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I am just a shade outside of the top 20% (1-2 students likely) and quite a few firms state that top 20% is either preferred or required. Should I bother applying to these firms (especially the top 20% required ones) or am I wasting my time? And if I do apply, should I explain that my GPA has improved each semester and I'm just a fraction outside of the cut-off or should I not bring too much attention to it? I realize that many firms that say top 20% really mean top 10%, but I think I have some things going for me that may make me competitive with JD students who do satisfy the criteria (LR, MBA, Etc.).

Thanks

Absolutely. Those cutoffs are typically not a hard cutoff. Firms dip below all the time if they like the candidate for whatever reason.

kalvano wrote:Absolutely. Those cutoffs are typically not a hard cutoff. Firms dip below all the time if they like the candidate for whatever reason.

Realistically, would it be worth it to apply to top 15% preferred? top 10% preferred? top 10% required?

Anonymous User wrote:

kalvano wrote:Absolutely. Those cutoffs are typically not a hard cutoff. Firms dip below all the time if they like the candidate for whatever reason.

Realistically, would it be worth it to apply to top 15% preferred? top 10% preferred? top 10% required?

Really the grade cutoffs shouldn't completely stop you from applying (maybe top 10% required firms), but you should still bid smart and not load up your list with firms that tend to desire grades above your range. Having a few reaches on your list is smart, just remember they're reaches and make sure you apply to plenty of firms in your wheelhouse.

I would advise caution on relying exclusively on the grade-cut offs to determine the firms you are bidding on. Plenty of firms give "grade cut-offs" that are either way too strict and the firm really can't only hire people in that range OR some are way too lenient (and it could be a waste of a bid if you are at the lower end of that range and the firm typically only hires from a much higher % than they give).

ETA: Talk to 2Ls and 3Ls. Talk to people in your CSO. Use TLS, autoadmit, and other places to do research.

Bid smart; don't rank Cravath #1 when you're coming from median. But try to ignore the firms' claimed GPA data. Look for other selectivity factors like past hiring data, relative vault/chambers position, etc. My firm tends to hire people clustered around top 10% COA types and median people who have experience in niche markets, with few in between. If I had listened to their published stats and not applied, I would have never gotten the job.