Mass Mailing nonbid firms Forum

[Nebby]

Question: Has anyone skipped bidding on a firm due to their grade selectivity, and instead mass mailed them in late July? As many of you all know, I'm a transfer student (Top 5% at T2), and I am conservatively bidding due to my transfer status. Statistically it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to waste bids on Cravath or Covington or etc., especially due to my transfer status, but I am wondering what harm could come from mass-mailing them in late July before OCI season begins?

[DELG]

If a firm has a reputation for being highly grade selective, they're often available with low bids or spots open up with them during OCI.

[Nebby]

If a firm has a reputation for being highly grade selective, they're often available with low bids or spots open up with them during OCI.

I was wondering about that too. Thanks!

[dead head]

If a firm has a reputation for being highly grade selective, they're often available with low bids or spots open up with them during OCI.

Doesn't apply so much at Georgetown, where the median number of interviews is maybe a dozen (and I think I'm over-estimating) and lotteries are used for late-opening slots.

This year will be the first with pre-selects, so things may be a little different than historically... but I'm not sure that firms will use their limited number of preselects to select transfer students whose accomplishments are more difficult to evaluate.

[Holly Golightly]

I know people who got at least a couple of interviews this way. Can't hurt to try.

[shock259]

I'd mass mail them in the summer, and if you don't hear or get rejected, bid on them. A lot of firms will just reject you outright or tell you to bid on them at OCI. But it doesn't hurt to try.

Also, as was said, the most grade-selective firms are by far the easiest to get interviews with at a lottery school. The entire lower half of the class will put the least grade-selective firms on the top of their bidlists. So you have to put those ones really high to have a chance at landing an interview. Meanwhile, top-ranked firms are underbid. I don't have my bidlist handy, but I think I got a Cravath lottery interview by placing it like 25/30 at CLS. I didn't get a CB, but the interview went well and it was worth a shot. More screeners = more CBs = more offers.