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Hello, another 1L here (CLS) panicking about fall semester grades.
I got 2 Bs and 1 B-... I'm assuming this is well below median.
I realize there were problems with my study methods and I have already asked my professors to go over the exams with me.
I will definitely study harder and in a more efficient manner this semester, but I can't help but wonder if I'm already at a point where getting a vault top 100 is an impossibility. Of course I'm not aiming for anything crazy like WLRK, but I would really like to work at a firm that pays market in NYC.

I would appreciate any feedback on this.

I'll bump this. Same exact position as OP but also looking at Boston firms and, now that I have these grades, I'm willing to entertain slightly less than market pay.

Anybody know how 2 Bs and a B- first semester might play out?

2.88 GPA is pretty bad. You are going to need to KILL second semester to get even near median.

Don't worry about Vault. You'll have a lot of work getting any market paying job. Won't be impossible, but you are going to have a ton of work ahead of you.

I'd cut your losses now.

Are you a URM or do you have any W/E?

Even being being below median, at CLS you still may be able to land biglaw if you have W/E.

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[quote="daryldixon"]Are you a URM or do you have any W/E?

Yeah, it matters even more in hiring depending on what minority you are. Firms normally have diversity positions and from certain ethnicities there is such a small sample size of applicants who hit their #'s that it can sometimes be better to be a minority than a non-minority with a higher GPA. However, if someone is bottom of the class or median at TT they may be sunk.

I'd really just focus on getting higher grades to the above. If you go to Columbia and can sniff median you're probably going to get something. I don't have any data on this but I'd imagine someone at the bottom of that school is more capable of improvement than the bottom of the class at a lower tiered school. Unless you struggle to comprehend the law, you clearly need more practice taking tests than most of your class.

~80% of your class gets SAs, necessarily some of those are around your GPA but some of them have ties to places, are URMs, have great WE or w/e. If none of those apply to you, you should be networking now in addition to doing better this semester. I hope you interview well.

You aren't out of it, but you need to pick it up this semester, which you already realize.

Do everything in your power to get your cumulative above a 3.0. If you go into OCI with a 2.XX, that is a tough sell. There is a psychological barrier against dipping into the 2's for a ton of firms, even those who aren't "grade snobs."

Also, and this is pretty obvious but I'll say it anyways, try to avoid another B-. A single B- won't sink you by any means, but multiple are tougher to explain away.

If you have work experience, sell the hell out of it going into OCI

If you can join a diversity group of any form on campus, you should.

Essentially, in addition to trying to bring up grades, you want to get some bullet points on your resume that take the eyes off the transcript as much as possible.

Best of luck OP

I'd echo what other people said; you're not in a great spot, but it's still pretty doable to get your GPA over 3.0 in time for OCI; do that and you have a shot.

To the person interested in Boston; the main Boston firms (RG, WH, GP, and satellites of the big NY firms) tend to be very grade conscious, so that ship has probably sailed. When OCI comes around I'd bid 100% NY, and then add the lessor known Boston firms during add-drop (they are often underbid).