Bring up bad grade on transcript? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I got to a t-14, and have over 30 interviews (all lottery) lined up over the next few weeks (lots of NY). My transcript is colorful to say the least; I have A's and mostly B's with one C. The C was a complete fluke and in a class unrelated to my career goals. My GPA with the C is a little over a 3, and would be much higher (+.15) without it.

The grade is a fluke and I feel that I can adequately explain it away while still sounding confident. My problem is when interviewers do not bring the grade up. I don't want them to jump to conclusions without my explanation, but I don't want to ruin an otherwise good interview by bringing up the C.

Should I bring it up in interviews? If so, how? Also, do NYC firms usually ask about your transcript in the interview?

[Ozymandias]

Bad idea.

[Anonymous User]

Why, though? Should just keep it under wraps if not addressed?

[target]

No unless asked.

[northwood]

dont bring up anything negative about yourself unless you are asked about them. if they dont ask, dont tell.

you are selling yourself, and what makes you a better applicant. Keep it positive, and if its negative, dont bring it up.

[NotMyRealName09]

If it Doesn't come up, the interviewer might not even have noticed or cared about it. Don't implant a negative notion in Their head by mentioning it at all.

[Anonymous User]

Have a similar situation and in, thus far, 4 interviews and 1 CB (6 interviews in the CB) it hasn't come up once.

[Anonymous User]

Have a similar situation and in, thus far, 4 interviews and 1 CB (6 interviews in the CB) it hasn't come up once.

What were your other grades like?

[Anonymous User]

I was in a...shall we say, similar, position. Don't bring this up. They already know your grades - talking about that C only highlights a weakness. Besides, if you did well in other classes the fact that it's a fluke speaks for itself. Focus on presenting and developing your strengths during your interview and having a natural conversation rather than angling back to your transcript.

[Anonymous User]

Out of curiosity and given the Curve. Does every set of classroom exams contain a C (or worse). My understanding is that there are only so many A’s awarded, a pile of B’s and so on. I am assuming that a T14 C could still represent good work but because of the curve C’s come into play. Right/Wrong?

[mr_toad]

At GULC anything below the required set of 5-10% B-'s is discretionary. But depends on prof - one of our professors (a visiting prof, no longer here) handed out something like 3-4 discretionary C/C+ grades. Needless to say, people were not happy about that.

[Icculus]

Out of curiosity and given the Curve. Does every set of classroom exams contain a C (or worse). My understanding is that there are only so many A’s awarded, a pile of B’s and so on. I am assuming that a T14 C could still represent good work but because of the curve C’s come into play. Right/Wrong?

Why anon?

To answer, at NU the lowest required grade on the curve is a B-, anything lower than that is discretionary and not part of the curve, so it does stand out.

[Anonymous User]

Have a similar situation and in, thus far, 4 interviews and 1 CB (6 interviews in the CB) it hasn't come up once.

What were your other grades like?

All B+ or higher, this was a flat C, the lowest grade given in the class, and lowered my GPA by more than .15. I have my explanation ready for what happened and how I handled it (and you should too) but it doesn't seem to be coming up and is definitely not worth bringing up.

[Anonymous User]

Op here. Thanks for the advice.

Furthermore, my school does not really have a GPA, so perhaps they won't see how much the grade detrimentally affected it. I'm just nervous as could be.

[Anonymous User]

Op here. Thanks for the advice.

Furthermore, my school does not really have a GPA, so perhaps they won't see how much the grade detrimentally affected it. I'm just nervous as could be.

No GPA? How does that work? Do you have to figure it out yourself. . .is that even possible?

[gyarados]

Chicago requires profs to give the same # of Cs and As.

[Anonymous User]

Would these answers change if the interviewer will not be able to see the transcript until the screener is over (and thus could not bring up the bad grade even if they wanted to)?

[Ozymandias]

No. Good lord, one of the cardinal rules of interviews is DON'T BRING UP NEGATIVES.

[Anonymous User]

OP Here. Is a C a death sentence? I am interviewing at primarily smaller, less grade-selective NYC law firms.