Realistic Thoughts on WUSTL? Forum

[Wiscundergrad]

I got into WUSTL. I thought it was a reach for me. 170 / sub3.0 gpa.

This is probably the best school I will get into and I’m wondering what the general thoughts are. I would like to end up in Chicago or NYC. No preference for big law necessarily. I’m partial to public service but I’m not opposed to big law either.

I’ve been looking at the ABA disclosures and it definitely seems POSSIBLE to get good jobs in NYC and Chicago. However, numbers don’t always paint the full picture.

What should I realistically expect after attending WUSTL for general job opportunities if I don’t want to end up in St. Louis or Missouri? How hard will I have to work/network/etc.?

Thanks!

[sublime]

I know less about public interest, but they place a decent number of people at big nyc firms, but you have to have the grades for it.

[cavalier1138]

I think they have good reach into the Midwest, but I wouldn't count on NYC without decent grades.

[Wiscundergrad]

I know less about public interest, but they place a decent number of people at big nyc firms, but you have to have the grades for it.

I know I should aim to get the best possible GPA. But, what is the low end of acceptable GPA for my goals?

[sublime]

I know less about public interest, but they place a decent number of people at big nyc firms, but you have to have the grades for it.

I know I should aim to get the best possible GPA. But, what is the low end of acceptable GPA for my goals?

Like I said, I went firm so I don’t really know about PI. In general I would say things get dicey below top third and even there can be hit or miss.

[acr]

I got into WUSTL. I thought it was a reach for me. 170 / sub3.0 gpa.

This is probably the best school I will get into and I’m wondering what the general thoughts are. I would like to end up in Chicago or NYC. No preference for big law necessarily. I’m partial to public service but I’m not opposed to big law either.

I’ve been looking at the ABA disclosures and it definitely seems POSSIBLE to get good jobs in NYC and Chicago. However, numbers don’t always paint the full picture.

What should I realistically expect after attending WUSTL for general job opportunities if I don’t want to end up in St. Louis or Missouri? How hard will I have to work/network/etc.?

Thanks!

Bolded will depend on your grades. My numbers may be slightly off, but top 10% should have a realistic shot at Chicago through OCI. Top 25% or even top third should have a realistic shot at NYC through OCI. But there's no reason not to network, which would probably improve your chances/outcome anyway. Based on your username I take it you went to UW Madison for undergrad. There are tons of Wisconsin alums in Chicago, so I would take advantage of this and network early. WUSTL has been doing well placement wise recently, and I honestly think that WUSTL + full ride + big law/mid law/desired PI job is one of the best possible law school outcome out there

[Wiscundergrad]

I got into WUSTL. I thought it was a reach for me. 170 / sub3.0 gpa.

This is probably the best school I will get into and I’m wondering what the general thoughts are. I would like to end up in Chicago or NYC. No preference for big law necessarily. I’m partial to public service but I’m not opposed to big law either.

I’ve been looking at the ABA disclosures and it definitely seems POSSIBLE to get good jobs in NYC and Chicago. However, numbers don’t always paint the full picture.

What should I realistically expect after attending WUSTL for general job opportunities if I don’t want to end up in St. Louis or Missouri? How hard will I have to work/network/etc.?

Thanks!

Bolded will depend on your grades. My numbers may be slightly off, but top 10% should have a realistic shot at Chicago through OCI. Top 25% or even top third should have a realistic shot at NYC through OCI. But there's no reason not to network, which would probably improve your chances/outcome anyway. Based on your username I take it you went to UW Madison for undergrad. There are tons of Wisconsin alums in Chicago, so I would take advantage of this and network early. WUSTL has been doing well placement wise recently, and I honestly think that WUSTL + full ride + big law/mid law/desired PI job is one of the best possible law school outcome out there

Thanks for the response! I don’t know if I’ll be able to get a full ride but I’m going to try to negotiate for the best scholarship I can get. I’ll get free tuition IF I get into Wisconsin (through the national guard). Am I able to leverage a “full ride” from Wisconsin for scholarships from WUSTL?

[acr]

I got into WUSTL. I thought it was a reach for me. 170 / sub3.0 gpa.

This is probably the best school I will get into and I’m wondering what the general thoughts are. I would like to end up in Chicago or NYC. No preference for big law necessarily. I’m partial to public service but I’m not opposed to big law either.

I’ve been looking at the ABA disclosures and it definitely seems POSSIBLE to get good jobs in NYC and Chicago. However, numbers don’t always paint the full picture.

What should I realistically expect after attending WUSTL for general job opportunities if I don’t want to end up in St. Louis or Missouri? How hard will I have to work/network/etc.?

Thanks!

Bolded will depend on your grades. My numbers may be slightly off, but top 10% should have a realistic shot at Chicago through OCI. Top 25% or even top third should have a realistic shot at NYC through OCI. But there's no reason not to network, which would probably improve your chances/outcome anyway. Based on your username I take it you went to UW Madison for undergrad. There are tons of Wisconsin alums in Chicago, so I would take advantage of this and network early. WUSTL has been doing well placement wise recently, and I honestly think that WUSTL + full ride + big law/mid law/desired PI job is one of the best possible law school outcome out there

Thanks for the response! I don’t know if I’ll be able to get a full ride but I’m going to try to negotiate for the best scholarship I can get. I’ll get free tuition IF I get into Wisconsin (through the national guard). Am I able to leverage a “full ride” from Wisconsin for scholarships from WUSTL?

It wouldn't hurt to try. WUSTL is known for being willing to play ball when it comes to scholarship negotiations. The worst they can say is no.

[PeanutsNJam]

Top 10% isn’t required for Chicago biglaw, I know people not in the top 10% going there. It’s definitely competitive though. Top 10% doesn’t guarantee you Chicago biglaw either.

Public interest jobs are generally less grade sensitive.

[Wiscundergrad]

Top 10% isn’t required for Chicago biglaw, I know people not in the top 10% going there. It’s definitely competitive though. Top 10% doesn’t guarantee you Chicago biglaw either.

Public interest jobs are generally less grade sensitive.

Besides grades, what are the other big factors for job placement? Concentration? Professor recommendations? Career Development Advisors?

I guess I’m asking what other things I should be looking for when I do a school visit that will help me get a job in the future.

[arose928]

Top 10% isn’t required for Chicago biglaw, I know people not in the top 10% going there. It’s definitely competitive though. Top 10% doesn’t guarantee you Chicago biglaw either.

Public interest jobs are generally less grade sensitive.

Besides grades, what are the other big factors for job placement? Concentration? Professor recommendations? Career Development Advisors?

I guess I’m asking what other things I should be looking for when I do a school visit that will help me get a job in the future.

Doing PI work (clinics, internships, etc) throughout law school.

[marrismarris]

Besides grades, what are the other big factors for job placement? Concentration? Professor recommendations? Career Development Advisors?

I guess I’m asking what other things I should be looking for when I do a school visit that will help me get a job in the future.

Biggest considerations for public interest is networking, showing commitment, and Nailing the Interview.
Biggest considerations for BigLaw are grades, networking, and connection to the area (with the trend being the smaller the city's market, the more of a connection needed).
Biggest considerations for clerkships (which are 1 year paid positions working for a judge, writing opinions and researching case issues /deciding which cases to hear (if it's an appellate level court)) are grades and professor recommendations.

IMO, WUSTL realllllly pushes Biglaw, and they're starting to push clerkships more too. We had a 1L job networking event recently and only 14% of the employers there were public interest or government. There will be more events like that (with one being only public interest) but the reality is that if you're interested in public interest, you have to do a lot more of the leg work yourself.