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Hi all-
I ended up in the bottom third of my class at CCN after first semester of 1L. I was hoping for biglaw but don't know if that is still a possibility at this point, even coming from a prestigious school. Last fall, I thought I was doing everything I could in terms of studying, but after talking to my peers who did better than me, I realize I could have used better studying strategies. I was hoping for advice from upper-year students at similarly ranked schools about what type of employment prospects I would face if I were able to raise my GPA to at or just below median with spring semester grades. I've heard a few stories from 2Ls and 3Ls at my school about below-median students who somehow managed to get amazing biglaw SA/job offers, but I would think these people are the exception rather than the rule. As far as debt goes, I'm less fucked than some of my other below-median classmates.

I had an ok job for a couple years after college (made ~50k), and if I am looking at a similar salary for the kind of jobs I'd be able to get with my law school grades, I'd rather cut my losses now.

Thanks.

With regard to doing well, it's half how you study and half how you present yourself on the exam. If you're really putting in the work, then focusing on the latter part a lot more in the spring should help you bring things up quite a bit. You have at least the potential to make gains, which should start with going to your professors and asking them to explain in detail what you should have done on the exams to have gotten better grades.

With regard to employment... it's hard to say without your full GPA, since you honestly don't know how much (or even whether) you'll end up improving in the spring. The honest answer about where you are now, though, is that it'll be tough. I think your sense is right, at least regarding BigLaw, it's still possible but not at all going to be easy.

Having a low debt load is a positive, since it means you could end up with a "successful" outcome overall without going into BigLaw. You might be better off focusing on less prestigious firms, reaching out to places that don't come to OCI, mass mailing if you have to, and keep reasonable expectations. Your goal isn't to get "amazing" BigLaw SA offers, it's to get a job, period. Keep that in mind, broaden the scope of your job hunt, and you'll be more likely to find something where the weight of your degree can carry you in.

Anonymous User wrote:Hi all-
I ended up in the bottom third of my class at CCN after first semester of 1L. I was hoping for biglaw but don't know if that is still a possibility at this point, even coming from a prestigious school. Last fall, I thought I was doing everything I could in terms of studying, but after talking to my peers who did better than me, I realize I could have used better studying strategies. I was hoping for advice from upper-year students at similarly ranked schools about what type of employment prospects I would face if I were able to raise my GPA to at or just below median with spring semester grades. I've heard a few stories from 2Ls and 3Ls at my school about below-median students who somehow managed to get amazing biglaw SA/job offers, but I would think these people are the exception rather than the rule. As far as debt goes, I'm less fucked than some of my other below-median classmates.

I had an ok job for a couple years after college (made ~50k), and if I am looking at a similar salary for the kind of jobs I'd be able to get with my law school grades, I'd rather cut my losses now.

Thanks.

Median at CCN has good (>50%) chances at something in the NLJ250 and even the V100.