Grade Drop. Explain OCI & Bid Advice Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hello I'm looking for advice on how to proceed during OCI.

My grades drop significantly from first semester top 10% to second semester I am now median. I had death of a parent just before finals. How do I explain this at OCI? Should I upload an addendum on simplicity explaining and attaching death certificate so when I bid on firm they don't automatically throw my app out without knowing the reason. What firms or location should I bid on during OCI?

I feel like my entire career is messed up.

[UVA2B]

Please, please, please don't attach a death certificate to your applications in symplicity.

What school or school range are you at?

[cron1834]

Please do not upload a death certificate to Symplicity. That will be considered weird and off-putting. Maybe someone will have good ideas in this thread, but in the meantime you should reach out to folks at your career office. They're usually pretty useless at most schools, but I'm confident that at pretty much any school, they're going to be relied upon for some advice in unique situations. At the very least it won't hurt to talk it over with someone, even if they don't give you a magic elixir. Sorry this happened.

[Anonymous User]

I doubt your whole career is ruined because of this. Your grade drop may or may not be something worth explaining in a cover letter (I personally wouldn't). If you network well, and land a reasonable amount of screener interviews it shouldn't matter. If a firm has a concern about your GPA drop, tell them one of your parents died, only a psycho wouldn't empathize with your situation.

I went from straight A's first semester to median my second semester not because of family issues (because I was an idiot) and was still able to get big law. Non-T-14 top 25 percent and good interviewing skills. Outside of the that, keep in mind the phrase "long and windy road." You should be a better stronger person in the long run for your hardship. First year grades do not define your career. Being professional reliable and competent on a consistent basis will.

[candidlatke]

I doubt your whole career is ruined because of this. Your grade drop may or may not be something worth explaining in a cover letter (I personally wouldn't). If you network well, and land a reasonable amount of screener interviews it shouldn't matter. If a firm has a concern about your GPA drop, tell them one of your parents died, only a psycho wouldn't empathize with your situation.

I went from straight A's first semester to median my second semester not because of family issues (because I was an idiot) and was still able to get big law. Non-T-14 top 25 percent and good interviewing skills. Outside of the that, keep in mind the phrase "long and windy road." You should be a better stronger person in the long run for your hardship. First year grades do not define your career. Being professional reliable and competent on a consistent basis will.

were you at median cumulative after first year or are you saying that your grades in second semester were median?

because median vs top 25% is a big difference at a non t-14 and if OP is at cumulative median at a non t-14 then OP going to be facing a different challenge than you did

[Anonymous User]

I ended up top 25%. However, I disagree that its a huge difference. I'm pretty sure I could have got my job at median. I got my job by networking, and being confident in interviews and throughout the process in general.

My heart goes out OP, and I don't want him to add petty law school grievances on top of actual grief. If you miss the big law OCI boat there are plenty of other ways to set sail onto a great career, and make more money then you need.

Now if OP is going to some TTTT school and taking out hundred of thousands of dollars worth of debt, then that is a whole different story. Not so much the TTTT school, but taking out tons of debt for such a school is a bad business decision in my opinion.

[Vincent Adultman]

Only bring this up if asked about your grades. The last thing you want to do - with all due sensitivity to your loss - is bring up death and sadness out of the blue in an interview setting. Describe what happened succinctly and say that while you are still personally grieving it will not affect you professionally going forward - if asked.

[Anonymous User]

OP here thank you all for your kind words and advice. I have a scholarship. I am not at a T14 but not a TTT either. I will graduate with about 70K in debt that is total combining undergrad and law school and living expenses. I am slightly above median.

I won't upload the death certificate to simplicity and I won't address it in my cover letter. Should I address it at interviews?

Any advice on firms and areas I should target? I know everyone says NY but are smaller markets that not a lot of people want easier to get an offer?

Also this may be stupid but exactly how should I network other than going to firms receptions? Should I email partners asking to go out for coffee.

Again thank you for all the advice.

[rpupkin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU_NXqGcNGo

[Anonymous User]

I think this:

Only bring this up if asked about your grades. The last thing you want to do - with all due sensitivity to your loss - is bring up death and sadness out of the blue in an interview setting. Describe what happened succinctly and say that while you are still personally grieving it will not affect you professionally going forward - if asked.

is a good strategy.

As far as networking goes, talk to family & friends, attend local bar functions, send emails to alumni asking them to get coffee/lunch because you are interested in litigation. You may annoy some people, but on the whole the process will benefit you. When you meet with the attorneys for coffee/lunch be professional and ask them questions about their practice. Even if you don't get a job from it you now have a better understanding of what lawyers do which is something most 1ls don't have when they go to OCI.

When you go to your OCI interviews make sure your clothes fit, you have good eye contact, and you show a general interest in the firm. This is what I did and it worked for me. Sounds simple enough, but you would be amazed how many people don't do this. And at the end of the day, lose the all or nothing attitude. Starting in Big Law will probably benefit your career, but failure to start there won't hurt you. There's significant value to your long term earning potential in clerkships and government work where you actually go to trial as opposed to pushing paper in an office all day.

Congrats on the scholarship and I think that amount of debt should be manageable.