that make AnBryce exceptional/worth it? How has the community helped you?

Other people definitely need to weigh in on this one, because I know I'll miss things. (I also apologize for things that were made redundant by the post above this, but I'm too lazy to rewrite it at 1:21 am.)


1) Career: AnBryce comes with a built-in network of both alumni and supporters of the program. I have had the opportunity to meet incredibly accomplished individuals, all of whom expressed an interest in serving as mentors to AnBryce Scholars. As someone with no connections to speak of outside of AnBryce, I have also found this to be an unexpectedly important aspect of the program.

Private Sector
For those of you interested in private sector firms, AnBryce is kind of a golden ticket. There's a hiring program for your 1L summer (AnBryce Summer Associate Program, or "ASAP"), and most scholars get the chance to work as summer associates in major NYC firms. I'll leave the details about this to someone else, as I'm going into public defense.

Public Sector
There are also advantages for public interest work, though they are a bit less obvious. However, AnBrycers have been selected for prestigious PI fellowships, and there is an increasingly strong network of AnBryce alums who have moved into the public sector who are excited to help out current scholars. Not paying tuition makes LRAP even more attractive.

Furthermore, in my experience, employers are impressed with the AnBryce program. Both of my job searches were two days long. I can't promise this is typical, but AnBryce came up in almost all of my interviews, and though not every office knew what it was, it was a platform from which I could comfortably bring up my background, which goes a really long way when you're trying to convince people that yes, you really do want to forsake that big law salary to help indigent communities.


2) Life: Law school, if you want to remain sane, cannot be your entire life. Although there's always a chance that budgets will change from year to year, AnBryce currently provides scholars with a yearly budget for planning (or spontaneously embarking upon) adventures. We have gone to many lunches and dinners, movies, musicals, comedy shows, concerts, classes (of the wine and cheese tasting variety, not Civil Procedure), and other cultural events together. These events are either entirely paid for or subsidized, and it is awesome.


3) Community: AnBryce gets credit for close to 100% of my happiness in law school. That's saying a lot, because NYU is independently wonderful. I'm trying to write this without sounding mushy; I'm having trouble, because I love the other scholars so much. They're incredible people, and the best friends one could ever hope to have in law school.

I can't overestimate how important having this community has been. Law school is hard. I know, that's not exactly a secret, but it's hard in ways I didn't necessarily expect. Having people who understand your background, who know where you're coming from, and who are always willing to help lift you up is a truly invaluable thing. I can't imagine finding a community like this outside of this program, and I can't imagine going through law school without it.

Also a very good show on NBC, returning 2/27.

Gonna tag into this as an AnBryce 2L who was also on the DC panel. Sup Furby!

Hello, sir!

[paglababa]

I'm so excited. 33% chance of being a recipient is NOT bad at all!

From what I'm reading it seems like AnBryce may be hands down one of the best programs at NYU.

Can you provide for information about the interview? I've only ever had 1on1 job interviews.
Is it just one interview conducted by a panel of interviewers, or is it multiple interviewers throughout the day? How long is the interview? I assume its not conversational like a 1on1 interview would be?

[vincanity1]

I'm so excited. 33% chance of being a recipient is NOT bad at all!

From what I'm reading it seems like AnBryce may be hands down one of the best programs at NYU.

Can you provide for information about the interview? I've only ever had 1on1 job interviews.
Is it just one interview conducted by a panel of interviewers, or is it multiple interviewers throughout the day? How long is the interview? I assume its not conversational like a 1on1 interview would be?

It's one 30min interview by the panel of 6 or so. It's somewhat conversational, but that sometimes varies based on the panel/person involved. It's not rigorous at all. Sometimes they'll focus on your resume, other times it'll be your AnBryce statement, and sometimes they'll just chat about your family with you. I've heard of offers coming out of all three types of interviews.

[paglababa]

I'm so excited. 33% chance of being a recipient is NOT bad at all!

From what I'm reading it seems like AnBryce may be hands down one of the best programs at NYU.

Can you provide for information about the interview? I've only ever had 1on1 job interviews.
Is it just one interview conducted by a panel of interviewers, or is it multiple interviewers throughout the day? How long is the interview? I assume its not conversational like a 1on1 interview would be?

It's one 30min interview by the panel of 6 or so. It's somewhat conversational, but that sometimes varies based on the panel/person involved. It's not rigorous at all. Sometimes they'll focus on your resume, other times it'll be your AnBryce statement, and sometimes they'll just chat about your family with you. I've heard of offers coming out of all three types of interviews.

Thanks, this does not sound bad at all. Are there particular things the panel look for in a candidate? I wonder what distinguishes the ~20 non recipients from the chosen 10.

Edit: I know this sounds ridiculous and silly after the background many of us have, but I sometimes fear my adversity is not as compelling as someone who definitely had it worse - overcame homelessness,abuse,single parent home, ect.

Are there any nonURM as defined by LSAC in the program?

[DontShootFurbies]

Are there any nonURM as defined by LSAC in the program?

Yes.

Thanks, this does not sound bad at all. Are there particular things the panel look for in a candidate? I wonder what distinguishes the ~20 non recipients from the chosen 10.

Edit: I know this sounds ridiculous and silly after the background many of us have, but I sometimes fear my adversity is not as compelling as someone who definitely had it worse - overcame homelessness,abuse,single parent home, ect.

I'm not sure. My feeling is that there are probably people who "had it worse" than I did and didn't get chosen. I've never been on an interview panel, of course, but I get the sense that they're just as interested in who you are as a person as they are your story. Maybe more interested, actually.

On that note, be genuine in your interview. All of the panelists are very good at detecting BS. Overselling or fabricating tragedy in your life won't help you. Being real will.

[vincanity1]

I'm so excited. 33% chance of being a recipient is NOT bad at all!

From what I'm reading it seems like AnBryce may be hands down one of the best programs at NYU.

Can you provide for information about the interview? I've only ever had 1on1 job interviews.
Is it just one interview conducted by a panel of interviewers, or is it multiple interviewers throughout the day? How long is the interview? I assume its not conversational like a 1on1 interview would be?

It's one 30min interview by the panel of 6 or so. It's somewhat conversational, but that sometimes varies based on the panel/person involved. It's not rigorous at all. Sometimes they'll focus on your resume, other times it'll be your AnBryce statement, and sometimes they'll just chat about your family with you. I've heard of offers coming out of all three types of interviews.

Thanks, this does not sound bad at all. Are there particular things the panel look for in a candidate? I wonder what distinguishes the ~20 non recipients from the chosen 10.

Edit: I know this sounds ridiculous and silly after the background many of us have, but I sometimes fear my adversity is not as compelling as someone who definitely had it worse - overcame homelessness,abuse,single parent home, ect.

Are there any nonURM as defined by LSAC in the program?

Nah, that's a really common question. I wouldn't say there are any particular things other than what you'd expect (eg hard worker, humble, smart, thoughtful etc). Often, people eliminate themselves. As you'll see in law school, some people just aren't great to be around/talk to. Other times, it's just not a good fit. And there's not really a way you can game the system either, though you shouldn't be worried about that.

There are plenty non-urms. i think there are like 4 in my AB year. A third of the 1L ABers are non-urm. The scholarship isn't about racial diversity, though the recipients are often racially diverse by nature of socio-demographic forces I guess. That's probably not the right compound word but whatever, you know what I mean

[MissMiran]

Tagging in as a current 2L.

Thanks a ton for doing this! Could you talk about those programmatic benefits that make AnBryce exceptional/worth it? How has the community helped you?

In addition to what has already been said, I would further highlight the community of faculty/administrators and students who would wrestle a troll to help AnBrycers. There are people in pretty much every office (financial aid, career services, etc.) who know about the program and are willing to talk to us. I've never had a problem that I had to handle on my own. For example, a career counselor helps the 1Ls go through the ASAP process, which means that I have a personal relationship with a counselor who has been willing to email me, schedule meetings, look over my resume, etc. (even after ASAP), while I have friends outside the program who have had a much harder time navigating that process.

Thanks, this does not sound bad at all. Are there particular things the panel look for in a candidate? I wonder what distinguishes the ~20 non recipients from the chosen 10.

Edit: I know this sounds ridiculous and silly after the background many of us have, but I sometimes fear my adversity is not as compelling as someone who definitely had it worse - overcame homelessness,abuse,single parent home, ect.

I would add to Furby and vincanity's comments that all of the AnBrycers I know have not only come from some tough situations but have also been able to articulate how it has shaped them into future lawyers and/or how they have worked very hard to grow past those situations. It's one thing to say that you've come from a bad situation and another thing entirely to be able to explain the hard work you've put in to get yourself into that chair in front of the interview panel. I feel like there were definitely people in my interview group who came from worse situations than I did, so my advice is to not to view it as a competition of who had it worse growing up. Rather I think it's important to be confident in the hard work you've put in to get where you are, the accomplishments you've had in college, the positions you've held (part-time jobs, in school organizations, etc.), and be ready to point those things out and talk about their importance to you.

I'll just make sure to say that this is entirely my own advice gathered from my own experiences and talking to other people who have interviewed. I've never been on an interview panel.

[capricious]

I'm so excited. 33% chance of being a recipient is NOT bad at all!

From what I'm reading it seems like AnBryce may be hands down one of the best programs at NYU.

Can you provide for information about the interview? I've only ever had 1on1 job interviews.
Is it just one interview conducted by a panel of interviewers, or is it multiple interviewers throughout the day? How long is the interview? I assume its not conversational like a 1on1 interview would be?

IMO there is no "may." It is hands down the best. Other programs have their events, but not the programming and support AnBryce does.

[paglababa]

Thanks to everyone who's offered their valuable insight! I certainly feel more prepared on what to expect and how to structure my narrative. Hoping to meet some of you very soon. Cheers.

[Nonconsecutive]

Thanks to all those taking questions, there seemed to be a lack of detailed information on this scholarship on TLS.

Do those who are invited to interview get to choose which location they interview in, or are you assigned a site? The website made it seem like there were more locations than NYC, at least in the past.

Also, how do they cover your expenses? Do they pretty much tell you how your going to get there and where you will stay, or do you hand in receipts? I'm also assuming they will only pay for you, no guest?

[vincanity1]

Thanks to all those taking questions, there seemed to be a lack of detailed information on this scholarship on TLS.

Do those who are invited to interview get to choose which location they interview in, or are you assigned a site? The website made it seem like there were more locations than NYC, at least in the past.

Also, how do they cover your expenses? Do they pretty much tell you how your going to get there and where you will stay, or do you hand in receipts? I'm also assuming they will only pay for you, no guest?

They slot you into a location.

You'll be reimbursed for expenses by mailing in your receipts and getting a check in the mail to cover them. Travel arrangements are made with a travel agency. David will book a hotel room for you unless you don't need accommodation. Yeah, they won't pay for a guest.

[politics89]

Thanks to all those taking questions, there seemed to be a lack of detailed information on this scholarship on TLS.

Do those who are invited to interview get to choose which location they interview in, or are you assigned a site? The website made it seem like there were more locations than NYC, at least in the past.

Also, how do they cover your expenses? Do they pretty much tell you how your going to get there and where you will stay, or do you hand in receipts? I'm also assuming they will only pay for you, no guest?

They slot you into a location.

You'll be reimbursed for expenses by mailing in your receipts and getting a check in the mail to cover them. Travel arrangements are made with a travel agency. David will book a hotel room for you unless you don't need accommodation. Yeah, they won't pay for a guest.

I get not paying for guests, but is one still allowed to come (like do we get private hotel rooms?). My SO would probably be moving to NYC with me, so I would love for him to be able to get a feel for the city. He was going to come to the regular ASW with me.

[vincanity1]

Thanks to all those taking questions, there seemed to be a lack of detailed information on this scholarship on TLS.

Do those who are invited to interview get to choose which location they interview in, or are you assigned a site? The website made it seem like there were more locations than NYC, at least in the past.

Also, how do they cover your expenses? Do they pretty much tell you how your going to get there and where you will stay, or do you hand in receipts? I'm also assuming they will only pay for you, no guest?

They slot you into a location.

You'll be reimbursed for expenses by mailing in your receipts and getting a check in the mail to cover them. Travel arrangements are made with a travel agency. David will book a hotel room for you unless you don't need accommodation. Yeah, they won't pay for a guest.

I get not paying for guests, but is one still allowed to come (like do we get private hotel rooms?). My SO would probably be moving to NYC with me, so I would love for him to be able to get a feel for the city. He was going to come to the regular ASW with me.

I believe the hotel rooms will be shared (1 same-sex, co-finalist roommate)

[DontShootFurbies]

I believe the hotel rooms will be shared (1 same-sex, co-finalist roommate)

Correct. Both the hotel in DC and in NYC were shared.

I get not paying for guests, but is one still allowed to come (like do we get private hotel rooms?). My SO would probably be moving to NYC with me, so I would love for him to be able to get a feel for the city. He was going to come to the regular ASW with me.

I was in a very similar boat. I was a bit sad that my SO couldn't tag along for the weekend (though I also didn't ask for special accommodations to make that happen, so it may have been possible). Looking back, though, I'm glad he couldn't.

The interview weekend is really your best chance to get a feel for whether this program is the right fit for you. It's also our best chance to get to know you! There is a reception with current scholars, and we usually go out afterwards, and it's fantastic. Others may disagree, but I think if I had had my SO around, either a) I would have not gotten to spend as much time bonding with the current scholars, or b) he would have felt completely ignored and the trip would not have been worthwhile for him.

Your situation may be different, but I think for most people, coming alone is the right answer. [Edit: I don't know of any rules that they can't come, but some of the events are most likely just for scholars.]


Another edit: If, recognizing that you're going to be super busy, it still seems like the best option for you and your SO that they come along (there are plenty of circumstances where that may be the case), you should reach out to David and see if something can be worked out. Everyone's circumstances are different, and AnBryce is really good about trying to make your life better.

[Nonconsecutive]

Thanks for the continued responses, I think these are great questions/answers to have logged into TLS' library for this program.

From looking over the website, it seems like that if you are selected for a non-NYC interview site that they will also pay to get you to NYC for the admitted students day on the 11th, is that correct?

[DontShootFurbies]

From looking over the website, it seems like that if you are selected for a non-NYC interview site that they will also pay to get you to NYC for the admitted students day on the 11th, is that correct?

Yes. The finalists in DC all took a train up to NYC together. They take care of pretty much everything for you throughout the weekend. My flight to DC, train to NY, and flight home were all booked and paid for with minimal effort on my part.

[AnBryce_Hopeful]

Checking in. And congratulations to the other AnBryce finalists.

[MissMiran]

RE: Non-NYC interview sites...

There used to be one panel in NYC, one in DC, and one in California. Last year they did away with the California panel and made it two NYC panels and one DC panel (because it was ridiculous to fly to California and interview, then get up at 3am the next morning amd fly to NYC for the other events.... I did it; it was indeed ridiculous). So yes, there did used to be three sites, and if the information available to you guys is confusing on this point that's probably why.

As others have said, your travel to and from the sites and your accommodations are covered. Any scheduled meals you have officially with the group are likewise covered. The only expenses you should have are traveling to and from the airport, and any meals or activities you decide to do that aren't officially with the group. And those are reimbursed through mailing in your receipts.