Below Median at T10, Struck Out Forum

[Anonymous User]

Title says it all. Just a bit below median at a T10 and struck out on 18 screeners. At this point I'm not really sure how to move forward other than putting my head down, grinding all of 2L, trying to network (I suck at it) and participating in 3L OCI. Anyone else in my boat?

[Anonymous User]

OCI season isn’t even close to over. Mass mail and network like your life depends on it. Big Law offers will go out as late as November. Get to it. Talk to your career services and have them start connecting you.

[Anonymous User]

Title says it all. Just a bit below median at a T10 and struck out on 18 screeners. At this point I'm not really sure how to move forward other than putting my head down, grinding all of 2L, trying to network (I suck at it) and participating in 3L OCI. Anyone else in my boat?

Figure out what went wrong in your screeners. Unless you're sub 3.0 or bid in a dumb way, you should have converted some of those into callbacks.

[Anonymous User]

You should def start massmailing everywhere you have ties to + NY. You should also provide your application materials to career services for review in case there is some sort of spelling/grammatical error. Also agree with above that if you bid appropriately you shouldn't have struck out. I would do a few mock interviews with career services and alums at firms (if they're willing) to touch up your interviewing skills.

If somehow you still strike out, make sure you work on your resume by focusing on internships and classes in areas you would eventually like to practice, and take some b.s. classes 3L to boost your gpa. If you do those things, you'll be fine from a T10. Also reach out to mid-sized firms (plenty of them that pay $160k+), it would be much easier to do 3L OCI having worked at a mid-sized firm, than no firm at all.

[Anonymous User]

I'm in the same boat as you, OP. Just below median at a T6, 23 screeners, 0 CBs. Bid exclusively NYC, and within GPA range.

[Anonymous User]

Title says it all. Just a bit below median at a T10 and struck out on 18 screeners. At this point I'm not really sure how to move forward other than putting my head down, grinding all of 2L, trying to network (I suck at it) and participating in 3L OCI. Anyone else in my boat?

You can't afford to suck at networking. At the beginning of the summer, I would physically shake just trying to hit the send button on a cold email. I was able to network my way into a pre-OCI offer that people of my background have no business getting. You just have to grit your teeth and do it. It just takes practice.

[Wild Card]

I'm in the same boat as you, OP. Just below median at a T6, 23 screeners, 0 CBs. Bid exclusively NYC, and within GPA range.

Speak to Irene. She keeps biglaw opportunities in Texas and Florida, if you're willing to go.

[QContinuum]

I'm in the same boat as you, OP. Just below median at a T6, 23 screeners, 0 CBs. Bid exclusively NYC, and within GPA range.

I'm sorry. I second the previous anon's advice to massmail your rear end off without any delay. DO NOT SIMPLY WAIT for 3L OCI - 3L OCI is tough even for people with 2L SAs looking to switch firms; it's effectively impossible for folks without 2L SAs.

Go to your school's career services folks. Get them to reread all of your materials, and set up more practice interviews for you. Figure out what went wrong. And in parallel, keep massmailing - both NYC* and any market(s) you have ties to. Did you ever live in Texas or attend school there? Or have any relatives there? Then massmail the ever-loving stuffing out of the Dallas and Houston markets (even if your only Texas ties are to El Paso). Ditto for California, Florida, Chicago, Boston.

*I say NYC because while 23 screeners is a solid number, there's still plenty more NYC firms to massmail. 23's a drop in the bucket, especially if a good fraction of the 23 were "reach" firms.

Good luck, and remember, for massmailing, every. single. day. counts at this point.

[unsweetened]

I struck out on more than 18 screeners as a 2L. My entire fall semester of 2L was basically a crash and burn situation. I sucked at networking and hardly knew anyone. Journal was also ruining my life. I was mass mailing and trying to exhaust as many resources as I could to get myself out there.

I finally got a call the following February for a position that I applied for in August and had forgotten about. I had done 125+ applications by that point. It's hard to keep going and not feel like a total failure sometimes, but it only takes one good offer to change everything. One of my colleagues told me about his experience with OCIs and it was pretty similar. Below median at T10, struck out at OCI, mass mailed like crazy, 140+ applications. Striking out sucks, but it's not definitive.

My advice with respect to networking is to get better at it. I got better at networking by going to as many networking events as I could (started in 2L as a I was getting desperate for a job) and talking to as many people as I could. After a while, you start seeing some of the same people a few times in a row and it's a lot easier to strike up a conversation. It helps when those people start introducing you other people. Going to networking events with a friend is helpful too. It's awkward at first and the payoff isn't immediate. Why am I saying this? I have seen a posters emphasize the importance of networking, but don't always show the nuts and bolts. "Moral" of the story is that I networked my tail off during 2L and part of 3L and got a reach job pretty much through networking. It sucks striking out, but you have to keep working towards your goal and sometimes you need to get creative. Luck obviously plays some role in the process, but putting in a lot of work can reduce the need to rely on a lucky break.

Edit: Poster above with advice not to wait until 3L OCI is 100% on point. I was amazed at how few firms showed up for 3L OCI compared to 2L OCI.

[Anonymous User]

In a similar position as the OP (but not just below median, I would say I'm in the 25%-30% range) and will start massmailing immediately. Before I start, when a firm gives you the option to apply online, is it better to apply that way or just contact recruitment directly via email?

[Anonymous User]

In a similar position as the OP (but not just below median, I would say I'm in the 25%-30% range) and will start massmailing immediately. Before I start, when a firm gives you the option to apply online, is it better to apply that way or just contact recruitment directly via email?

Bump.

[Anonymous User]

I'm in the same boat 3.0 at NU, struck out. I have mass mailed 400+ firms and got nothing but dings so far. This is a blood bath.

[QContinuum]

In a similar position as the OP (but not just below median, I would say I'm in the 25%-30% range) and will start massmailing immediately. Before I start, when a firm gives you the option to apply online, is it better to apply that way or just contact recruitment directly via email?

IMO applying online is fine. I don't see an advantage to emailing HR.