Below Median OCI 2015 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Done with OCI. 30+ screeners with no callbacks. About 60% NY and 40% DC. 3.1 at MVP. Many dings. Lots of doom and gloom.

[Anonymous User]

Lower T14. .08 below median. First 5 screeners resulted in 3 cb's, and the other two are still up in the air as I just had them today. Keep your heads up everyone! There is definitely some love going around for us.

Suggesting that those with GPAs that begin with a "2._" have a chance? If so, congrats!!!!!

.08 under median would be a 3.25 at most t14.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for starting this thread!

I am at a T-10 and .2 below median. I have been networking hardcore ever since the firms started courting 1Ls during second semester. I have been keeping in touch with people at firms that I like the most and reaching out to them with questions. So far, 3 of my contacts have asked for my resume to help me get an interview/ bypass the screening process. I got between 14-18 interviews through our OCI lottery process. I have had 1 pre-oci call back and will be scheduling 1 in the near future. I have not yet started reaching out to alumni/ students at firms that I no clue about, but I will be doing that this week.

Also, I am a URM female.

OP of the above post. My results:
Call Backs: 8 (all V100)
Rejected: 9
Silence: 10
Offer: 1
Total interviews: 27

Also, not sure if networking helped me because I was rejected from all the firms where I had the strongest contacts.

[Anonymous User]

is it safe to say that in upcoming callbacks it is entirely about fit and personality? one of my callbacks comes from a lottery where i was like .3 under their typical GPA range, so am i right in assuming by inviting me to the firm, they are ok with my grades?

[Anonymous User]

Lower T14. .08 below median. First 5 screeners resulted in 3 cb's, and the other two are still up in the air as I just had them today. Keep your heads up everyone! There is definitely some love going around for us.

Suggesting that those with GPAs that begin with a "2._" have a chance? If so, congrats!!!!!

.08 under median would be a 3.25 at most t14.

Median at my T14 is a 3.35/3.4. Since when is median at a T14 a 4.0?

[anyriotgirl]

Lower T14. .08 below median. First 5 screeners resulted in 3 cb's, and the other two are still up in the air as I just had them today. Keep your heads up everyone! There is definitely some love going around for us.

Suggesting that those with GPAs that begin with a "2._" have a chance? If so, congrats!!!!!

.08 under median would be a 3.25 at most t14.

Median at my T14 is a 3.35/3.4. Since when is median at a T14 a 4.0?

do you even math

[Anonymous User]

Woops. Read .08 as .8. My bad!

[Anonymous User]

I've done 28 screeners, also 3.1 at MVP and no callbacks. but also only 1 ding so far. so at least there's that. I guess 27 silence. I've heard from several different interviewers that I am a good interviewee, friendly, sociable, outgoing, etc. so I guess I'm on a lot of waitlists because of my gpa?

[Anonymous User]

If you are at a T14, personality is mostly what matters. Even with low grades, you can snag a few offers. I had bottom 1/3 grades at a lower T14 and had 16 screeners, 8 CB, and 5 offers. I'm now a mid-level associate at a top firm.

Advice:

1. Interviewers crave a "normal" person (be honest, candid, funny); eye contact, deliberate pace in speaking, etc. If you aren't a normal person, you should adjust what you can. At this point, the law firm is your client. The firm wants to "buy" an elite attorney-to-be, so act like one. Once you start working, the other attorneys will be your "clients"--you work for them. The firm wants you to provide a service (great work product from a normal person).

2. Normal = get over yourself. First, you aren't smarter than the rest of the people at your school. GPA or status on a law journal don't indicate overall intelligence. Second, we can all do the work that a big law firms does. Therefore, personality is more material than GPA, undergrad, law review (time suck), etc.

Exception: some firms have arbitrary GPA cutoffs, but most don't.

Closing:

I understand this is preachy, but I'm preaching a contrary gospel based on hiring experience and work experience.

Many people with great grades are bull-headed and think that a GPA will carry them through OCI. Perhaps, but if you also have a passable personality, whether real or constructed, you will be more likely to have a job to service that debt. Some my say that you can't change who you are. But, your personality isn't immutable. The ability to interview well and to be sociable CAN be learned. You should begin by realizing that the interview isn't about you. The interview is about the firm buying a "billable machine" for its billable hours factory.

Finally, this is the only TLS post I've ever made. I made it because I have too many friends with great GPAs and zero job prospects. I'm was also tired of narcissistic, GPA/Law Review lemmings (usually 2Ls with no firm experience or idea about how hiring actually works).

[Anonymous User]

^ Hope I'm interviewing with you, then.

[Anonymous User]

^^ I think there is a lot to this. I have below median grades, but I have callbacks scheduled with several firms that have supposed GPA cutoffs way above my GPA. I think being able to simply talk to someone, and show some passion about their work and what you want to do goes a very, very long way. That being said, I assume some firms and even some individual interviewers will be grade snobs no matter what.

[Anonymous User]

Is there a second wave of callbacks? Like if a firm hasn't given you a cb but hasn't dinged you either...in a couple weeks when they interview everyone they've cb and make offers will they start looking at me? Or am I fucked after the initial cb round?

[Anonymous User]

from what CSO has told us, there are unofficial 'hold' or waitlists, so i would say don't count yourself out until you actually hear back one way or another

[Anonymous User]

V50 offer this week. Well below median at lower T14. Keep grinding people!

[Anonymous User]

^ Through MM or OCI?

[Anonymous User]

^ Through MM or OCI?

Anon above - through OCI

[Anonymous User]

Congrats. Most of my interviews are next week. No CBs so far, and I think my screeners are going alright. In hindsight, what made your interviews go so well?

[Anonymous User]

Anon here at CCN. Am pretty below median (probably by like .2). Got nothing from mass mail (sent out like 50). But so far I've got 7 CBs from OCI.

[Anonymous User]

From this thread it seems like below median at CCN is the lower limit of where things are still pretty alright. Below that though (except for the occasional charisma-bot)...

[Anonymous User]

honestly i think a ton has to do with fit, personality, and interviewing prowess. I'm below median at lower T14 (not URM and no IP) and I have 9 callbacks so far, and I still have a few screeners left. I found a lot of cbs came from when i only had a conversation with my interviewer, and didn't fall into the trap of answering a question and then slightly pausing/stopping and waiting for the next question--which I think makes things awkward for both us and the interviewer. I think taking a bit of ownership and making every effort to continue an area of interest brought up by the interviewer will pay huge dividends

[Anonymous User]

Below median at lower T14 with 8 callbacks. Still have half of my screeners, too. I'm certainly not a charisma bot, but I have had success keeping the conversations light and non-stressful for the interviewer. They spend all day forcing boring employment talk and behavioral questions with people, so my goal has just been to have a conversations. In one interview that I converted into a cb, I openly (but jokingly) made fun of the screener's favorite soccer team lol

[Anonymous User]

at a regional T30 school with no lottery system, received one preselect during OCI, did three other screeners within the regional market, two in NYC. Dinged from two of them now. I know that the screener season has passed and I've been massmailing like crazy (cover every firm that might be within my range in nalp 50-100)

top40% with secondary journal and decent work experience in a law firm before. did clerkship this summer and have bigname governmental externship this upcoming fall.

Any insight on how to reach out to people that might land me another screeners will help peeps!

[MCFC]

at a regional T30 school with no lottery system, received one preselect during OCI, did three other screeners within the regional market, two in NYC. Dinged from two of them now. I know that the screener season has passed and I've been massmailing like crazy (cover every firm that might be within my range in nalp 50-100)

top40% with secondary journal and decent work experience in a law firm before. did clerkship this summer and have bigname governmental externship this upcoming fall.

Any insight on how to reach out to people that might land me another screeners will help peeps!

If I read what you are saying correctly, you've mailed fewer than 50 firms?

[Anonymous User]

For those of you lower-T14 below median getting CBs...are they NYC/DC CBs or secondary markets?

[crumb cake]

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