2014 University of Virginia OGI Thread Forum

[daleearnhardt123]

Sounds like you got the cream of the crop. ALts and Lotto will give you plenty more to choose from. I highly doubt it was the writing sample either, for 3 reasons. 1. All rising 2L writing samples are shit. 2. They seldom read them until callback stage. 3. You got the best firms. If it was second tier DC firms that were your only PSs, I'd be a tad more concerned.

You still didn't answer my earlier Qs tho. Did you use all 50? Did you spend any on secondary mkts (read; anything BUT NY and DC) that you didn't have ties to?

[Anonymous User]

Higher 3.3X, only 3 preselects (oddly none from all those band 3 firms I bidded on) and a few more alternates, is there anything I can do now to increase the chances of getting more interviews?

[UVAIce]

Stop freaking out immediately.

If you go all DC you have to realize that many of the summer classes are significantly smaller than in other markets. Many of these firms also have specialized practice areas, which means they often favor certain experiences more than plain GPA. Another thing to remember is that some firms have significantly fewer interview spots than others.

Here is a good anecdote for you. I have a friend who received an offer from W&C who was dinged at Arent Fox. Not even an alt. Stuff happens. Realize that a lot of these decisions have more to do with how they like other candidates compared to you rather than how they liked you period. If none of those firms meant anything special to you then this shouldn't matter I would be highly surprised if you don't have 23 interviews, or close to 23 interviews, when it is all said and done.

[UVAIce]

Higher 3.3X, only 3 preselects (oddly none from all those band 3 firms I bidded on) and a few more alternates, is there anything I can do now to increase the chances of getting more interviews?

Hit firms up during OGI. Career Services should be filling you guys in on what the process is, but I know a lot of folks who scored additional interviews simply by asking.

[Anonymous User]

Sounds like you got the cream of the crop. ALts and Lotto will give you plenty more to choose from. I highly doubt it was the writing sample either, for 3 reasons. 1. All rising 2L writing samples are shit. 2. They seldom read them until callback stage. 3. You got the best firms. If it was second tier DC firms that were your only PSs, I'd be a tad more concerned.

You still didn't answer my earlier Qs tho. Did you use all 50? Did you spend any on secondary mkts (read; anything BUT NY and DC) that you didn't have ties to?

All 50 in DC. And I have super strong ties to DC on top of it.

[Anonymous User]

3.51
6 preselects (2 DC 2 NY 2 other)
9 alternates (4 DC 4 NY 1 other)


If most of my alternates become interviews then I will be relieved.

[daleearnhardt123]

Sounds like you got the cream of the crop. ALts and Lotto will give you plenty more to choose from. I highly doubt it was the writing sample either, for 3 reasons. 1. All rising 2L writing samples are shit. 2. They seldom read them until callback stage. 3. You got the best firms. If it was second tier DC firms that were your only PSs, I'd be a tad more concerned.

You still didn't answer my earlier Qs tho. Did you use all 50? Did you spend any on secondary mkts (read; anything BUT NY and DC) that you didn't have ties to?

All 50 in DC. And I have super strong ties to DC on top of it.

Ok. Practice your interviewing and buy a good suit if you don't already have one. You'll end up at a fine firm.

And did you say you're female? You'll probably have double digit DC offers with that gpa. The PSs are a mystery, but if I had to take a guess I'd say lesser DC firms know that a VLR female grade on will NOT be choosing them.

[Anonymous User]

Sounds like you got the cream of the crop. ALts and Lotto will give you plenty more to choose from. I highly doubt it was the writing sample either, for 3 reasons. 1. All rising 2L writing samples are shit. 2. They seldom read them until callback stage. 3. You got the best firms. If it was second tier DC firms that were your only PSs, I'd be a tad more concerned.

You still didn't answer my earlier Qs tho. Did you use all 50? Did you spend any on secondary mkts (read; anything BUT NY and DC) that you didn't have ties to?

All 50 in DC. And I have super strong ties to DC on top of it.

Ok. Practice your interviewing and buy a good suit if you don't already have one. You'll end up at a fine firm.

And did you say you're female? You'll probably have double digit DC offers with that gpa. The PSs are a mystery, but if I had to take a guess I'd say lesser DC firms know that a VLR female grade on will NOT be choosing them.

Not a female.

[Yardbird]

Don't forget lottery picks for lawweb are due tonight

[Anonymous User]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

[daleearnhardt123]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

Why did you do this? For those markets, yes, you're likely screwed. Play the hell out of the "relatives" card, assuming it's true.

[Anonymous User]

I wouldn't worry too much about getting 18 DC preselects with a 3.75, since it sounds like you were selected by most of the higher-ranked firms. If a lower-ranked DC firm has 30 preselects to use, and they go primarily for GPA, they're unlikely to get anyone who will accept an offer (the UVA interviewers from my firm foolishly did this a couple years ago, and unsurprisingly, no one accepted). Most lower-ranked firms know this, so they'll use most of their preselects on people with lower GPAs (say, a 3.4-3.6, pre-inflation), and select a handful of students with higher GPAs as reaches. If there's a lower-ranked firm you're particularly interested in, you should do a special request for an interview.

[Anonymous User]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

Why did you do this? For those markets, yes, you're likely screwed. Play the hell out of the "relatives" card, assuming it's true.

mainly because I had bid all the nyc/va firms and had some supplemental bids left, and the only ones left were either southern firms or CA/WA

[Yardbird]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

I'll share some advice on this. I have a preselect screener with a west coast firm through a job fair. The furthest west I have ever traveled is Grand Forks, ND, and the real furthest area I have ties to is Chicago. I was advised by some friends to just be honest and say you are interested in X practice area, you like the firm (do your research), and you are looking to start your career at the firm and have heard great things about the city (ask friends and then drop some hints as to great things). The key is don't be ingenuous. For example, you shouldn't say you're a Houston Rockets fan if you're really a die-hard Wizards fan. But if you're a basketball fan, you can easily mention that being in a city with a basketball team is important to you, even if it's not your team. Just be honest and hope things line up. You can't create ties from nothing.

Also, it can't hurt to set up a phone informational interview at the firm knowing you'll be interviewing there. Just contact the recruiter, say you were pleased to find out you're interviewing with the firm, and was wondering if there was someone (s)he could put you in touch with to learn more about the firm ahead of OGI. I am targeting two non-NY/DC major markets and was able to set up meetings for the three days I will be in one market this week, and the two days I will be in the other market next week, as well as a bunch of phone calls. As long as you hustle, you'll be fine.

[Anonymous User]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

I'll share some advice on this. I have a preselect screener with a west coast firm through a job fair. The furthest west I have ever traveled is Grand Forks, ND, and the real furthest area I have ties to is Chicago. I was advised by some friends to just be honest and say you are interested in X practice area, you like the firm (do your research), and you are looking to start your career at the firm and have heard great things about the city (ask friends and then drop some hints as to great things). The key is don't be ingenuous. For example, you shouldn't say you're a Houston Rockets fan if you're really a die-hard Wizards fan. But if you're a basketball fan, you can easily mention that being in a city with a basketball team is important to you, even if it's not your team. Just be honest and hope things line up. You can't create ties from nothing.

Also, it can't hurt to set up a phone informational interview at the firm knowing you'll be interviewing there. Just contact the recruiter, say you were pleased to find out you're interviewing with the firm, and was wondering if there was someone (s)he could put you in touch with to learn more about the firm ahead of OGI. I am targeting two non-NY/DC major markets and was able to set up meetings for the three days I will be in one market next week, and the two days I will be in the other market the week after, as well as a bunch of phone calls. As long as you hustle, you'll be fine.

Another thing I found helpful for markets I've literally never set foot in: I used the alumni network on law web and called some alumni in the area. Tell them you're interested in practicing in X city and then ask why they like practicing/ living there. You'll learn more and might get some good material to use for interviews. Also because networking.

[Anonymous User]

So my preselects and alts equal exactly 23. I know it's highly unlikely that all the alts will turn into interviews, but is there any downside to accepting everything? There are a more than a handful of firms in my top 20 that I hope turn into lottery interviews, and I may be special requesting some other firms from secondary markets that are lower on my bid list.

[hoorahray]

So my preselects and alts equal exactly 23. I know it's highly unlikely that all the alts will turn into interviews, but is there any downside to accepting everything? There are a more than a handful of firms in my top 20 that I hope turn into lottery interviews, and I may be special requesting some other firms from secondary markets that are lower on my bid list.

How many of your top bid firms did you get by PS/Alt? If your #1-#5 firms didn't pick you, you've got a good chance to snag them in the lottery. If they already picked you and you're looking at firms #10-20 and thinking "man I'd like one of those" then you could pick them up through lottery but it's not a guarantee. If you're looking at firms #30 and down, then there may not be a good chance of getting them via lotto.

So how risk averse are you? Keep preselects and alts that you would accept offers from no matter what. If there are some that you wouldn't, toss them and go for lotto spots if you've got some of your higher bid firms left out there. If you're risk averse, minimize how many slots you open.

[First Offense]

I accepted a pre-select accidentally that I don't want, and don't see how to change it on simplicity. Any help?

[Anonymous User]

Low 3.6x

15 Preselects (6 LA / 4 DC / 4 secondary)
17 Alternates (5 LA / 7 DC / 5 secondary)

Took a risk with the secondary because I have no ties but I'm thankful it worked out well.

[hoorahray]

I accepted a pre-select accidentally that I don't want, and don't see how to change it on simplicity. Any help?

I believe you are stuck with them. You can contact Career Services to confirm, but I do not recall here being a way to undo it

[Anonymous User]

So my preselects and alts equal exactly 23. I know it's highly unlikely that all the alts will turn into interviews, but is there any downside to accepting everything? There are a more than a handful of firms in my top 20 that I hope turn into lottery interviews, and I may be special requesting some other firms from secondary markets that are lower on my bid list.

How many of your top bid firms did you get by PS/Alt? If your #1-#5 firms didn't pick you, you've got a good chance to snag them in the lottery. If they already picked you and you're looking at firms #10-20 and thinking "man I'd like one of those" then you could pick them up through lottery but it's not a guarantee. If you're looking at firms #30 and down, then there may not be a good chance of getting them via lotto.

So how risk averse are you? Keep preselects and alts that you would accept offers from no matter what. If there are some that you wouldn't, toss them and go for lotto spots if you've got some of your higher bid firms left out there. If you're risk averse, minimize how many slots you open.

Same anon as above. I've got ten alts. Firms I'm hoping to pick up in lotto (about 3) are all in my top ten. My current thought is to accept all my alternates thinking that, out of the ten alts I received, there's a good enough chance that I won't get at least three of them and those picks will go to lotto.

[First Offense]

I accepted a pre-select accidentally that I don't want, and don't see how to change it on simplicity. Any help?

I believe you are stuck with them. You can contact Career Services to confirm, but I do not recall here being a way to undo it

Meh - guess it'll be a practice interview.

[daleearnhardt123]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

Why did you do this? For those markets, yes, you're likely screwed. Play the hell out of the "relatives" card, assuming it's true.

mainly because I had bid all the nyc/va firms and had some supplemental bids left, and the only ones left were either southern firms or CA/WA

You had NOT bid all the NYC firms/offices if you didn't make it to 50. If this is a reflection of the preparation you've put into this process you really need to step your game up.

[avghopeful]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

Why did you do this? For those markets, yes, you're likely screwed. Play the hell out of the "relatives" card, assuming it's true.

mainly because I had bid all the nyc/va firms and had some supplemental bids left, and the only ones left were either southern firms or CA/WA

You had NOT bid all the NYC firms/offices if you didn't make it to 50. If this is a reflection of the preparation you've put into this process you really need to step your game up.

It seems he/she DID make it to 50+ because of the 20 SUPPLEMENTAL bids.

[Anonymous User]

So my preselects and some alternates turned out to be for firms in which I don't have ties outside of a few relatives (atl, houston; I used some of my supplemental bids on these firms). Am I screwed for these interviews? I was born and raised in VA

Why did you do this? For those markets, yes, you're likely screwed. Play the hell out of the "relatives" card, assuming it's true.

mainly because I had bid all the nyc/va firms and had some supplemental bids left, and the only ones left were either southern firms or CA/WA

You had NOT bid all the NYC firms/offices if you didn't make it to 50. If this is a reflection of the preparation you've put into this process you really need to step your game up.

well.. I excluded the obvious impossible NYC firms (and had my bid list reviewed by several people), and my southern bids were part of the 20 extra supplemental bids which cannot be used for NYC/DC. Thanks shadowofjazz for the advice, going to send out some feelers to alumni at the firms tomorrow.