No Offers Yet- All Aboard the USS Worried Forum

[Anonymous User]

T1/3 at T30.

15 screeners, all BigLaw. 1 CB, dinged after CB. Dings from all others after the screener except five outstanding. It has been over three weeks, so I'm assuming these are all dings.


Let me state up-front I'm not looking for someone on the internet to make a decision for me, however I find it is sometimes good to get different perspectives. I appreciate any thoughts on the following:

1) I know my stats are not stellar, and I own that. However, is that what's really holding me back from a CB at other places? I would imagine since I received at least 1 CB I'm not absolutely horrible in interviews.

2) If I was set on BigLaw, do I have any options right out of the gate now, or am I pretty much out of luck?

3) If there's any chance it is the economy holding me back, in conjunction with these stats, would it make any sense to withdraw for a year+ to see if things improve? I know my stats would remain the same but perhaps a different economy would help. Would a student even be permitted to go through OCI twice if they left midway through the first semester of 2L?

4) Is it insane to consider dropping out, working for a couple of years and then reapplying to law school to try and get into a higher ranked school/improve my odds? - I understand how much money I'd be throwing away with how far I've gone already. Fortunately it is not a concern. I also realize it is a huge risk in terms of readmission.

[Anonymous User]

T1/3 at T30.

15 screeners, all BigLaw. 1 CB, dinged after CB. Dings from all others after the screener except five outstanding. It has been over three weeks, so I'm assuming these are all dings.


Let me state up-front I'm not looking for someone on the internet to make a decision for me, however I find it is sometimes good to get different perspectives. I appreciate any thoughts on the following:

1) I know my stats are not stellar, and I own that. However, is that what's really holding me back from a CB at other places? I would imagine since I received at least 1 CB I'm not absolutely horrible in interviews.

2) If I was set on BigLaw, do I have any options right out of the gate now, or am I pretty much out of luck?

3) If there's any chance it is the economy holding me back, in conjunction with these stats, would it make any sense to withdraw for a year+ to see if things improve? I know my stats would remain the same but perhaps a different economy would help. Would a student even be permitted to go through OCI twice if they left midway through the first semester of 2L?

4) Is it insane to consider dropping out, working for a couple of years and then reapplying to law school to try and get into a higher ranked school/improve my odds? - I understand how much money I'd be throwing away with how far I've gone already. Fortunately it is not a concern. I also realize it is a huge risk in terms of readmission.

1) You can always work on your interviewing skills, there's no way to be perfect. 1 CB indicates you're decent, but buy a book or two and read it if you can. Nail Your Law Job Interview was pretty helpful for me.

2) Some biglaw firms take 3Ls, but I'm not too familiar with this so I won't comment.

3+4) Talk to your CSO and see what they say. Take it with a grain of salt, but it's a starting point.

[MrAnon]

1) I know my stats are not stellar, and I own that. However, is that what's really holding me back from a CB at other places? I would imagine since I received at least 1 CB I'm not absolutely horrible in interviews.

Were your interviews pre-selects or lottery?

2) If I was set on BigLaw, do I have any options right out of the gate now, or am I pretty much out of luck?

Pretty much out of luck. There are rare exceptions, but they are as I called them "rare exceptions"

3) If there's any chance it is the economy holding me back, in conjunction with these stats, would it make any sense to withdraw for a year+ to see if things improve? I know my stats would remain the same but perhaps a different economy would help. Would a student even be permitted to go through OCI twice if they left midway through the first semester of 2L?

no no no no. People have been enrolling in law school for the last 3-4 years thinking they could buy time from the depression and eventually land a good job. The economy wont be so markedly better in a year. It could be worse! What happens if they do QE3 for the next 6 months and things get better, then flop again like they've done twice already?

4) Is it insane to consider dropping out, working for a couple of years and then reapplying to law school to try and get into a higher ranked school/improve my odds? - I understand how much money I'd be throwing away with how far I've gone already. Fortunately it is not a concern. I also realize it is a huge risk in terms of readmission.

I think that if this has crossed your mind then you should probably do it, but not for the reasons you give. I think if dropping out has crossed your mind then you really dont care one way or the other about being a lawyer; you're in this for prestige, getting the best lawyer job you can get only, and you are trying to backdoor your way to that job. That's fine, but it wont really work in the long run. However I say drop out and take up some work in another field if you can get it. Maybe you will be surprised to find out that you can advance in that field much easier than you thought. Maybe you'll decide its not worth going back to law school. Maybe you'll realize that prestige of law jobs matters less to you as you age.

[Anonymous User]

T20, URM, Medianish
29 Screening interviews(some from OCI, some from Job fairs, some from mass mails)
2 Mass Mail Callbacks, 1 Rejection from the callbacks(thought I nailed the callback, but grades are grades)
15 screener rejections
13 Pending

[Anonymous User]

Top 10%/T20/5 CBs....I feel numb...and scared.

Is 5 CBs really bad enough to feel numb over? I have 6 and although I'm a bit worried I'm far from freaking out...should I be?

[daesonesb]

Top 10%/T20/5 CBs....I feel numb...and scared.

Is 5 CBs really bad enough to feel numb over? I have 6 and although I'm a bit worried I'm far from freaking out...should I be?

no. good job!

[Anonymous User]

I'll join. UT/Vanderbilt/UCLA, top 1/3, 8 CBs. 3 done, no word but not expecting anything quite yet. 5 coming up in the next 3 weeks. Not panicking, but going to get going on some mass mails anyway.

[Anonymous User]

T1/3 at T30.

15 screeners, all BigLaw. 1 CB, dinged after CB. Dings from all others after the screener except five outstanding. It has been over three weeks, so I'm assuming these are all dings.


Let me state up-front I'm not looking for someone on the internet to make a decision for me, however I find it is sometimes good to get different perspectives. I appreciate any thoughts on the following:

1) I know my stats are not stellar, and I own that. However, is that what's really holding me back from a CB at other places? I would imagine since I received at least 1 CB I'm not absolutely horrible in interviews.

2) If I was set on BigLaw, do I have any options right out of the gate now, or am I pretty much out of luck?

3) If there's any chance it is the economy holding me back, in conjunction with these stats, would it make any sense to withdraw for a year+ to see if things improve? I know my stats would remain the same but perhaps a different economy would help. Would a student even be permitted to go through OCI twice if they left midway through the first semester of 2L?

4) Is it insane to consider dropping out, working for a couple of years and then reapplying to law school to try and get into a higher ranked school/improve my odds? - I understand how much money I'd be throwing away with how far I've gone already. Fortunately it is not a concern. I also realize it is a huge risk in terms of readmission.

I'm on the same boat, literally, in terms of CB & screeners - only I'm T1/3 at T40. Considered dropping out and not because I don't want to be a lawyer, but because debt scares me and I'll be at nearly 6-figure debt by the time I graduate. I realize that for most people on this site, they wouldn't have gone to law school to begin with or kept testing until they got into a T14, but I didn't.

I was never set on BigLaw (I never thought I could get into it, which is now obviously true). But I was naive enough to think that some public interest employer would want me, and I could get into meaningful PI work and have my debt forgiven after 10 years. Silly me to think that with the economy falling off a cliff, that PI would even be hiring.

So USS Worried is an understatement - more like extremely scared and depressed and incredibly behind on schoolwork because what's the point? Worked my ass off first year and to me, top 1/3 is good. Just not good enough to get a job, apparently.

[Anonymous User]

To the above two posters, I am so sorry for what you're going through. It sucks. I think its very likely that you will never work in a big law firm. Sure, there's a chance you will some day, but I think the way law firms are (hierarchical, rigid, structured, inflexible), that is not worth assuming another $100K in debt. If you end up getting no callbacks, and end up jobless - I would consider dropping out.

Even if you truly want to be a lawyer, I would reevaluate that option if I had to saddle myself with $100K in debt. That is just so erosive of your future lifestyle for years and years - all while doing work which may not be what you want to do anyway.

[keg411]

For people with 5-6 CB's complaining -- don't. There is an excellent chance you get at least one offer and you only need one! Even people with 1-2 certainly have a shot; especially if the firms have decent size classes and CB:offer ratios.

Seriously, as upset as I am about my horrific own OCI (see: Michigan thread), I feel like I have/had enough regional firm interviews to escape this process with a job. And I'm still mailing, following up and am doing everything in my power to make absolutely sure I get something (including working to fix my interviewing skills).

It is just WAY too early to give up hope. Maybe in October you can start panicking, but not now (unless, of course, you've already been rejected from everywhere). I will admit, however, that I got a "lifeline" on the debt issue, so that may be part of the reason for my personal attitude change.

[Anonymous User]

For people with 5-6 CB's complaining -- don't.

+1

Eight callbacks and you're worried, people?!?!? Considering the fact that a lot of firms have a +50% offer/CB ratio, you would really have to bungle things beyond epic proportions to not get something out of 6+ CBs.

[Anonymous User]

If someone has 10+ callbacks, should they continue mass mailing, or is it looking safe to stop?

[beach_terror]

If someone has 10+ callbacks, should they continue mass mailing, or is it looking safe to stop?

Assuming you can speak without stuttering and excessive flop-sweat, you're in pretty good shape. Do you need to mass mail? No, but it never hurts.

[Anonymous User]

Hopefully a few of us can jump ship this week. Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

Hopefully a few of us can jump ship this week. Good luck!

This week is probably the most important week of my life. I should be hearing the results of CB #1 on Friday and I have an interview with my other CB, who is my top choice firm, this week as well.

[Grizz]

Hopefully a few of us can jump ship this week. Good luck!

This week is probably the most important week of my life. I should be hearing the results of CB #1 on Friday and I have an interview with my other CB, who is my top choice firm, this week as well.

You need to do more important stuff.

[Anonymous User]

Hopefully a few of us can jump ship this week. Good luck!

This week is probably the most important week of my life. I should be hearing the results of CB #1 on Friday and I have an interview with my other CB, who is my top choice firm, this week as well.

You need to do more important stuff.

So does your face.

[Anonymous User]

Hopefully a few of us can jump ship this week. Good luck!

This week is probably the most important week of my life. I should be hearing the results of CB #1 on Friday and I have an interview with my other CB, who is my top choice firm, this week as well.

You need to do more important stuff.

Objectively speaking, you might be wrong bro!

[Anonymous User]

To the above two posters, I am so sorry for what you're going through. It sucks. I think its very likely that you will never work in a big law firm. Sure, there's a chance you will some day, but I think the way law firms are (hierarchical, rigid, structured, inflexible), that is not worth assuming another $100K in debt. If you end up getting no callbacks, and end up jobless - I would consider dropping out.

Even if you truly want to be a lawyer, I would reevaluate that option if I had to saddle myself with $100K in debt. That is just so erosive of your future lifestyle for years and years - all while doing work which may not be what you want to do anyway.

People who read TLS know of this already. Your (and others') obnoxious comments about the terrible legal economy aren't helpful. They're already 60K+ in debt from the first year, and chances are if they're back for the second year, then they're ready for the second 60K+ - fully knowledgeable about the risks. Some random HYS snot who has 20 offers and nothing better to do than to go on internet boards and harangue those beneath him/her are irritating at best.

Some (hopefully) useful advice that I'm sure has been echoed in other threads, but not this one yet. If you haven't heard back from a recent callback or are have some callbacks coming up AND YOU ARE A BORDERLINE CANDIDATE, tell one of your firms that they are your first choice firm AND you'd accept an offer from them if they gave one to you.

I'm at a T20 school/top 40%, and I did that (+/- 6 callbacks) --> an offer I was happy to take. Three other friends with similar stats at the same school did the same thing, and they also accepted an offer from biglaw firms. Firms are either (1) going to take someone with much better grades/schools than me (but is likely only going to collect offers, and make a very protracted decision based on the NALP 28 day period), or take me (a borderline candidate who is guaranteed to reduce their headache by guaranteeing that I will accept their offer - thus, having to give out more offers and increasing their yield). Thus, I think it pushed it my way.

To head off a retarded and very foreseeable debate: the ethical and other implications of telling multiple firms you'd immediately accept an offer from them are discussed in other threads, and not relevant for this thread.

[Anonymous User]

Just some friendly words of advice.

It is TOO early to completely panic. My OCI last year was all before Labor Day. I received no callbacks until the second week of September. I ended up getting 5 callbacks and then going on them. Silence for 2+ weeks. 3 offers then came in. V50, V75, and NYC market paying firm.

Also, please remember that NYC firms move fastest.

[Anonymous User]

Have 3 callbacks in NY market.

My #1 callback: the recruiting manager at a NY big firm told me at a callback that I would hear back in 2-3 weeks. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks. Is it basically a ding, if I do not receive an offer by tomorrow. Or, is it normal to get an offer past the notice deadline?

[Anonymous User]

Have 3 callbacks in NY market.

My #1 callback: the recruiting manager at a NY big firm told me at a callback that I would hear back in 2-3 weeks. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks. Is it basically a ding, if I do not receive an offer by tomorrow. Or, is it normal to get an offer past the notice deadline?

No biggie those deadlines mean nothing

[Anonymous User]

Thanks - did that happen to you as well?

[Anonymous User]

Thanks - did that happen to you as well?

Not me personally, but I know people who have gotten offers well after the deadline their interviewer gave them.

[Anonymous User]

Sooo uh whats everyones game plan from here? 0 offers