Post removed... Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

[runthetrap1990]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

This point has been discussed to quite an extent in this thread, but I'll rehash it drill the point down. You are not screwed. Kids in your position have been able to secure Moderately Grade Focused firm callbacks and offers, and it is the interviewing that helps them get to that point. As has been said countless times at this point: Practice, Practice, Practice. Definitely practice interviewing as much as you can. Get it so that you are always on point every time you answer a potential question. The key for you is to sell yourself and your value as an employee and to show that despite grades you can and will provide value to the firm. You want to have a collection of stories and experiences that will knock the interviewer off their feet and have them remember who you are so that, when push comes to shove, they're willing to give you a callback. You have a little under 3 weeks. Get your narrative down and tight. Get your stories all polished and in a way that emphasizes the important characteristics and traits. Be ready to embellish every nook and cranny on your resume. It doesn't matter if you think you are the G.O.A.T. in interviewing or if you think your interviewing leaves more to be desired: Practice can only help you in a positive fashion.

However, you obviously want to make sure you are covering all your basis. Try and reach out to any firm you didn't get a screener from. Hustle for some open slot screeners. See if they will slot you in at the Hospitality Suites. Apply to firms that may not be coming to AJF. Just do everything you can to get your application and name out there so that you can maximize the possibility of callbacks and, in turn, offers. Nothing is off the table for you (and I would say this to people with grades well below yours), but you need to put in the work.

[Anonymous User]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

This point has been discussed to quite an extent in this thread, but I'll rehash it drill the point down. You are not screwed. Kids in your position have been able to secure Moderately Grade Focused firm callbacks and offers, and it is the interviewing that helps them get to that point. As has been said countless times at this point: Practice, Practice, Practice. Definitely practice interviewing as much as you can. Get it so that you are always on point every time you answer a potential question. The key for you is to sell yourself and your value as an employee and to show that despite grades you can and will provide value to the firm. You want to have a collection of stories and experiences that will knock the interviewer off their feet and have them remember who you are so that, when push comes to shove, they're willing to give you a callback. You have a little under 3 weeks. Get your narrative down and tight. Get your stories all polished and in a way that emphasizes the important characteristics and traits. Be ready to embellish every nook and cranny on your resume. It doesn't matter if you think you are the G.O.A.T. in interviewing or if you think your interviewing leaves more to be desired: Practice can only help you in a positive fashion.

However, you obviously want to make sure you are covering all your basis. Try and reach out to any firm you didn't get a screener from. Hustle for some open slot screeners. See if they will slot you in at the Hospitality Suites. Apply to firms that may not be coming to AJF. Just do everything you can to get your application and name out there so that you can maximize the possibility of callbacks and, in turn, offers. Nothing is off the table for you (and I would say this to people with grades well below yours), but you need to put in the work.

Looking for a little bit more help here. I noticed people keep talking about your narrative and story. I don't really have one. I just want to make $$$. I'm poor. How do I spin this into a narrative?

[runthetrap1990]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

This point has been discussed to quite an extent in this thread, but I'll rehash it drill the point down. You are not screwed. Kids in your position have been able to secure Moderately Grade Focused firm callbacks and offers, and it is the interviewing that helps them get to that point. As has been said countless times at this point: Practice, Practice, Practice. Definitely practice interviewing as much as you can. Get it so that you are always on point every time you answer a potential question. The key for you is to sell yourself and your value as an employee and to show that despite grades you can and will provide value to the firm. You want to have a collection of stories and experiences that will knock the interviewer off their feet and have them remember who you are so that, when push comes to shove, they're willing to give you a callback. You have a little under 3 weeks. Get your narrative down and tight. Get your stories all polished and in a way that emphasizes the important characteristics and traits. Be ready to embellish every nook and cranny on your resume. It doesn't matter if you think you are the G.O.A.T. in interviewing or if you think your interviewing leaves more to be desired: Practice can only help you in a positive fashion.

However, you obviously want to make sure you are covering all your basis. Try and reach out to any firm you didn't get a screener from. Hustle for some open slot screeners. See if they will slot you in at the Hospitality Suites. Apply to firms that may not be coming to AJF. Just do everything you can to get your application and name out there so that you can maximize the possibility of callbacks and, in turn, offers. Nothing is off the table for you (and I would say this to people with grades well below yours), but you need to put in the work.

Looking for a little bit more help here. I noticed people keep talking about your narrative and story. I don't really have one. I just want to make $$$. I'm poor. How do I spin this into a narrative?

You are entering a profession where how you present your case makes all the difference. Use those skills here. When I prepped for interviewing, the first thing i did was sat down and determined what I thought best defined me. I then went on to think of stories and anecdotes that fell within those those traits and i wrote it out. Then I spun it so that wasn't just talking about me doing X but really me doing X and how that will bring Y to firm Z.

Also, think about the work you are doing this summer. You can definitely spin an experience from this summer into a tangible interview point. I can't help you make your specific narrative, but at the very least you gotta dig deep and think about what makes you tick.

[deepseapartners]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

Reach out to career services to help with mock interviews, but also reach out to people who summered at each firm. You'll get a good sense from someone who went through the process already about how seriously that particular firm takes stuff like conversational ability, language skills, prior experience, cultural fit, etc., which you can then tailor to each firm when you interview with them. No one should ever try to "stand out" at AJF, because that generally just leads to concerns about cultural fit or social ability, but you definitely need to impress someone, and the easiest way to prepare for that is to figure out how the firm likes to advertise itself, and then make your interview about that.

Also, because I'm pretty risk-adverse, if I were you and had ties to another major market, I would start mass-mailing there. You don't want to go into interviews any more stressed than you have to be, and putting out some cover letters and resumes will probably give you the Plan B peace-of-mind you need to perform as well as possible.

[RajonEsq]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

Your position is only marginally worse than the kids with 3.5s interviewing at the same firms. The difference to a firm recruiter between an applicant with a 3.3 and an applicant with a 3.5 is way smaller than you think. They're going to give callbacks to people they like, so get enough practice interviewing in so that you'll be comfortable in the room, and you'll be fine.

FWIW, I know a number of people from my class (2017) with sub-median GPAs currently summering at V50s.

[michmk29]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

Your position is only marginally worse than the kids with 3.5s interviewing at the same firms. The difference to a firm recruiter between an applicant with a 3.3 and an applicant with a 3.5 is way smaller than you think. They're going to give callbacks to people they like, so get enough practice interviewing in so that you'll be comfortable in the room, and you'll be fine.

FWIW, I know a number of people from my class (2017) with sub-median GPAs currently summering at V50s.

Just saying V50 is too broad. Knowing which firms to target within V50, and which approaches work best with each, is the way to relieve your stress on this and make sure you're getting a V50 job.

[tyrant_flycatcher]

If you're worried about whether your GPA is going to get you CBs, mass mail. You will kick yourself for not trying harder if you don't get an offer out of AJF.

[tyrant_flycatcher]

I have a 3.3 GPA and I'm a kid J.D. Lottery results are mainly firms with 3.5 GPA.They are all moderately grade focused, with the exception of one flex. I'm stressing out a lot. Do I have no prospects at the interview?

Your position is only marginally worse than the kids with 3.5s interviewing at the same firms. The difference to a firm recruiter between an applicant with a 3.3 and an applicant with a 3.5 is way smaller than you think. They're going to give callbacks to people they like, so get enough practice interviewing in so that you'll be comfortable in the room, and you'll be fine.

FWIW, I know a number of people from my class (2017) with sub-median GPAs currently summering at V50s.

Just saying V50 is too broad. Knowing which firms to target within V50, and which approaches work best with each, is the way to relieve your stress on this and make sure you're getting a V50 job.

At a certain point it comes down to the interviewer. I would worry less about gaming the system and more about being chill.

[Anonymous User]

ILJ calls are going out.

[Anonymous User]

Is there any way to just flake on AJF interviews if you get a better offer before AJF?

[runinthefront]

Is there any way to just flake on AJF interviews if you get a better offer before AJF?

You should absolutely call CSO and see if you can give up some interviews to the "open slots" pool. They might say yes (it worked for me last year; however, I asked them BEFORE the last open slots period). Also, though it's never a good thing to interview with a firm you have no interest in (though everyone does it), just decline to go on the CB if you receive one. No big deal

[Anonymous User]

When do LR dings go out? Do they notify anyone of being on a LR waitlist? (that would be so cruel)

[Winter is Coming]

Out of the many, many, many delusional and insane things that CSO does, forcing people to do screeners when they already have an offer is the worst. It's bad for the whole class. I was pulling my hair out trying to explain that to them last year.

[Anonymous User]

Do we tell career services when we gave offers/CBs?

Also, how much help is LR as a general soft? I ask because I've had good luck so far (outperforming my GPA with 2 offers). I'm wondering if LR actually matters to screeners.

And is it in poor taste to try to release screeners of firms since I already have an offer? Should I simply email DeRosa and say, you can drop x, y, z?

[Lavitz]

Do we tell career services when we gave offers/CBs?

And is it in poor taste to try to release screeners of firms since I already have an offer? Should I simply email DeRosa and say, you can drop x, y, z?

I don't see the point of telling them about just CBs now. Once AJF starts, you don't have to tell them anything until they send the class an e-mail saying "hey, can you let us know what firms you got callbacks and/or offers at?" However, yes, if you have a pre-AJF offer, you should e-mail OCS (I guess DeRosa now since idk who else even works in there anymore), tell them you have an offer at C firm and ask if you can drop your AJF screeners with the following firms because you would prefer the firm you have an offer at: X, Y, Z.

Worst they can say is "no, you can't release screeners, sry" which would be:

Out of the many, many, many delusional and insane things that CSO does, forcing people to do screeners when they already have an offer is the worst.

[Lavitz]

Also, how much help is LR as a general soft? I ask because I've had good luck so far (outperforming my GPA with 2 offers). I'm wondering if LR actually matters to screeners.

It depends on the interviewer, but in the aggregate, it's a helpful boost, especially if you weren't already top 10%. Hard to put a GPA quantifier on it, though. It rarely comes up in interviews because there's nothing you can possibly ask about it because you haven't done anything for it yet. The only guy who asked me about it was a corporate partner who had no idea how it worked at Cornell and wasn't sure if I had done LR work during 1L. But I'm sure some people care when they see it and will be more likely to give you a CB/offer.

[Anonymous User]

I am hoping for the following schedule next semester and wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew:
secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 2 other classes, 1 seminar, and 1 clinic
(Or, secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 1 other class, 2 seminars, and 1 clinic)
Both would be 16 credits.
Should I drop any attempts at getting the clinic and/or drop a class if I do get a clinic?

Related: what are some courses that are known to be an easy A/ lighter workload/ especially painful to take/ etc.? I'm interested in transactional law but haven't narrowed it down any further. I don't know what the workload is like for any of the classes and would appreciate any advice I can get.

[Winter is Coming]

I am hoping for the following schedule next semester and wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew:
secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 2 other classes, 1 seminar, and 1 clinic
(Or, secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 1 other class, 2 seminars, and 1 clinic)
Both would be 16 credits.
Should I drop any attempts at getting the clinic and/or drop a class if I do get a clinic?

Related: what are some courses that are known to be an easy A/ lighter workload/ especially painful to take/ etc.? I'm interested in transactional law but haven't narrowed it down any further. I don't know what the workload is like for any of the classes and would appreciate any advice I can get.

Why are you trying to take that many credits? I did 12 fall (I was TAing an undergrad class and writing my note), 14 spring.

[tyrant_flycatcher]

I am hoping for the following schedule next semester and wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew:
secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 2 other classes, 1 seminar, and 1 clinic
(Or, secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 1 other class, 2 seminars, and 1 clinic)
Both would be 16 credits.
Should I drop any attempts at getting the clinic and/or drop a class if I do get a clinic?

Related: what are some courses that are known to be an easy A/ lighter workload/ especially painful to take/ etc.? I'm interested in transactional law but haven't narrowed it down any further. I don't know what the workload is like for any of the classes and would appreciate any advice I can get.

Why are you trying to take that many credits? I did 12 fall (I was TAing an undergrad class and writing my note), 14 spring.

Yeah, you're going overboard, especially w/ one journal and LII. Look at classes that are mandatory pass/fail and one-credit research courses. All things equal, Friday morning classes are most likely to be off the curve, but not all professors are more generous when they have fewer than 10 JDs.

[Lavitz]

I am hoping for the following schedule next semester and wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew:
secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 2 other classes, 1 seminar, and 1 clinic
(Or, secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 1 other class, 2 seminars, and 1 clinic)
Both would be 16 credits.
Should I drop any attempts at getting the clinic and/or drop a class if I do get a clinic?

Related: what are some courses that are known to be an easy A/ lighter workload/ especially painful to take/ etc.? I'm interested in transactional law but haven't narrowed it down any further. I don't know what the workload is like for any of the classes and would appreciate any advice I can get.

Why are you trying to take that many credits? I did 12 fall (I was TAing an undergrad class and writing my note), 14 spring.

Yeah, you're going overboard, especially w/ one journal and LII. Look at classes that are mandatory pass/fail and one-credit research courses. All things equal, Friday morning classes are most likely to be off the curve, but not all professors are more generous when they have fewer than 10 JDs.

I've been informed that starting next semester, LLMs will be on the same curve as the JDs. So classes will be less likely to be off the curve, but the LLMs will most likely bottom out the curve, and thus JDs will benefit in classes that would have been on curve anyway.

Also not sure why OP is planning on 16 credits in a semester. Also not sure why OP posted in this thread instead of the c/o 2018 thread and why the post needs to be anon.

And advising would be easier if you could further narrow down which classes and clinics you're considering. All I will say for now is that the government lawyer is the easiest 2 credits in the history of the universe.

[runthetrap1990]

I am hoping for the following schedule next semester and wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew:
secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 2 other classes, 1 seminar, and 1 clinic
(Or, secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 1 other class, 2 seminars, and 1 clinic)
Both would be 16 credits.
Should I drop any attempts at getting the clinic and/or drop a class if I do get a clinic?

Related: what are some courses that are known to be an easy A/ lighter workload/ especially painful to take/ etc.? I'm interested in transactional law but haven't narrowed it down any further. I don't know what the workload is like for any of the classes and would appreciate any advice I can get.

I did LII. I can say that it is a HUGE time suck (including writing during finals...which I wish upon no one) and I generally felt like it timed itself to have deadlines at my most busy of times during the semester. You will definitely get wrecked if you try and do 16 credits + LII/Journal.

I took 13 credits both semester and I felt like I was at my max capacity for both. I think Bizorgs is fine (avoid the droves of 1Ls who will inevitably enroll in it during spring semester), and if you combo that with maybe something like 2 classes (e.g., employment and something lighter) and a seminar that will be MORE than enough. Save the clinic for spring.

[King Cayuga]

Why would you take more than the bare minimum number of required credits? The next two years are your last chance for a long time to enjoy a relatively stress and responsibility-free existence (unless you're on LR, in which case I hope you like drama). You need 26 a year and at least 12 a semester, so you can either do 13 credits in both semesters or 12 in one and 14 in the other. 3Ls will generally be glad to tell you which classes will let you eat those credits up without much work (Securities Clinic, Intro to Transactional Lawyering, any of those 1 week, 1 credit or 2 week, 2 credit courses, etc.).

As for LR, it helps but it's not a game changer at AJF. A firm that wasn't going to consider you for a CB before isn't going to give you one just because you got on LR. However, I had a lot of success mass-mailing last year with LR on my resume so it might help more on that front.

[deepseapartners]

I am hoping for the following schedule next semester and wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew:
secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 2 other classes, 1 seminar, and 1 clinic
(Or, secondary journal, LII, Biz orgs, 1 other class, 2 seminars, and 1 clinic)
Both would be 16 credits.
Should I drop any attempts at getting the clinic and/or drop a class if I do get a clinic?

Related: what are some courses that are known to be an easy A/ lighter workload/ especially painful to take/ etc.? I'm interested in transactional law but haven't narrowed it down any further. I don't know what the workload is like for any of the classes and would appreciate any advice I can get.

There's no schedule you could create where taking 16 credits, including a clinic, on top of secondary journal/LII, will be a good idea, especially if you are interested in transactional law and don't have to worry about building a clerkship resume.

If I were you, I would (1) quit LII, (2) take intro to transactional lawyering, and (3) only take one seminar. Also, be careful about which clinic you choose, they can be as much or more of a time suck than even journal work, and you are unlikely to get higher than an A- no matter how hard you work.

[Anonymous User]

Has anything been released re: honors fellow?