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Hey guys, here's the situation:

Rising 2L at a T14 here. I'm currently in the process of mass mailing secondary markets where I have ties. In the winter, I applied for a diversity 1L SA at a firm in my home market. I actually had met the recruiting chair a few years back and kept in touch with her over the years, and came into the office to visit her and discuss the law firm a few times. When I applied, my grades were not great (3.1) and I didn't get the 1L SA. I know that those are competitive, and I obviously don't know why exactly I didn't get it, but I can't help but think that my grades played a part. It's a bit more awkward of a rejection since I knew the person who rejected me pretty well, but I understand that that's how it goes. My question is, when I email her, should I acknowledge the fact that my second semester GPA was significantly better than my first semester (I am now above median)? I obviously don't plan on doing this with any other application, but since I am addressing her more personally, should I include this? And more generally, how I do (if at all) acknowledge that half a year ago I applied for a job with this firm and was rejected, and now I'm applying again? Thanks so much!

I'm hoping to apply tomorrow, so bump

arnoldpalmer36 wrote:I'm hoping to apply tomorrow, so bump

You are emailing her directly? What do you plan to say about your grades?

Edit: I would mention you applied for the 1L SA. It reaffirms your interest in the firm.

Can you say something in the email like : updating my information. Second semester GPA 3.[whatever], overall GPA [3. Whatever]. Also mention what you did over the summer.

I feel like you need a very special reason for bringing attention to your grades. In might in my case because English is not my first language. I went from the median to the top 10-15%. I think its worth mentioning but I'll frame it as overcoming adversity.

Anonymous User wrote:I feel like you need a very special reason for bringing attention to your grades. In might in my case because English is not my first language. I went from the median to the top 10-15%. I think its worth mentioning but I'll frame it as overcoming adversity.

Yes. Except he knows this woman and they know his first semester grades already.

NYSprague wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I feel like you need a very special reason for bringing attention to your grades. In might in my case because English is not my first language. I went from the median to the top 10-15%. I think its worth mentioning but I'll frame it as overcoming adversity.

Yes. Except he knows this woman and they know his first semester grades already.

I don't feel like that's enough. She will know your grades improved substantially from your resume. 1l SA is different from the 2l SA. having applied once could only be neutral or positive because it shows your interest. My humble opinion.

Put both your cumulative GPA and your second semester GPA on your résumé. Problem solved (your welcome). She'll see it and factor it in. In the letter mention your continued interest, etc. I wouldn't even mention the first semester grades--the answer to that question is pretty standard...

-hardship in first sem
-you "figured it out"
-you worked harder second sem

And these can be explained in the interview.

Thanks for the responses! I definitely see the pros and cons to acknowledging it. Basically, I wanted to make kind of a reference to it in my cover letter to her without explicitly stating it, or being too negative. When I applied in the winter, I saids something along the lines of "This past semester has been challenging, but here is what I have accomplished" so this time around I was planning on saying something like "This year taught me that I can quickly learn from my mistakes, adapt, and make necessary improvements" or something like that, where i don't explicitly acknowledge my improved GPA, but reference it in a way that says "I'm applying now with a higher GPA than I had when I applied last time." Thoughts? And thanks again!

arnoldpalmer36 wrote:Thanks for the responses! I definitely see the pros and cons to acknowledging it. Basically, I wanted to make kind of a reference to it in my cover letter to her without explicitly stating it, or being too negative. When I applied in the winter, I saids something along the lines of "This past semester has been challenging, but here is what I have accomplished" so this time around I was planning on saying something like "This year taught me that I can quickly learn from my mistakes, adapt, and make necessary improvements" or something like that, where i don't explicitly acknowledge my improved GPA, but reference it in a way that says "I'm applying now with a higher GPA than I had when I applied last time." Thoughts? And thanks again!

Don't say mistakes or point out your first semester was bad

Just use resume if you are going to do that.

NYSprague wrote:

arnoldpalmer36 wrote:Thanks for the responses! I definitely see the pros and cons to acknowledging it. Basically, I wanted to make kind of a reference to it in my cover letter to her without explicitly stating it, or being too negative. When I applied in the winter, I saids something along the lines of "This past semester has been challenging, but here is what I have accomplished" so this time around I was planning on saying something like "This year taught me that I can quickly learn from my mistakes, adapt, and make necessary improvements" or something like that, where i don't explicitly acknowledge my improved GPA, but reference it in a way that says "I'm applying now with a higher GPA than I had when I applied last time." Thoughts? And thanks again!

Don't say mistakes or point out your first semester was bad

Just use resume if you are going to do that.

I agree with NYSprague. I'm the poster above that suggested the 2 GPAs on resume.

Don't say "I'm applying now with a higher GPA than before". Definitely don't say that.

"This year taught me that I can quickly learn, etc." addresses your first semester in a subtle way, and you can be sure they'll notice the improvement if you point it out on your resume (2 GPAs).

Not trying to threadjack, but very similar question: apply to firm that rejected you for a 1L SA after the callback stage (MVP below median when I was interviewed for the SA, now I'm above median)?

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