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would be easier had I messed up my grades... applied to literally over 1000 positions, not interested in public interest. At this point if I want a paying job this summer is there any other paid positions still on the table or am I better equipped to apply a local restaurant waiting tables?

Waiting jobs are actually quite competitive; you might be able to start as a busser though.

I have good experience and it pays more than other positions I'm applying to

1. Get hired as a busser
2. Contact ATL
3. ??????
4. No profit

Sorry, as an 0L, I can't offer any real advice. GL though... hopefully you have a decent scholarship.

Jesus Boalt is such a joke.

I was in the same boat last year (top 1/2 at MVP). Took until march, but I found a small firm that paid a little bit. Explained to them I wanted the job, but needed to duck out every now and then and worked as a bartender. All told, made good $ and had the job. So, that took until March, so just keep at it.

Anonymous User wrote:I was in the same boat last year (top 1/2 at MVP). Took until march, but I found a small firm that paid a little bit. Explained to them I wanted the job, but needed to duck out every now and then and worked as a bartender. All told, made good $ and had the job. So, that took until March, so just keep at it.

Do you have anything lined up for after graduation?

Anonymous User wrote:would be easier had I messed up my grades... applied to literally over 1000 positions, not interested in public interest. At this point if I want a paying job this summer is there any other paid positions still on the table or am I better equipped to apply a local restaurant waiting tables?

How are others around the top 25% doing there? Are people around the same rank as you striking out as well, or are you an anomaly?

RPK34 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:would be easier had I messed up my grades... applied to literally over 1000 positions, not interested in public interest. At this point if I want a paying job this summer is there any other paid positions still on the table or am I better equipped to apply a local restaurant waiting tables?

How are others around the top 25% doing there? Are people around the same rank as you striking out as well, or are you an anomaly?

This. Also: what markets did you target and what are your long-term plans?

To answer above questions for above people:

I pretty much have tried California, I think its time to hit up the east coast.

I'm not an anomaly, in fact I know students with better grade and w/e than me who have nothing.

I gave similar advice as this in another thread to a student in NYC. I strongly suggest you find local bar associations and see if they have any career counseling services or career counselors they recommend. You need good professional experienced advice right now. It sounds like you've done everything you can think of, you are getting some good tips from the forums here and you probably have used your career services advice. You need a counselor who knows the law market better than the career services people do.
It shouldn't cost you much, or anything, but I would start looking for an experienced counselor. Note I don't mean recruiter, I mean people who have worked on advising local attorneys about their career paths. I think there must be some high quality local services for career advice that should be open to law students.

OP: Just curious, but what are your actual grades?

I am at Boalt as well and I want to know what Top 25% entails and how you calculated it.

Did you have work experience pre-law school?

guess this means a top 25% Hastings student is SOL

are you applying to only "prestigious" positions or have you tried small firms?

I just approximated, have w/e and for grades mostly hs more hhs than ps

Anonymous User wrote:To answer above questions for above people:

I pretty much have tried California, I think its time to hit up the east coast.

I'm not an anomaly, in fact I know students with better grade and w/e than me who have nothing.

Anonymous User wrote:I just approximated, have w/e and for grades mostly hs more hhs than ps

Sounds as if you are higher than top 25%. The California markets are in a terrible state. You should start applying to small firms in your home state (if you are from outside of CA), while applying to smaller gov jobs too. Most paying firm jobs and DC federal government jobs have already finished hiring/accepting applications, but some smaller firms/smaller, regional gov jobs haven't completed their hiring cycle. A word of warning: You probably need "ties," or at least the ability to articulate ties, for small and mid-sized firms, including those on the East Coast.

Sucks OP. I got crushed in California markets. We're talking 40+ interviews without a callback.

Anonymous User wrote:Sucks OP. I got crushed in California markets. We're talking 40+ interviews without a callback.

Because there aren't that many biglaw firms in CA, I'm assuming these interviews include midlaw/shit law. California firms can afford to be REALLY selective now. Anecdotally, my friends who got biglaw in SF/SV were all top 20% at MVP and Stanford/Berkeley undergrads. (One of them is top 5% at MVP.)

What an uplifting thread for 0Ls

thegor1987 wrote:What an uplifting thread for 0Ls

Or 1Ls for that matter.

missinglink wrote:

thegor1987 wrote:What an uplifting thread for 0Ls

Or 1Ls for that matter.

Bid some eastern markets brotato.

2L Losing Complete Hope poster

Not much better anywhere. I'm from CA and applied to a number of places there, and got nothing. CA and NY feel like catch 22s. Prolly the biggest markets in the country, yet also the hardest markets to get jobs in. Would suggest hitting up govt, and soon since know AG is filling up quickly there. Good luck from a fellow 2L in a similar situation.

Kohinoor wrote:

missinglink wrote:

thegor1987 wrote:What an uplifting thread for 0Ls

Or 1Ls for that matter.

Bid some eastern markets brotato.

I have a lack of personal ties to any part country outside of California, except perhaps Chicago. From what I've heard, that can be a problem when bidding on firms.

Anonymous User wrote:2L Losing Complete Hope poster

Not much better anywhere. I'm from CA and applied to a number of places there, and got nothing. CA and NY feel like catch 22s. Prolly the biggest markets in the country, yet also the hardest markets to get jobs in. Would suggest hitting up govt, and soon since know AG is filling up quickly there. Good luck from a fellow 2L in a similar situation.

NY biglaw, while still quite competitive, is easier to get than CA biglaw because most biglaw firms are based in NY and take a lot more SAs in their HQs. Not sure about smaller NY firms. DC, and at least in the past, Chicago, are bigger markets than SF and LA.

missinglink wrote:

Kohinoor wrote: Bid some eastern markets brotato.

I have a lack of personal ties to any part country outside of California, except perhaps Chicago. From what I've heard, that can be a problem when bidding on firms.

Not for large firms in New York. Out of the major markets, I only had ties to CA, but nobody in New York hounded me on why I bid on NY. At most, interviewers will simply ask "why New York," without really caring about the answer because New Yorkers think everyone wants to be in New York.

I hear A LOT of these stories at Michigan, too. There are many students that I consider much smarter than myself who were not able to get anything from OCI. Very scary.

From what I can tell, bidding NY is in the best interest of every OCI candidate: Chicago sucks, DC sucks, everywhere sucks...