Do B average students even get OCIs?

[stressedoutlawstudent]

I realize this isn't an uncommon question and saw that it was asked a number of times on the older site but can't see the answers now. I understand that having a B+ average and above is ideal for success in the OCI recruit. My question is will I even get any OCIs as a B student (mix of Bs and B+s at Oz) and maybe even job offers through the recruit?

 

[ZineZ]

9 minutes ago, stressedoutlawstudent said:

I realize this isn't an uncommon question and saw that it was asked a number of times on the older site but can't see the answers now. I understand that having a B+ average and above is ideal for success in the OCI recruit. My question is will I even get any OCIs as a B student (mix of Bs and B+s at Oz) and maybe even job offers through the recruit?

 

Yes, it happens often enough. Your OCI yield will be lower than someone with a higher GPA - but you likely won't have zero OCIs. However, that is dependent on you crafting your materials well and being strategic with where you apply/how you network. But there are a number of B average students who do land OCI positions through the recruit. 

[RubberDucky]

Yes I got OCIs with below B average but it really depends on your luck.

[BuckDancer]

Yes, students with B averages get OCIs. Yes, students with B averages get job offers. 

Even if someone wrote a post saying "B average students never get OCIs and it is impossible to get a job through the 2L recruit with a B average" how would that assist you? Your grades are your grades and you can't change them now.  

If you want to work at a firm that participates in the recruit then apply and focus on submitting great applications. Don't self-select out of the process for fear of rejection!  

Trust in your sauce OP and good luck with the recruit!

 

[TheLastLawBender]

Yup.
But you HAVE to work on your cover letter and other materials submitted during the process to make up for any lack in grades.

USE YOUR UNIVERSITY'S CAREER DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES and try to be unique in your templates. I got help from a graphic designer (friend) who gave me a template to work with.

If possible, try to get your cover letter reviewed by others too. Whether it's classmates, a law prof, or a mentor lawyer (anyone who's been trained in legal writing) -> makes a world of a difference. 

[Darth Vader]

OCI hiring stats are public information. 30-36% of the class at Osgoode land OCI jobs. If you think all the high performers at your school want the same jobs, then you need a reality check. These are corporate jobs and not the Constitutional Law Branch or appellate clerkships. No substantive interviews either. People network their way into these jobs. They care more about fit than anything else once you get to the interview stage. And "fit" is really just saying, be sociable, friendly, and someone I'd like to work with. Don't come across as an insecure, neurotic, dipshit and you'll win me over. 

[99problems]

I had a +B average, but I only got two interviews and no offer at the end. I'm not trying to dissuade you; just talking about my experience. Since by now you cannot change your grades or probably add anything to your ECs, I suggest you work on your networking. I would say luck is a factor too. In my year, around 60 students managed to secure a summer job through the OCIs. It is a great number actually, considering not everyone is interested in those areas of law.

Whatever you do, get ready to receive lots of rejections. And please don't dwell on them (like me, it still makes me sad thinking about those rejection, maybe I should see a shrink or something).

Good luck!

[BlockedQuebecois]

17 hours ago, Darth Vader said:

OCI hiring stats are public information. 30-36% of the class at Osgoode land OCI jobs. If you think all the high performers at your school want the same jobs, then you need a reality check. These are corporate jobs and not the Constitutional Law Branch or appellate clerkships. No substantive interviews either. People network their way into these jobs. They care more about fit than anything else once you get to the interview stage. And "fit" is really just saying, be sociable, friendly, and someone I'd like to work with. Don't come across as an insecure, neurotic, dipshit and you'll win me over. 

Basically everyone I know who got a clerkship also got an OCI job. And the Constitutional Law Branch hires through OCIs. And many of the government OCI jobs do have substantive interviews. And nobody is really networking their way into OCI jobs—you just go to the interviews and get the job. I generally think networking is a waste of time for OCIs. This is overall a weird post. 

Edited July 17, 2021 by BlockedQuebecois

[QMT20]

1 hour ago, BlockedQuebecois said:

Basically everyone I know who got a clerkship also got an OCI job. And the Constitutional Law Branch hires through OCIs. And many of the government OCI jobs do have substantive interviews. And nobody is really networking their way into OCI jobs—you just go to the interviews and get the job. I generally think networking is a waste of time for OCIs. This is overall a weird post. 

I was gonna reply with a similar post. Crown Con, Crown Crim, and Crown Appeals all hire through OCIs and there's a lot of overlap between people getting appellate clerkships and landing at the big firms. However, I think that Darth Vader's point might just have been that not all OCI jobs are competitive on that level, which is true. There are definitely B students who land jobs through the 2L recruit and while some jobs require high grades and are very competitive, others aren't as much. We don't need to have the impression that only dean's listers land jobs through OCIs. That might be true for a job like Crown Con but not every OCI job.