Duke OCI - Class of 2016 - Oooh Kill Em Forum

[lawyerwannabe]

Any upperclassmen care to report their conversion rate for screeners to callbacks, or, more simply, what the typical number of callbacks is? Past Duke OCI threads make it seem like most people get around 15-20 screeners and 5 or fewer callbacks. I have 6 screeners coming up before OCI and want to manage my expectations (i.e., am I doing something seriously wrong if I end up with no callbacks from those or is that par for the course).

This is, unfortunately, an impossible question to answer because screeners are granted at OCI by lottery (i.e. the firm is told who they are interviewing). Therefore, if firms are out of your GPA range, there is a chance you could get 20+ screeners and receive 0 CBs.
There is also a chance you could get 20+ screeners and get a CB from every single interviewing firm. For people in the mushy middle, interviewing skills are what is crucial. A person with a 3.4 - 3.5 GPA who is a strong interview could easily end up with more CBs and offers than a person with a 3.6.

However, if you get 5+ CBs out of OCI, I would consider that a success. You should probably be able to convert at least one of those into an offer.

[Anonymous User]

Do upperclassmen have any insight into how slightly below median students fared at OCI last year? Were there a lot of strikeouts?

[Anonymous User]

Is anyone else underwhelmed by the list of nyc firms coming to OCI? It feels very top heavy and there are not many "less prestigious" vault firms coming.

[Anonymous User]

Is anyone else underwhelmed by the list of nyc firms coming to OCI? It feels very top heavy and there are not many "less prestigious" vault firms coming.

That is how it is pretty much every year. That is why mass mailing NYC is a good idea if you are not a sure bet to snag one of the firms coming to OCI (there are plenty of them left to mail!).

[Anonymous User]

Do upperclassmen have any insight into how slightly below median students fared at OCI last year? Were there a lot of strikeouts?

No insight into last year.

However, my year, I would not count on anything from OCI if you have below a 3.3 IMO. You may get something but the deck is very largely stacked against you. OCI was very feast or famine in my experience.

[Anonymous User]

Do people actually get screeners out of Resume Collect? I'm hoping it's more like a Preselect arrangement (vs. the lottery system of OCI) and not just a black hole you throw resumes into.

[Anonymous User]

Do upperclassmen have any insight into how slightly below median students fared at OCI last year? Were there a lot of strikeouts?

No insight into last year.

However, my year, I would not count on anything from OCI if you have below a 3.3 IMO. You may get something but the deck is very largely stacked against you. OCI was very feast or famine in my experience.

Well I don't like feasting or being famished, OCI might be rough. I wonder how fine the differentiation become once you are below 3.3. For example, is a 3.21 very different from a 3.25?

[beachbum]

Do people actually get screeners out of Resume Collect? I'm hoping it's more like a Preselect arrangement (vs. the lottery system of OCI) and not just a black hole you throw resumes into.

Yes.

Also, another general point (/round two on that dead horse): OCI is not like law school admissions, where LSAT and GPA alone were outcome-determinative. Beyond the extremes (e.g. certain firms will lose their shit when they see that 3.9), OCI functions differently. That is, most firms are going to have a relatively wide GPA range they'll consider, and, within that group, candidates are separated by the interview and resume. It's a much "softer" process, in other words. Which is why others have noted that someone with (for example) a 3.4 might end up with more callbacks than someone with a 3.6. There are simply more variables in play than GPA, and the interview itself often counts for a lot.

Of course, this isn't to say GPA doesn't matter, or that you shouldn't take GPA into account when bidding (you should). But the process is much more fluid and variable than X GPA = 3 to 5 callbacks.

(Which is all to say that, if you have the grades to get your foot in the door, you might be pleasantly surprised by how things go. Or, conversely, if you're not a great interviewee, time to start practicing.)

[lawyerwannabe]

Any upperclassmen care to report their conversion rate for screeners to callbacks, or, more simply, what the typical number of callbacks is? Past Duke OCI threads make it seem like most people get around 15-20 screeners and 5 or fewer callbacks. I have 6 screeners coming up before OCI and want to manage my expectations (i.e., am I doing something seriously wrong if I end up with no callbacks from those or is that par for the course).

This is, unfortunately, an impossible question to answer because screeners are granted at OCI by lottery (i.e. the firm is told who they are interviewing). Therefore, if firms are out of your GPA range, there is a chance you could get 20+ screeners and receive 0 CBs.
There is also a chance you could get 20+ screeners and get a CB from every single interviewing firm. For people in the mushy middle, interviewing skills are what is crucial. A person with a 3.4 - 3.5 GPA who is a strong interview could easily end up with more CBs and offers than a person with a 3.6.

However, if you get 5+ CBs out of OCI, I would consider that a success. You should probably be able to convert at least one of those into an offer.

Also, just to clear up my post, I am pretty sure almost no one will get 20+ screeners for NY firms. I got 19 and remember that being much better than some other people (who only got like 13 or so).

[Anonymous User]

I know a few people who already have CB's lined up before OCI, is this normal?

[Anonymous User]

A journal is better than no journal right? What do employers know about exclusive vs. non-exclusive journals at Duke?

[Anonymous User]

A journal is better than no journal right? What do employers know about exclusive vs. non-exclusive journals at Duke?

My understanding: DLJ >> Secondary Journal > No Journal with Grades still most important.

[Anonymous User]

I know a few people who already have CB's lined up before OCI, is this normal?

Very normal if you are contacting non-OCI firms. There are a ton of big firms that don't come to OCI. Get out there contacting them now and you could be one of those people too. Don't rely on OCI alone.

[lawyerwannabe]

I know a few people who already have CB's lined up before OCI, is this normal?

Very normal if you are contacting non-OCI firms. There are a ton of big firms that don't come to OCI. Get out there contacting them now and you could be one of those people too. Don't rely on OCI alone.

Yep. This. A decent number of people had really good offers pre-OCI and were playing with house money IIRC.

[lawyerwannabe]

A journal is better than no journal right? What do employers know about exclusive vs. non-exclusive journals at Duke?

My understanding: DLJ >> Secondary Journal > No Journal with Grades still most important.

Grades and personality are the most important. If you have the grades and the interviewer likes you but you do not have a journal, you are going to get a CB.

Viewing journals in a vacuum, DLJ > other journals > no journal. Some people may view L&CP and/Alaska as plus in the "other journals" category, but it seemed as if the general categorization I gave held the most true the most often.

[Anonymous User]

With between a 3.45 and 3.5, and some combo of journal/moot court, any input on which NY OCI firms are OUT of the conversation? I've looked over the offer report and, much like everyone else, heard to take the ranges with a grain of salt. Anecdotally, anyone have any input or experience here?

[Anonymous User]

I know this is unlikely but is there anybody out there who wasn't in the first journal selection batch but was later extended an invite? Still crickets for me...

[Anonymous User]

I know this is unlikely but is there anybody out there who wasn't in the first journal selection batch but was later extended an invite? Still crickets for me...

I was last year.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of or have any resource or knowledge about firm gpa cutoffs other than the offer report? That thing just feels very unreliable and is honestly a crapshoot with really small sample sizes. Too bad CSO doesn't have a "call-back" report, at least the samples would be larger. I am totally second guessing my bid list/strategy and don't really know what direction to go in.

[Anonymous User]

With between a 3.45 and 3.5, and some combo of journal/moot court, any input on which NY OCI firms are OUT of the conversation? I've looked over the offer report and, much like everyone else, heard to take the ranges with a grain of salt. Anecdotally, anyone have any input or experience here?

If you are a strong interviewer, only SullCrom truly out based purely on grades. However, even if you are a strong interviewer, it is going to be a pretty steep uphill climb for any of the V10 (I would still probably bid a mix of Skadden, DPW, Weil, Kirkland, Latham though).

If you are interested in corporate, I would make sure I got an interview with Willkie, Jones Day, Ropes & Gray, Shearman & Sterling and Milbank as they are the best combination of solid corporate firms and attainability in your GPA range.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of or have any resource or knowledge about firm gpa cutoffs other than the offer report? That thing just feels very unreliable and is honestly a crapshoot with really small sample sizes. Too bad CSO doesn't have a "call-back" report, at least the samples would be larger. I am totally second guessing my bid list/strategy and don't really know what direction to go in.

If NYC, I would be happy to critique your list the next time I log back in.

[Anonymous User]

Curious to see who has CB's scheduled as of now.

[Anonymous User]

I hope as many people as possible get CBs over the summer so the rest of us have less competition at OCI! (I'm assuming that people who get offers over the summer will turn down CBs/offers more quickly at OCI and/or cast a less wide net with bidding/resume collect).

[Anonymous User]

Curious to see who has CB's scheduled as of now.

I have 4 scheduled as of now, all the week before OCI.

[Anonymous User]

Makes me feel great about my 0. Are you guys only applying to firms that are not come to OCI right now? Has anyone got a pre OCI CB with a firm that will be at OCI?