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T10. 3.1X. Pretty bummed because I studied very hard all year, even switching strategies after a disappointing Fall, reading all the books and going to academic support and all that jazz. But I guess there's no point dwelling on it.

I have a pretty interesting background and I like to think I'm personable and charming. Diversity. Moderate ties to both Norcal and Socal. East Coast school, so NY will be highly represented at OCI and I will bid a number of safeties just in case...but I REALLY want California. What can I do? What firms should I look at? I'm willing to hustle but I want to do it effectively. I already plan on mass mailing all the California firms in the NALP directory, signed up for the Bay Area diversity fair, but all of this seems like a drop in the ocean. I need to stand out. All suggestions welcome.

With a 3.1X, there are no safety firms (even at a T10). I can't offer any special advice other than the general: don't bid on the impossible firms (i.e. wachtell), bid firms with lower gpa floors but larger classes (for that info you can do a general search, but you prob know enough that gibson dunn is gonna be a no-go for you even though they have huge classes).

If you really want california, that should be able to come out in interviews. The east coast school is gonna raise eyebrows in LA/SF, but be prepared in case they ask why you went to school there.

Any success stories?

The east coast school is gonna raise eyebrows in LA/SF,

Not with ties, it won't. (Most firms recognize the reason to go T10 over UCLA/USC, and S & Boalt are difficult.)

OP, bid LA, SF will be big stretch. If you have any tech or business background, SV might be worth a look. But your best odds are LA. Good luck.

Any specific firms that are not too picky about grades?

How about firms with large class sizes in LA?

OP, you're already doing all the right things. I do think that with a 3.1, your bidlist needs to be mainly NYC, not just safeties (and I'm not even sure there are safeties... several realistic targets, though). An NYC job is better than no job, and you can mail most of the west coast firms/do the bay area fair / only bid on the CA firms you absolutely can't miss at OCI

runinthefront wrote:OP, you're already doing all the right things. I do think that with a 3.1, your bidlist needs to be mainly NYC, not just safeties (and I'm not even sure there are safeties... several realistic targets, though). An NYC job is better than no job, and you can mail most of the west coast firms/do the bay area fair / only bid on the CA firms you absolutely can't miss at OCI

Does the calculus change if at CCN? 3.1X is about bottom quarter.

Bottom quarter anywhere is liable to strike out. Your gpa just looks way too close to a 3.0

But that's a question for jbagel or tiago or someone else at columbia/nyu

Anonymous User wrote:Bottom quarter anywhere is liable to strike out. Your gpa just looks way too close to a 3.0

But that's a question for jbagel or tiago or someone else at columbia/nyu

this was me idk why it was anon

BizBro wrote:

runinthefront wrote:OP, you're already doing all the right things. I do think that with a 3.1, your bidlist needs to be mainly NYC, not just safeties (and I'm not even sure there are safeties... several realistic targets, though). An NYC job is better than no job, and you can mail most of the west coast firms/do the bay area fair / only bid on the CA firms you absolutely can't miss at OCI

Does the calculus change if at CCN? 3.1X is about bottom quarter.

The point is that at that grade level, what for others would be considered safety firms are in fact the firms you are riding on getting. Hence why there are no "safety"