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Just finished 1L at Texas and ended up with a 3.85. Worked 20 hours a week the whole time, also have 4 years of good FT work experience between undergrad and starting law school. No clue what percentile 3.85 is because we don't rank, but my guess is at least top 15-18 percent as around 3.6 -3.65 is the top 25 percent (they do publish the quartile cut-off marks).

1. I really want Big Law in Austin but know it's difficult to get. Chances? I'd take Big Law anywhere in Texas though.
2. Is it stupid not to be applying for the city job fairs? (We have bidding right now for NYC, Boston, etc.). I don't really want to live there but I'd take Big Law there over no Big Law at all.

Other issue - I had a 4.16 first semester and a 3.51 second semester (death in the family 3 days before first exam - did not study all of finals period). I am worried this will be a huge, huge deal for them to see such a big drop off.

1. Do you think this will be a large issue?
2. Do they think I will get asked about it, and if I am, how should I respond? I don't really want to use my personal life as an excuse, that seems whiny, but giving no reason at all also seems like a red flag.

1. You'll have a very good shot at Austin big law. You will be nearly a shoo-in for big law in Texas generally if you can get through an interview without embarrassing yourself.

2. If you don't want to live in those cities, don't apply for them. That will only be a waste of your time and the firms'. As noted above, you should have an easy time getting big law in Texas if that's what you want.

3. I would tell firms what happened second semester. Your first semester GPA was incredible, possibly #1 in the class. It's clear something happened during second semester that affected you. Your excuse does not sound whiny. Even with the rough second semester, you should be firmly in the top 10%.

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ajax adonis wrote:Take this as another opinion, but I wouldn't volunteer information regarding your grade drop unless asked. Your GPA is already darn good as it is, and there's no reason to bring up a grade drop if your GPA as a whole is solid.

I agree with this. You don't need to volunteer the information, but I think there is a good chance firms will ask you about it. Also, I'm assuming that the person who passed away was reasonably close to you in relation. If not, then it sounds like an excuse. Basically, if it is true that you were unable to study during finals period because of the death of someone reasonably close to you, that seems to me to be a perfectly good explanation for why you would have been #1 (or close to it) first semester and fallen to around median during second semester.

The important point here is that everyone knows that you couldn't have achieved that first semester GPA on accident. There is no such thing as a fluky 4.16. So everyone who sees your transcript will be wondering what happened second semester. The reason you gave makes a lot of sense.

Anonymous User wrote:Just finished 1L at Texas and ended up with a 3.85. Worked 20 hours a week the whole time, also have 4 years of good FT work experience between undergrad and starting law school. No clue what percentile 3.85 is because we don't rank, but my guess is at least top 15-18 percent as around 3.6 -3.65 is the top 25 percent (they do publish the quartile cut-off marks).

1. I really want Big Law in Austin but know it's difficult to get. Chances? I'd take Big Law anywhere in Texas though.
2. Is it stupid not to be applying for the city job fairs? (We have bidding right now for NYC, Boston, etc.). I don't really want to live there but I'd take Big Law there over no Big Law at all.

Other issue - I had a 4.16 first semester and a 3.51 second semester (death in the family 3 days before first exam - did not study all of finals period). I am worried this will be a huge, huge deal for them to see such a big drop off.

1. Do you think this will be a large issue?
2. Do they think I will get asked about it, and if I am, how should I respond? I don't really want to use my personal life as an excuse, that seems whiny, but giving no reason at all also seems like a red flag.

Do not bring up the grade drop. Do not bring up the grade drop. Do not bring up the grade drop.

If you are asked, simply state (without drama) that there was a death in the family a couple days before finals and it affected your performance. Come up with a transition sentence that you can use after the interviewer expresses condolences and leave it at that. That won't be considered whiny.

I'm sorry for your loss.

TooOld4This wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Just finished 1L at Texas and ended up with a 3.85. Worked 20 hours a week the whole time, also have 4 years of good FT work experience between undergrad and starting law school. No clue what percentile 3.85 is because we don't rank, but my guess is at least top 15-18 percent as around 3.6 -3.65 is the top 25 percent (they do publish the quartile cut-off marks).

1. I really want Big Law in Austin but know it's difficult to get. Chances? I'd take Big Law anywhere in Texas though.
2. Is it stupid not to be applying for the city job fairs? (We have bidding right now for NYC, Boston, etc.). I don't really want to live there but I'd take Big Law there over no Big Law at all.

Other issue - I had a 4.16 first semester and a 3.51 second semester (death in the family 3 days before first exam - did not study all of finals period). I am worried this will be a huge, huge deal for them to see such a big drop off.

1. Do you think this will be a large issue?
2. Do they think I will get asked about it, and if I am, how should I respond? I don't really want to use my personal life as an excuse, that seems whiny, but giving no reason at all also seems like a red flag.

Do not bring up the grade drop. Do not bring up the grade drop. Do not bring up the grade drop.

If you are asked, simply state (without drama) that there was a death in the family a couple days before finals and it affected your performance. Come up with a transition sentence that you can use after the interviewer expresses condolences and leave it at that. That won't be considered whiny.

I'm sorry for your loss.

This.

I wouldn't dwell on it. Don't go into too much detail unless they go out of their way to prod ("So, who was it that actually died?"). Just say, "There was a death in the family just a few days before finals," and don't feel like you have to get into who it was, the specific timing, place, etc. You don't want the interviewer's impression and memory of you to be one of excuses and death.

Everyone wants Austin, and there's no level at which one is a presumptive lock for Austin biglaw. I know a fair number of TLR Chancellors who weren't able to make it happen.

That said, you're in just about the best position you could be. You did do the TLR write-on, I hope.

I'm in an Austin big law office this summer. I can tell you that GPA is not (primarily) what gets Austin.

Where are you from? What did you do this summer? With your first semester GPA, you should have been applying for 1L Austin positions. Did you?

3.8 is usually around the top 10% mark (and 3.9 is about top 3%).

Congrats on your grades. I think you've got as good a shot as any, especially since you're from UT. Austin's always tough, but bid all the big firms if you really wanna be there.

Congrats on having great grades. Last year, I had a 3.84 GPA going into OCI, and I struck out of Austin Biglaw.

I only ended up getting a few screeners for Austin biglaw firms, 1 CB, and 0 offers. Lukcily, I had offers from the NY Job Fair to fall back on, but if it wasn't for those, then I would not have been happy with where I ended up.

You'll definitely get something from Dallas or Houston if you bid there, and you'll almot definitely get something if you do the NY job fair. Take your pic of which one of those Plan Bs you'd be happiest with, because that might be where you end up. This isn't to say you won't get Austin, but also don't count on it. It's not that you're underqualified, it's that there are tons of ppl trying to go there every year and the firms just don't take very many people. Good luck!