Should I participate in my old law school's OCI before transferring? Forum

[Hikikomorist]

If they go to the BLS's OCIs and transfer to Berkeley, they are wrong. If they go to Berkeley's OCI and transfer to NYU or Columbia, they are wrong.

Nobody has said anything like this. If they accept Berkeley, participate in Berkeley's OCI, and only then are accepted to and transfer to NYU or Columbia, there shouldn't be any problem as long as they don't participate in NYU/Columbia's OCI (and if they weren't accepted till after Berkeley's OCI they've almost certainly missed the NYC schools' OCIs anyway).

(Leaving aside that they have got into NYU, of course, which would seem to make the whole issue moot.)

Edit: people (including me) need to be more careful about reading post histories. This user hasn't got into NYU yet - they were quoting/responding to someone who had, but they said that they hadn't yet heard from either NYU or Columbia. Sorry, OP, for the accusation.

Correct, but I think the student attempted to correct himself when he put up his second post. Its not that he has definitively decided to go to Berkeley and wants to participate in BLS OCI. He doesn't have any idea where he will end up going, and so does not know which OCI fair he should participate in. It seems like the chances of him getting into NYU at the last minute may be strong, therefore he wants to avoid moving all the way to California and then having to move back at the last minute. But he also wants to avoid missing out on every school's OCI. Although it seems like he prefers not tobe in this situation in the first place, the safest bet in the situation would be to stay for BLS's OCI fair.

Sure, if they're willing to pass on Berkeley and stay at BLS. Or - it's not clear from the language - participate in BLS's OCI and pass on Berkeley's. But even if Berkeley actually permits that, it would really seem to defeat the whole purpose of transferring to Berkeley, which is to have access to firms through OCI that you wouldn't have access to at your original school. If they can get the job they want through BLS OCI there is almost no reason at all to transfer, especially across the country when they don't want to work in California. And I have to think that firms that interview at BLS are going to look askance at someone who interviews through BLS and then pops up as a Berkeley student.

Really I think the OP needs to decide whether transferring to Berkeley would be worth it, not which OCI to attend.

Hikko, how does that make any sense? You're not competing with outgoing transfers, because they're transferring. They're gone.

Assuming they go through OCI before leaving.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Yeah, but why would they? The point of transferring is to get to a better OCI (or better access to non-firm jobs, in which case you won't go through OCI anyway).

[Hikikomorist]

Yeah, but why would they? The point of transferring is to get to a better OCI (or better access to non-firm jobs, in which case you won't go through OCI anyway).

To have two shots.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Yeah, but why would they? The point of transferring is to get to a better OCI (or better access to non-firm jobs, in which case you won't go through OCI anyway).

To have two shots.

Yeah, but that is absolutely not allowed. That's one of the main points of this whole thread - you only get one OCI.

[eyeofvigilence]

I think this whole thread kind of exploded, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

In any event, I think OP was thinking they should skip Boalt's OCI and instead participate in BLS's OCI because they think they'll have a better chance of getting NY BigLaw by doing so.

I just don't think that's correct. I think you'll have the same opportunities in NY as you would have had if you stayed at BLS, plus an additional bump because now you will be coming from a T8 school. Plus, 11.5% of Berkeley kids went to NY, and my guess is that only that many students really wanted to go to NY. If you want NY, you'll get it. In short, you can still practice in NY if you go to Berkeley, with or without BLS's OCI. Chances are you can be successful by mass mailing or interviewing with a NY firm during Berkeley's OCI.

If you do decide to transfer, definitely don't skip Berkeley's OCI.

[amy2345]

Yeah, but why would they? The point of transferring is to get to a better OCI (or better access to non-firm jobs, in which case you won't go through OCI anyway).

Yes, the OCI job fair is one very strong reason to transfer to a better school. However, it is not the only one. The school you graduate from will remain on your resume forever, and the job you obtain through the OCI fair may only last a few years. The prestige of where you graduated from is a huge factor in deciding to transfer.

Also the student started the post off by asking whether they would be able to get interviews with the very top firms at Berkeley's OCI fair if they were a transfer student. If its true that it might be harder to get interviews with these higher firms as a transfer, and BLS has decent firms participating in its job fair, then the job prospects might be similar. Unfortunately, most people chose not to answer the question and critique the OP instead. It also seems like the student is heavily weighing location when factoring their decision. If they truly want to be in New York, then participating in BLS's job fair and transferring to NYU after the fair is over might make some sense. But I will admit, I am not very knowledgable on whether the job prospects from OCIs are good or not for transfers. Would love to hear more on it if you have any information.

[amy2345]

I think this whole thread kind of exploded, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

In any event, I think OP was thinking they should skip Boalt's OCI and instead participate in BLS's OCI because they think they'll have a better chance of getting NY BigLaw by doing so.

I just don't think that's correct. I think you'll have the same opportunities in NY as you would have had if you stayed at BLS, plus an additional bump because now you will be coming from a T8 school. Plus, 11.5% of Berkeley kids went to NY, and my guess is that only that many students really wanted to go to NY. If you want NY, you'll get it. In short, you can still practice in NY if you go to Berkeley, with or without BLS's OCI. Chances are you can be successful by mass mailing or interviewing with a NY firm during Berkeley's OCI.

If you do decide to transfer, definitely don't skip Berkeley's OCI.

Thanks!!

[amy2345]

Yeah, but why would they? The point of transferring is to get to a better OCI (or better access to non-firm jobs, in which case you won't go through OCI anyway).

To have two shots.

Yeah, but that is absolutely not allowed. That's one of the main points of this whole thread - you only get one OCI.

yeah the student does not want to do both, just the one at BLS.

[the-american-guy]

This is a bit of a non-sequitur, but just a note: If OP is still hoping to get into NYU or Columbia for the OCI opportunities, Columbia's bidding deadline is tomorrow. So, unless you're accepted today or tomorrow, you may not have a chance to do it there. I do not know about NYU. I'm not entirely sure if this helps or not, but it seemed worth noting.