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I'm a 1L at a good school who is dangerously close to losing my hefty scholarship due to an average fall semester and a really high scholarship GPA requirement. I'm certain I can get the grades I need to keep my scholarship, but it's going to take a huge amount of work from here to June to get there.

I've applied at a few places and interviewed but I haven't gotten any offers. However, I do have a fallback position. I worked for my Dad's solo firm part-time throughout most of high school and college. He's willing to let me work full time over the summer if I don't get a job, but I'd rather try to branch out and get some experience in another field if I can. Of course, my school isn't super helpful with job posting in the area where I live, and so at this point, I'm probably reduced to mass mailing as many firms as I can to even get an interview.

So the question is...should I keep spending a large chunk of time preparing cover letters and mass mailing resumes when I have a fallback job at my Dad's firm, or do I concentrate solely on preparing for my finals so I don't lose my scholarship?

Definitely take the job with your dad. The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job, and it seems like decent volunteer prospects require the same. Unless your gpa requirement is 3.9 or something, you're probably finding yourself outside the top 10%. Take the hand you were dealt, and grab the summer job with pops. Destroy this semester and you'll be fine.

As long as you do something legal during the summer, it isn't going to raise any flags during oci next year- your grades are much more important to your prospects (as I'd assume is your scholly!).

jakeoooh wrote:The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job

eh, not really. It helps but it's not guaranteed, and connections can and do go much father. 1L job search is weird.

jakeoooh wrote:Definitely take the job with your dad. The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job, and it seems like decent volunteer prospects require the same. Unless your gpa requirement is 3.9 or something, you're probably finding yourself outside the top 10%. Take the hand you were dealt, and grab the summer job with pops. Destroy this semester and you'll be fine.

As long as you do something legal during the summer, it isn't going to raise any flags during oci next year- your grades are much more important to your prospects (as I'd assume is your scholly!).

I would think that it might seem weird to have the firm name be your last name and get that question in every single OCI interview-"So, is that your dad's firm?"
But I wouldn't forsake your grades for the job search
just sayin...

rando wrote:

jakeoooh wrote:Definitely take the job with your dad. The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job, and it seems like decent volunteer prospects require the same. Unless your gpa requirement is 3.9 or something, you're probably finding yourself outside the top 10%. Take the hand you were dealt, and grab the summer job with pops. Destroy this semester and you'll be fine.

As long as you do something legal during the summer, it isn't going to raise any flags during oci next year- your grades are much more important to your prospects (as I'd assume is your scholly!).

I would think that it might seem weird to have the firm name be your last name and get that question in every single OCI interview-"So, is that your dad's firm?"
But I wouldn't forsake your grades for the job search
just sayin...

well your dad could give you really good substantive work so that after you tell them it's your dad's firm you go on to talk about all the interesting casework you did over the summer.

legends159 wrote:

rando wrote:

jakeoooh wrote:Definitely take the job with your dad. The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job, and it seems like decent volunteer prospects require the same. Unless your gpa requirement is 3.9 or something, you're probably finding yourself outside the top 10%. Take the hand you were dealt, and grab the summer job with pops. Destroy this semester and you'll be fine.

As long as you do something legal during the summer, it isn't going to raise any flags during oci next year- your grades are much more important to your prospects (as I'd assume is your scholly!).

I would think that it might seem weird to have the firm name be your last name and get that question in every single OCI interview-"So, is that your dad's firm?"
But I wouldn't forsake your grades for the job search
just sayin...

well your dad could give you really good substantive work so that after you tell them it's your dad's firm you go on to talk about all the interesting casework you did over the summer.

True too.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 1L at a good school who is dangerously close to losing my hefty scholarship due to an average fall semester and a really high scholarship GPA requirement.

Trick question. Good schools don't have (high) GPA requirements for their scholarships.

jakeoooh wrote:The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job,

Huh? Not really. You need to have a great resume, be very lucky, or be URM. At least at UVA, high grades are neither sufficient nor necessary.

JSUVA2012 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I'm a 1L at a good school who is dangerously close to losing my hefty scholarship due to an average fall semester and a really high scholarship GPA requirement.

Trick question. Good schools don't have (high) GPA requirements for their scholarships.

ooh, good eye.

Worked for my dad's firm pre-1L, was asked about it in nearly every interview for 1L summer work, and went 6/7 on offers. No one cared; it's legal experience. Just be prepared to talk about what you did.

JSUVA2012 wrote:

jakeoooh wrote:The consensus is that you need to be at the very top of the class during 1L to get a paying summer job,

Huh? Not really. You need to have a great resume, be very lucky, or be URM. At least at UVA, high grades are neither sufficient nor necessary.

I would argue that high grades are necessary. But certainly not the top of the class. But luck, URM and connections are most important.