The Official OCI Megathread: Drama Welcome! Forum

[wiz]

there's going to be almost nothing that can be given and blanket advice to people from different schools

even at close schools (e.g., NYU and CLS) things vary greatly

I think it can be helpful for grade ranges, but yeah, basically useless for bidding strategy since different firms are popular at different schools.

[Anonymous User]

Below median anon checking in. Will be dropping out if I strike out.

-Mittens

[smaug]

there's going to be almost nothing that can be given and blanket advice to people from different schools

even at close schools (e.g., NYU and CLS) things vary greatly

I think it can be helpful for grade ranges, but yeah, basically useless for bidding strategy since different firms are popular at different schools.

Grade ranges can differ wildly school to school, year to year, and firm by firm.

Like one firm will treat UChi students and CLS students similarly. Another will not. One firm will get more selective one year. Another will drop standards because they need bodies.

[xael]

I still think it's helpful. Things like "why list all those Detroit firms first no one wants to go to Detroit you are wasting spots" or just a place to vent (see "I like megathreads," above).

[pancakes3]

Can I get a cite for the elements of a megathread? Is it topics spanned or is it pages exceeded?

[xael]

will doing a clinic fall semester make OCI more difficult?

It would be a corporate-oriented clinic.

[smaug]

will doing a clinic fall semester make OCI more difficult?

It would be a corporate-oriented clinic.

...

why would that make OCI more difficult?

[xael]

will doing a clinic fall semester make OCI more difficult?

It would be a corporate-oriented clinic.

...

why would that make OCI more difficult?

Oh I forgot to note that I'll be primarily saying I want lit.

I can't really see how it would be a problem but I'm neurotic.

[smaug]

that actually gives me more pause than I thought it would—you're saying it's a transactional clinic and you're going to be saying you mainly want lit?

why not do a different clinic?

[wiz]

there's going to be almost nothing that can be given and blanket advice to people from different schools

even at close schools (e.g., NYU and CLS) things vary greatly

I think it can be helpful for grade ranges, but yeah, basically useless for bidding strategy since different firms are popular at different schools.

Grade ranges can differ wildly school to school, year to year, and firm by firm.

Like one firm will treat UChi students and CLS students similarly. Another will not. One firm will get more selective one year. Another will drop standards because they need bodies.

Right, but the difference in selectivity that can't be forecasted will be a problem endemic to school-specific threads too. I think CLS and NYU, for example, are going to be pretty similar as far as grade ranges go in NYC, even if Chicago students apparently get NYC firms to drop their pants at the sight of them.

Having a general idea that X firm is super selective at Y school has its utility when you're attending similarly-ranked Z school. Maybe median Chicago bro gets hired at an NYC firm that generally requires top third from CLS/NYU, but that's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. It can be useful to consolidate info for people from smaller schools targeting firms/markets that don't have many alums. That said, you could just as easily go read a bunch of different school threads, but whatevs.

[anyriotgirl]

Can we get some more thoughts on declaring interest in a specific practice area?

[smaug]

Can we get some more thoughts on declaring interest in a specific practice area?

how specific is the practice area? do you have good reasons or just reasons?

I'm pretty sure I ended up with offer I ended up choosing because I had a conversation about a specific practice area with a partner who does that work—it can be a good thing.

But if you're saying something like appellate lit and you're not at the tippy top of your class, that could be a bad call.

If it's something like saying "I'm interested in Hedge Funds" to Sidley, I don't think that would be problematic.

actual attys should probably weigh in

the above is just based on people i know

[Anonymous User]

'

[xael]

[ManoftheHour]

Checking in.

[xael]

Checking in.

Welcome, friend!

[Anonymous User]

Making a conservative bid list when below median is hard.

[xael]

This might be a good place for people at other schools to alert the masses to when DRAMA is going down.

Looking at you, Michigan.

[beepboopbeep]

Can we get some more thoughts on declaring interest in a specific practice area?

how specific is the practice area? do you have good reasons or just reasons?

I'm pretty sure I ended up with offer I ended up choosing because I had a conversation about a specific practice area with a partner who does that work—it can be a good thing.

But if you're saying something like appellate lit and you're not at the tippy top of your class, that could be a bad call.

If it's something like saying "I'm interested in Hedge Funds" to Sidley, I don't think that would be problematic.

actual attysfake attys should probably weigh in

the above is just based on people i know

Oh you wanted fake attorneys cool that's me, just a summer here

I had a similar experience as smog. Any time I expressed practice area interest it went over well. Just have to do your research and not be dumb about it. Maybe don't talk about doing telecom work or antitrust work or energy reg work at a firm that doesn't get any of that. Maybe only talk about cap markets if the office you're interviewing with only does cap markets. Maybe don't try to bullshit someone on their area of expertise if you know jackshit about it - at least get the lingo right, etc.

Firms definitely hide the ball on this stuff but it is figure-out-able. Possibly bullshittable but I'd imagine pretty easy to see through that from the other side of the desk.

[Anonymous User]

Making a conservative bid list when below median is hard.

lol all I've done is rank the 6 firms in my home town and then got stuck

I would follow your mom's advice at this point and bid based on where you're more likely to get hitched.

Same quoted anon. I have no ties to Texas but willing to work there. Which city should I mass mail? Houston, Dallas, or Austin?

[xael]

Making a conservative bid list when below median is hard.

lol all I've done is rank the 6 firms in my home town and then got stuck

I would follow your mom's advice at this point and bid based on where you're more likely to get hitched.

Same quoted anon. I have no ties to Texas but willing to work there. Which city should I mass mail? Houston, Dallas, or Austin?

school? It sounds like UT?

Also, thread title updated and now with poll

[Anonymous User]

school? It sounds like UT?

T-14

[xael]

school? It sounds like UT?

T-14

If you are using anon there's no reason to be that coy.

Mass mailing takes like 30 seconds. Just do all the cities.

[smaug]

school? It sounds like UT?

T-14

If you are using anon there's no reason to be that coy.

Mass mailing takes like 30 seconds. Just do all the cities.

mass mailing like that will probably net you next to nothing

[trebekismyhero]

Can we get some more thoughts on declaring interest in a specific practice area?

how specific is the practice area? do you have good reasons or just reasons?

I'm pretty sure I ended up with offer I ended up choosing because I had a conversation about a specific practice area with a partner who does that work—it can be a good thing.

But if you're saying something like appellate lit and you're not at the tippy top of your class, that could be a bad call.

If it's something like saying "I'm interested in Hedge Funds" to Sidley, I don't think that would be problematic.

actual attysfake attys should probably weigh in

the above is just based on people i know

Oh you wanted fake attorneys cool that's me, just a summer here

I had a similar experience as smog. Any time I expressed practice area interest it went over well. Just have to do your research and not be dumb about it. Maybe don't talk about doing telecom work or antitrust work or energy reg work at a firm that doesn't get any of that. Maybe only talk about cap markets if the office you're interviewing with only does cap markets. Maybe don't try to bullshit someone on their area of expertise if you know jackshit about it - at least get the lingo right, etc.

Firms definitely hide the ball on this stuff but it is figure-out-able. Possibly bullshittable but I'd imagine pretty easy to see through that from the other side of the desk.

Yeah, just a follow up. I am a summer as well, but I am 90% sure I got an offer at a firm that was above my grades because I said the practice area that I was interested in and that area happened to be super busy at the time.

Do a little digging and you can find out what areas are super busy at which firms. I have a couple fellow summers that said the same practice area and then switched after they got their offers.