Bad Grades Interview Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey, everyone. So I have an interview next week for a D. Ct. clerkship, and had a question regarding discussing poor grades in the interview.

I am in a small market, and the judges often hire from the four regional schools. At my school, we have a low grading curve (2.7 for 1Ls and 3.0 for 2ls and 3Ls).

(Forwarning - This is personal) My 1L year—actually the week before exams—my father died of a heart attack. He was young, and it was unexpected. I did not take it well, and it showed in my grades (couple of C’s first semester and one in the Spring). I mean this as no justification, but it provides context. After that, I tried like hell to offset the stigma. I was on LR, moot court, and published in two top 125 journals. I graduated cum laude, and now clerk for an SCOA judge.

I have had two interviews for fed clerkships. Grades came up in the first, but not in the second. When asked, I explained the situation to her/him, but it felt like they didn’t buy it. Is there any way to tactfully address this? It didn’t come up in the interview for my current clerkship. Just looking for some advice on how to draw the sting.

[HillandHollow]

Seems like the true story is the best answer:

"A week before exams, my father died very unexpectedly. It was/is still very difficult for me, and my grades suffered. I have tried to offset those 1L grades by publishing, etc etc etc"

Not sure why anyone would "not buy" this. Only a true sociopath would lie about something like this. I would bet that this particular thing is not the reason you didn't get one of the other clerkships. As mentioned in many other threads, hiring is idiosyncratic, and sometimes it can come down to very minute differences in personality or writing style or something like that.

[Anonymous User]

Seems like the true story is the best answer:

"A week before exams, my father died very unexpectedly. It was/is still very difficult for me, and my grades suffered. I have tried to offset those 1L grades by publishing, etc etc etc"

Not sure why anyone would "not buy" this. Only a true sociopath would lie about something like this. I would bet that this particular thing is not the reason you didn't get one of the other clerkships. As mentioned in many other threads, hiring is idiosyncratic, and sometimes it can come down to very minute differences in personality or writing style or something like that.

Thanks! It wasn’t so much that I felt the Judge didn’t believe me, but moreso that justification “wasn’t good enough” to explain away the grades. Alas, it’s an uphill battle I know I have to deal with. Like one of my friends told me, “If they thought you weren’t smart enough for the job, or if the grades bothered them that much, they would have never wasted time interviewing you.” So on the the next one!

[HillandHollow]

I mean, tbh, "my dad died suddenly right before exams" is about as good an explanation as there might be.

Your friend is correct. If you are in the room for an interview, you are presumed to be competent, at the very least. We wouldn't waste our time on someone we didn't fully believe was capable. The interview is mostly for fit, and to confirm what kind of personality you are.

[mjb447]

There's no good reason not to tell the truth if asked, and it sounds like you're pivoting from it about as well as you can ("I tried like hell to offset the stigma...," and with demonstrable success). Whether to bring it up yourself if the judge doesn't ask about your grades is a separate question; I still probably would if I could work it in somewhat naturally - it provides a more complete picture of your story and helps humanize you - but I could see more room for disagreement on that point.

[Anonymous User]

There's no good reason not to tell the truth if asked, and it sounds like you're pivoting from it about as well as you can ("I tried like hell to offset the stigma...," and with demonstrable success). Whether to bring it up yourself if the judge doesn't ask about your grades is a separate question; I still probably would if I could work it in somewhat naturally - it provides a more complete picture of your story and helps humanize you - but I could see more room for disagreement on that point.

Yes, I see the Catch 22 there. One, it seems like the elephant in the room if it’s not addressed. And I wouldn’t want to have a good interview, then walk away with grade stigma without being able to explain it on my own terms. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to go down that road with a judge that may already see it as a “non issue” for my hiring.

[HillandHollow]

I think it's best to roll the dice and bring it up.
If you're in front of a judge who WOULD care, then you get in front of it with a good explanation.
If you're in front of a judge who was not going to hold the grades against you anyway, I can't see how it would hurt you. At best, it would be a neutral addition.

[Anonymous User]

Update* I got the clerkship. Thanks for the comments.

[mjb447]

Update* I got the clerkship. Thanks for the comments.

Congratulations!