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Sitting on 3.50 from NYU, which I think is like top quarter. Did work for two years at a telecom F500 in a general project management role. Want NYC public M&A. Since S&C is a reach and they're the best at that (sans WLRK) would it be appropriate in the screener to say, when asked "why S&C":

"I want to work deal work for X and Y reasons. Sullivan & Cromwell has the best full service corporate group in the United States, and if I received an offer for a Summer Associate position at the Firm I would immediately accept and withdraw all other offers."

Appropriate to say?

For a firm like S&C, it would be pointless. They are one of the very best firms in the world, so tons of people would accept immediately if made an offer. Its essentially implied. You saying it makes no difference. They will never be lacking in highly qualified top candidates so they will never need to resort to kids making desperate-sounding claims just to ensure that the class is full.

That isn't to say that you can never tell a firm that they are your top choice. But when the firm is your top choice simply because its a top firm, it just seems silly (and no, "I want to work big deals" is not a specific or unique reason at all).

Don't do this. You'll sound ridiculous.

You need a very specific reason to make that kind of claim to a firm, and this definitely doesn't fit the bill. I spoke with recruiting at my firm, and they said it is absolutely acceptable for someone to say and express that the firm is their top choice, but that there must be some convincing substance to the claim.

Makes sense. I'll just say they are my top choice firm because because of my desire to do high caliber deal work for X and Y reasons. Hopefully I have a chance at a CB.

Better than "oh hai S&C! Can I hanz due diligence for Goldman Sachs' recent acquisition?"

Sidenote: is a 3.5 at NYU really top 25%? I was under the impression that it was more top third. I realize this is a fine distinction and probably doesn't change your bidding strategy at all, but I'm at a similar GPA and was curious.

Anonymous User wrote:Sidenote: is a 3.5 at NYU really top 25%? I was under the impression that it was more top third. I realize this is a fine distinction and probably doesn't change your bidding strategy at all, but I'm at a similar GPA and was curious.

All my intel suggests that 3.5 is pretty much the top 25% cutoff either slightly above or below.

Also to OP: There are ways to make it clear to firms that you are very interested in them specifically and would almost definitely accept an offer, but you have to be slightly more cool and less blatant about it. Otherwise you come off as desperate. This strategy will also work better with some firms than others. Unfortunately S&C is one of the most grades-and-nothing-else focused of the top firms in NYC, so such tactics are not likely to have much effect. That said, I think there is an outside chance that your grades are good enough for S&C, but you will probably have better luck at other V10's. Go ask OCS, they can give you the GPA's of everyone who received offers from S&C in the last three years, not just some range/average.

Whatever "research" you have finding 3.5 to be top 25% seems very questionable. Much closer to 33%.

Detrox wrote:Whatever "research" you have finding 3.5 to be top 25% seems very questionable. Much closer to 33%.

For 2L's, you're right. For 1L's, you're wrong.

Anonymous User wrote:For 2L's, you're right. For 1L's, you're wrong.

I don't think this is true. You've seen the NYU grade distributions, right? 1L courses generally give about 28-31% of the class grades in the A range, where an A- translates to a 3.67, so you have to figure that a 3.5 average is below top 30%. Unless you think that no one is consistently getting the A-range grades (which I doubt).

I'm not trying to diminish your accomplishment, but I have a 3.5 too and have been trying to figure out where I actually stand in relation to everyone else.

Would saying that a firm is your top choice be a good idea if its a less selective firm (i.e. Alston & Bird)

This thread reminded me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FltRUoAaGdo

for fuck's sake

Oh and law firms love the smell of desperation.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:For 2L's, you're right. For 1L's, you're wrong.

I don't think this is true. You've seen the NYU grade distributions, right? 1L courses generally give about 28-31% of the class grades in the A range, where an A- translates to a 3.67, so you have to figure that a 3.5 average is below top 30%. Unless you think that no one is consistently getting the A-range grades (which I doubt).

I'm not trying to diminish your accomplishment, but I have a 3.5 too and have been trying to figure out where I actually stand in relation to everyone else.

That's not how grade distributions work.

Mid-3.5 is enough for top 25% after 2L so I suspect that 3.50 is not far off top 25% after 1L.

Otherwise, this idea isn't really going to work, though expressing genuine enthusiasm about a firm is always a good idea.