Michigan 2010 OCI Callbacks Forum

[Anonymous User]

(I'm the poster who got the Mayer Brown and Cadwalader earlier)-- I think personality really is playing a much larger role than my GPA in getting callbacks.

I agree with personality playing a larger role. As a transfer, I expected less than spectacular results. However, I'm 8-3 in cb v. rejections. I think I have a good personality and the results speak for themselves. Also, people that applied to all DC/NY/CHI firms probably screwed themselves -- this is not the economy to make a bid for your favorite place.
As someone mentioned in another thread, firms are looking for people who fit and not just GPAs.

What market did you apply to? CA? I've heard that very few people bid on CA this year.

[Anonymous User]

Mayer Brown NYC and Cadwalader NYC

Congrats! From individual interviewers or from the recruiting department?

Mayer Brown was from the recruiting department (didn't interview individually) and Cadwalader was the individual interviewer.

I can confirm cadwalader, individual recruiter called which I thought was really nice of them

[Anonymous User]

To be fair, I didn't interview with Mayer Brown, and I ranked them very low, not expecting to get an interview at OCI with them. At the same time, just because a firm has a lower GPA doesn't mean it's not a firm in which someone has an interest, maybe in a specific practice area.

[Anonymous User]

(I'm the poster who got the Mayer Brown and Cadwalader earlier)-- I think personality really is playing a much larger role than my GPA in getting callbacks.

I agree with personality playing a larger role. As a transfer, I expected less than spectacular results. However, I'm 8-3 in cb v. rejections. I think I have a good personality and the results speak for themselves. Also, people that applied to all DC/NY/CHI firms probably screwed themselves -- this is not the economy to make a bid for your favorite place.
As someone mentioned in another thread, firms are looking for people who fit and not just GPAs.

What market did you apply to? CA?

Nope, I would think CA is a horrible market. I'm not willing to state where I applied, but I only had a few interviews (2-3) with firms in NY/DC/CHI. Most places I applied had a starting rate of 110-140K, but I'm willing to suffer the loss of 20-50K in exchange for a job.

[Anonymous User]

(I'm the poster who got the Mayer Brown and Cadwalader earlier)-- I think personality really is playing a much larger role than my GPA in getting callbacks.

I agree with personality playing a larger role. As a transfer, I expected less than spectacular results. However, I'm 8-3 in cb v. rejections. I think I have a good personality and the results speak for themselves. Also, people that applied to all DC/NY/CHI firms probably screwed themselves -- this is not the economy to make a bid for your favorite place.
As someone mentioned in another thread, firms are looking for people who fit and not just GPAs.

What market did you apply to? CA?

Nope, I would think CA is a horrible market. I'm not willing to state where I applied, but I only had a few interviews (2-3) with firms in NY/DC/CHI. Most places I applied had a starting rate of 110-140K, but I'm willing to suffer the loss of 20-50K in exchange for a job.

Yeah, I don't have ties to the secondary markets that came for OCI or I would have done the same thing. Therefore, I bid solely on NY/DC/CHI. I'm only hitting 3 out of 10 right now (yeah, 10). It's been rough.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, I bid solely on NY/DC/CHI. I'm only hitting 3 out of 10 right now. It's been rough.

3 isn't bad. I know some who have 0, so just go into the interviews with your confidence high. Make sure you create some questions to ask beforehand, and you'll do fine. Good luck, dude.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, I bid solely on NY/DC/CHI. I'm only hitting 3 out of 10 right now. It's been rough.

3 isn't bad. I know some who have 0, so just go into the interviews with your confidence high. Make sure you create some questions to ask beforehand, and you'll do fine. Good luck, dude.

Yeah, I need to prepare. GL, too.

[Anonymous User]

davis wright tremaine- portland via email at 8:00pm est.

[Anonymous User]

I honestly disagree with some of the previous posters who are emphasizing "fit" and "personality." I think these things are important but I think grades were pretty much dispositive at least among my friends. Honestly, firms care about fit and personality insofar as they are sure you are going to do the work and not be an ass. Apart from that, most of the firms at OCI seemed to sleepwalk through the 20 minute interviews just to get transcripts.

[Anonymous User]

I honestly disagree with some of the previous posters who are emphasizing "fit" and "personality." I think these things are important but I think grades were pretty much dispositive at least among my friends. Honestly, firms care about fit and personality insofar as they are sure you are going to do the work and not be an ass. Apart from that, most of the firms at OCI seemed to sleepwalk through the 20 minute interviews just to get transcripts.

My two cents on this issue is that grades are the first cut, and personality/fit are the second. For firms that have GPA cuts relatively deep in the class (say, 3.2 or 3.3) personality and fit are going to be paramount. For firms that are very selective (3.6+) personality and fit seems to matter less at the screening phase and likely will matter more in the callback phase.

Best of luck to all out there.

[Anonymous User]

I honestly disagree with some of the previous posters who are emphasizing "fit" and "personality." I think these things are important but I think grades were pretty much dispositive at least among my friends. Honestly, firms care about fit and personality insofar as they are sure you are going to do the work and not be an ass. Apart from that, most of the firms at OCI seemed to sleepwalk through the 20 minute interviews just to get transcripts.

My two cents on this issue is that grades are the first cut, and personality/fit are the second. For firms that have GPA cuts relatively deep in the class (say, 3.2 or 3.3) personality and fit are going to be paramount. For firms that are very selective (3.6+) personality and fit seems to matter less at the screening phase and likely will matter more in the callback phase.

Best of luck to all out there.

Thinking back to when interviewers have responded to me giving a little pitch about my grades by assuring me that my grades weren't an issue, I kind of imagine Miller going, "Oh, that's nice, so it's just that they can't stand the thought of hiring you because of what a lousy personality you have."

[Anonymous User]

I honestly disagree with some of the previous posters who are emphasizing "fit" and "personality." I think these things are important but I think grades were pretty much dispositive at least among my friends. Honestly, firms care about fit and personality insofar as they are sure you are going to do the work and not be an ass. Apart from that, most of the firms at OCI seemed to sleepwalk through the 20 minute interviews just to get transcripts.

My two cents on this issue is that grades are the first cut, and personality/fit are the second. For firms that have GPA cuts relatively deep in the class (say, 3.2 or 3.3) personality and fit are going to be paramount. For firms that are very selective (3.6+) personality and fit seems to matter less at the screening phase and likely will matter more in the callback phase.

Best of luck to all out there.

At the EIW orientation, OCS said that if we got a CB then grades wouldn't be an issue anymore. Do people agree with that? I ask because my gpa is way below what the firm's listed median is, but I got a CB... I'm trying to figure out if the firm is going to bring up grades a bunch or if I should bring it up if they don't? I figured I made the first cut, so they want me despite the gpa?? Thoughts?

[Anonymous User]

I honestly disagree with some of the previous posters who are emphasizing "fit" and "personality." I think these things are important but I think grades were pretty much dispositive at least among my friends. Honestly, firms care about fit and personality insofar as they are sure you are going to do the work and not be an ass. Apart from that, most of the firms at OCI seemed to sleepwalk through the 20 minute interviews just to get transcripts.

My two cents on this issue is that grades are the first cut, and personality/fit are the second. For firms that have GPA cuts relatively deep in the class (say, 3.2 or 3.3) personality and fit are going to be paramount. For firms that are very selective (3.6+) personality and fit seems to matter less at the screening phase and likely will matter more in the callback phase.

Best of luck to all out there.

At the EIW orientation, OCS said that if we got a CB then grades wouldn't be an issue anymore. Do people agree with that? I ask because my gpa is way below what the firm's listed median is, but I got a CB... I'm trying to figure out if the firm is going to bring up grades a bunch or if I should bring it up if they don't? I figured I made the first cut, so they want me despite the gpa?? Thoughts?

I think grades will still matter at the callback stage. Lower GPA people will have to wow the recruiting committee more than high GPA people. You should definitely NOT bring up grades if the firm doesn't.

[Anonymous User]

I honestly disagree with some of the previous posters who are emphasizing "fit" and "personality." I think these things are important but I think grades were pretty much dispositive at least among my friends. Honestly, firms care about fit and personality insofar as they are sure you are going to do the work and not be an ass. Apart from that, most of the firms at OCI seemed to sleepwalk through the 20 minute interviews just to get transcripts.

My two cents on this issue is that grades are the first cut, and personality/fit are the second. For firms that have GPA cuts relatively deep in the class (say, 3.2 or 3.3) personality and fit are going to be paramount. For firms that are very selective (3.6+) personality and fit seems to matter less at the screening phase and likely will matter more in the callback phase.

Best of luck to all out there.

Thinking back to when interviewers have responded to me giving a little pitch about my grades by assuring me that my grades weren't an issue, I kind of imagine Miller going, "Oh, that's nice, so it's just that they can't stand the thought of hiring you because of what a lousy personality you have."

Haha, oh Miller. Amen to that!

I got 8/13 cbs and ALL of them were no higher than .03 from my GPA and most of them lower. To be fair, I only interviewed with 3 firms that were .1 or .2 away from my GPA but I didn't get them but I certainly didn't get all the firms within my gpa range. It's definitely:

First hurdle- GPA
Second hurdle- Awesome Personality

It's not reciprocal at all. Right GPA + Awesome Personality + Some WE= CB. Not right GPA + Awesome Personality + Awesome WE = no CB. I don't even think that a good personality is enough anymore, it has to be beyond good, you have to really impress. Maybe bc my GPA and resume are just not impressive but that's been my experience.

Does anyone have any advice for callbacks?

[Anonymous User]

^ I only got callbacks from firms whose GPA averages were lower than my GPA. One firm straight up asked for a transcript at the beginning of the interview.

Also need advice for callbacks.

But to all the 0Ls reading this, grades >>>>>>>>>>> all else, including LR.

[NotMyRealName09]

"But to all the 0Ls reading this, grades >>>>>>>>>>> all else, including LR."

I think that as a general proposition, no matter the school, this is true.

[Anonymous User]

"But to all the 0Ls reading this, grades >>>>>>>>>>> all else, including LR."

I think that as a general proposition, no matter the school, this is true.

Right. I just posted it here because it sort-of followed from the previous.

[Anonymous User]

Does Orrick NY send rejections via email or snail mail? I haven't received word from them yet, and can't check my regular mail right now, so am curious.

[Anonymous User]

I forgot to mention I got 3 cbs today outside the 48hr rule. It's been one whole week!

The new rule is if you even heard that 1 person got a cb from that firm, it's a ding. If no one else has a cb within 24-48 hrs, then you're still in the game.

[Anonymous User]

I forgot to mention I got 3 cbs today outside the 48hr rule. It's been one whole week!

The new rule is if you even heard that 1 person got a cb from that firm, it's a ding. If no one else has a cb within 24-48 hrs, then you're still in the game.

Congrats on your big day

I also got 2 out of my 3 CBs so far outside the 48hr rule (all NYC firms). It seems that a firm X would try to make all its CBs to school Y within 1 or 2 days, but the old 48hr rule surely does not apply.

That being said, I do have friends who seem to be "held" by some firms, somehow: there are CBs and massive rejections, but he / she hears nothing. I guess we shall wait and see how this plays out with the new NALP 28-day rule for offers.

[Anonymous User]

But to all the 0Ls reading this, grades >>>>>>>>>>> all else, including LR.

Absolutely true. I have no LR but ~ 12 callbacks. High (top 10%) grades.

[Anonymous User]

So are there ever cases where firms never respond to an OCI interview? No ding or CB? Are you ever supposed to follow-up with those firms or just accept silence as rejection?

[Anonymous User]

ding from jones day by email

[Anonymous User]

ding mofo sv

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard of CB interviews just being an hour? I just scheduled mine and was told it would only take about an hour.... seems like kind of a waste of a hotel/flight, doesn't it?