Top Law Schools

Edited

You're above median. Depending on how you do next semester you might have law-review worthy grades, or whatever. There are people with significantly higher GPAs who probably feel kinda bummed, too.

There's still another semester.

And there are people with lower grades would probably kick you for whining about being above median. Don't be the teenager who throws a tantrum because they got the wrong color iphone for Christmas.

Dude, above median at CCN is more than fine. Assuming you're not weird at interviews you'll get a job.

pastapplicant wrote:3.35 GPA at CCN. I know I should be grateful for what I have yet I can't help but feel a bit let down that I will never make law review now and etc. Anyone else depressed due to the law school curve?

It's okay to be disappointed. But don't think that you can't make law review. I'm not sure what it is like at your school, but at mine the majority of law review acceptances are made purely on the basis write-on competition scores. Keep your chin up, try and figure out what you can do to improve your performance next semester, and give the write-on your best effort.

meh . . . law review is for dorks. every last person I know on a journal absolutely hates it. slaving away on something nobody reads, the sole purpose of which is to give profs an excuse for teaching a light course load . . . just to be able to say "I made it." All that glitters is not gold.

Just try not to let your grades drop. Spend all your time networking and improving job prospects. I know people in top10% and people on law review w/ no job . . . they should have spent more time networking, locking down good 1L work. You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

portaprokoss wrote:meh . . . law review is for dorks. every last person I know on a journal absolutely hates it. slaving away on something nobody reads, the sole purpose of which is to give profs an excuse for teaching a light course load . . . just to be able to say "I made it." All that glitters is not gold.

Just try not to let your grades drop. Spend all your time networking and improving job prospects. I know people in top10% and people on law review w/ no job . . . they should have spent more time networking, locking down good 1L work. You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

What is this, middle school?

portaprokoss wrote:You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

woah, surprise there.

ph14 wrote:What is this, middle school?

yes.

mephistopheles wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

woah, surprise there.

Well, it came as a surprise to me and everyone I know how little grades matter at OCI. People in top 55% w/ 7 offers. People at top of the class with 0 offers. 1Ls freaking out because they aren't in top-10% should know this: mixed As & Bs + networking > Straight As + LR + no networking

portaprokoss wrote:

mephistopheles wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

woah, surprise there.

Well, it came as a surprise to me and everyone I know how little grades matter at OCI. People in top 55% w/ 7 offers. People at top of the class with 0 offers. People freaking out because they aren't in top-10% should know this.

This is a bit of an exaggeration. Grades still matter, although they aren't absolutely everything.

ph14 wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:

mephistopheles wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

woah, surprise there.

Well, it came as a surprise to me and everyone I know how little grades matter at OCI. People in top 55% w/ 7 offers. People at top of the class with 0 offers. People freaking out because they aren't in top-10% should know this.

This is a bit of an exaggeration. Grades still matter, although they aren't absolutely everything.

Actually it's true anecdote. Grades matter, sure . . . but only for getting a candidate past the laugh test. No firm (except maybe 2) will laugh at top-40% from t-10. Once you get past the laugh test networking, 1L summer work, and interviewing skills matter so much more than being in the top 10% & LR.

portaprokoss wrote:

mephistopheles wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

woah, surprise there.

Well, it came as a surprise to me and everyone I know how little grades matter at OCI. People in top 55% w/ 7 offers. People at top of the class with 0 offers. 1Ls freaking out because they aren't in top-10% should know this: mixed As & Bs + networking > Straight As + LR + no networking

What you're saying contradicts almost everything I've heard. OP attends CCN. To say having LR and top-5% grades at one of those schools counts for very little when it comes to OCI seems impossible.

bowser wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:

mephistopheles wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:You can bet your ass they'd rather be top-40% student w/ big law.

woah, surprise there.

Well, it came as a surprise to me and everyone I know how little grades matter at OCI. People in top 55% w/ 7 offers. People at top of the class with 0 offers. 1Ls freaking out because they aren't in top-10% should know this: mixed As & Bs + networking > Straight As + LR + no networking

What you're saying contradicts almost everything I've heard. OP attends CCN. To say having LR and top-5% grades at one of those schools counts for very little when it comes to OCI seems impossible.

Yes. Portaprokoss is exaggerating.

portaprokoss wrote:Actually it's true anecdote. Grades matter, sure . . . but only for getting a candidate past the laugh test. No firm (except maybe 2) will laugh at top-40% from t-10. Once you get past the laugh test networking, 1L summer work, and interviewing skills matter so much more than being in the top 10% & LR.

I never said it wasn't a true anecdote, but it's more the exception than the rule, and you shouldn't base a generalization based on the fact that some data points don't fit the pattern. Top 10% & LR is much more important than your "1L summer work" for example. Anyways, this is sidetracking the thread, so let's stop this discussion.

portaprokoss wrote:

ph14 wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:

mephistopheles wrote:

woah, surprise there.

Well, it came as a surprise to me and everyone I know how little grades matter at OCI. People in top 55% w/ 7 offers. People at top of the class with 0 offers. People freaking out because they aren't in top-10% should know this.

This is a bit of an exaggeration. Grades still matter, although they aren't absolutely everything.

Actually it's true anecdote. Grades matter, sure . . . but only for getting a candidate past the laugh test. No firm (except maybe 2) will laugh at top-40% from t-10. Once you get past the laugh test networking, 1L summer work, and interviewing skills matter so much more than being in the top 10% & LR.

This is what happens to our brains after a few years of living and breathing cases. Too bad Life-Jurisdiction doesn't follow stare decisis.

I can think of several firms that will laugh at top 40% from T10 law schools. Like, off the top of my head.

portaprokoss wrote: No firm (except maybe 2) will laugh at top-40% from t-10.

This is a classic BruceWayne bat signal. Quickly!

pastapplicant wrote:3.35 GPA at CCN. I know I should be grateful for what I have yet I can't help but feel a bit let down that I will never make law review now and etc. Anyone else depressed due to the law school curve?

Had similar grades after first semester. Then made law review, got my first choice firm, and graduated with honors. Plenty of time to improve. Don't stress out. Find out how to do better and focus on that.

thesealocust wrote:I can think of several firms that will laugh at top 40% from T10 law schools. Like, off the top of my head.

Really. Care to name them? I'm hard pressed to think of a v-10 (save the two) that didn't callback or offer people from my school in the in the 30-50% range. They certainly didn't laugh at me.

Of course better grades give better opportunities generally, but look over the jobs threads for this year and you'll see the same thing over and over: "surprised how little grades mattered."

portaprokoss wrote:

thesealocust wrote:I can think of several firms that will laugh at top 40% from T10 law schools. Like, off the top of my head.

Really. Care to name them? I'm hard pressed to think of a v-10 (save the two) that didn't callback or offer people in the 30-50% range. They certainly didn't laugh at me.

The V10 aren't necessarily the most selective firms and are a poor metric in general. W&C, MTO, Susman, Keker, Boies are all very selective, just to name a few. Also, "save the two" is terrible anti-S&C trolling.

In any event, what you posted in the above quoted post is not what you were claiming further up, i.e., that grades basically don't matter.

ph14 wrote:In any event, what you posted in the above quoted post is not what you were claiming further up, i.e., that grades basically don't matter.

My claim is this: mixed As & Bs + networking > Straight As + LR + no networking

I never said grades don't matter

portaprokoss wrote:

ph14 wrote:In any event, what you posted in the above quoted post is not what you were claiming further up, i.e., that grades basically don't matter.

My claim is this: mixed As & Bs + networking > Straight As + LR + no networking

I never said grades don't matter

That's still a bad claim, at least regards OCI.

ph14 wrote:

portaprokoss wrote:

ph14 wrote:In any event, what you posted in the above quoted post is not what you were claiming further up, i.e., that grades basically don't matter.

My claim is this: mixed As & Bs + networking > Straight As + LR + no networking

I never said grades don't matter

That's still a bad claim, at least regards OCI.

Successful networking results in people who are inside the firm pulling for you before OCI even begins. A good 1L job should give you opportunities to meet lawyers at top firms. It's simply false that being one of the faceless dozens w/ top-10% from a T-14, or one of the faceless dozens on a journal, is more important than having lawyers on the inside at a firm actively championing your hire before OCI has even begun.

OP, just do a secondary journal if you really have that much self-loathing.