Explaining bad grades in 2L Recruit Cover Letter

[chrysanthemum]

I go to Oz. My 1L grades comprise of Bs, two B+s and two Cs. I currently work as a 1L summer law student for government. I am not applying to any Big Law positions, only public sector/public interest/labor firms & some litigation boutiques. During first semester, a parent was in the hospital for a month due to a sudden medical issue requiring emergency surgery. I visited them almost daily. They are currently applying for disability benefits and as my family is relatively low-income, the experience has been emotionally/financially distressing for my family, and I was unable to manage it well during first semester. I also had been diagnosed (informally by a family doctor) with a mental illness a few months prior to starting 1L. It wasn't until the end of first semester that I realized that I qualified for accommodations and alongside accommodations and weekly therapy, I was able to learn to more effectively manage it in second semester. 

I was wondering if it is worth mentioning any of this in cover letters, to provide context to my grades. One C is from a course I took in fall sem and the other is a full year course that I did poorly on in the first half. I did participate in virtually every public interest opportunity that was available in 1L, and have a ton of relevant work experience/background, so I would like to use as much space as I can to discuss my relevant experience/story but I am worried that the grades will be disqualifying unless I try to explain them. 

[lawyerlylawyer]

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. It is definitely worth mentioning why you have the Cs given your predicament. Your reasoning is valid so most places should be understanding. You will most likely be questioned about it in the interview phase - be prepared to answer how you were able to manage the situation or what you learned from it.

Bad grades are not determinative of how many positions you land or if you land anything at all. Sure, grades are a big component but I know those with really good grades who didn't get anything but also those with Cs in their transcript that were able to land good positions. That's why I suggest providing context for the grades/situation. I hope that helps!

Edited July 17, 2024 by lawyerlylawyer
Adding more context

[CleanHands]

If you already have a 1L summer law student position you're ahead of others who have better grades than you.

I understand that unlike BigLaw, often in government being a summer student doesn't mean virtually automatic hireback as an articling student and there are new and distinct competitions at every stage. However, in practice if you're already in, you do good work and they like you, they will find ways to make the "objective" process favour rehiring you.

[chaboywb]

11 minutes ago, lawyerlylawyer said:

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. It is definitely worth mentioning why you have the Cs given your predicament. Your reasoning is valid so most places should be understanding. You will most likely be questioned about it in the interview phase - be prepared to answer how you were able to manage the situation or what you learned from it.

Bad grades are not determinative of how many positions you land or if you land anything at all. Sure, grades are a big component but I know those with really good grades who didn't get anything but also those with Cs in their transcript that were able to land good positions. That's why I suggest providing context for the grades/situation. I hope that helps!

I don't know. I can't comment on public sector, of which I know nothing, but I am not sure I think this is a good idea for private sector employment. Admissions committees for law school put value in the ability of an applicant to achieve in the face of adversity, which is an excellent mark of ability. But employers want someone whose personal life is not going to impede their responsibilities. Not to say OP's will, but it may raise some guards. The situation OP is describing isn't even an old situation that has been entirely overcome - it remains a live impacting factor on their life, which they should be commended for facing but is also, sadly, a potential red flag for certain employers.

I think of it like this - when comparing two completely equal candidates, where one has overcome hardships and the other has not, an admission committee at a university will likely choose the candidate that has overcome hardship. An employer, on the other hand, will likely pick the candidate that they view as having less baggage as they are going to rely on this individual.

On another note, I would never dream of mentioning something like mental health struggles and therapy in a cover letter. I see a therapist, I speak loudly about the benefits of therapy and I am a strong advocate for prioritizing mental health - but I do not think that this is appropriate for a job application. But then again, the world is changing (and likely for the better!) so who knows.

OP, congratulations on getting through 1L while dealing with a difficult situation. I am sure you'll find a great fit.

[chrysanthemum]

23 hours ago, lawyerlylawyer said:

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. It is definitely worth mentioning why you have the Cs given your predicament. Your reasoning is valid so most places should be understanding. You will most likely be questioned about it in the interview phase - be prepared to answer how you were able to manage the situation or what you learned from it.

Bad grades are not determinative of how many positions you land or if you land anything at all. Sure, grades are a big component but I know those with really good grades who didn't get anything but also those with Cs in their transcript that were able to land good positions. That's why I suggest providing context for the grades/situation. I hope that helps!

Thank you for your kind words, advice, and encouragement. I am definitely hoping that my ECs/work experience can help to overcome the grades. 

[chrysanthemum]

23 hours ago, CleanHands said:

If you already have a 1L summer law student position you're ahead of others who have better grades than you.

I understand that unlike BigLaw, often in government being a summer student doesn't mean virtually automatic hireback as an articling student and there are new and distinct competitions at every stage. However, in practice if you're already in, you do good work and they like you, they will find ways to make the "objective" process favour rehiring you.

Thank you for your advice! I do think this is a possibility. I have a good relationship with my supervisor and I find the work intellectually challenging and interesting. The issue is more so that I am not sure that I see myself at this specific Ministry long-term and would like to try out more varied experiences.

[chrysanthemum]

23 hours ago, chaboywb said:

I don't know. I can't comment on public sector, of which I know nothing, but I am not sure I think this is a good idea for private sector employment. Admissions committees for law school put value in the ability of an applicant to achieve in the face of adversity, which is an excellent mark of ability. But employers want someone whose personal life is not going to impede their responsibilities. Not to say OP's will, but it may raise some guards. The situation OP is describing isn't even an old situation that has been entirely overcome - it remains a live impacting factor on their life, which they should be commended for facing but is also, sadly, a potential red flag for certain employers.

I think of it like this - when comparing two completely equal candidates, where one has overcome hardships and the other has not, an admission committee at a university will likely choose the candidate that has overcome hardship. An employer, on the other hand, will likely pick the candidate that they view as having less baggage as they are going to rely on this individual.

On another note, I would never dream of mentioning something like mental health struggles and therapy in a cover letter. I see a therapist, I speak loudly about the benefits of therapy and I am a strong advocate for prioritizing mental health - but I do not think that this is appropriate for a job application. But then again, the world is changing (and likely for the better!) so who knows.

OP, congratulations on getting through 1L while dealing with a difficult situation. I am sure you'll find a great fit.

I appreciate you taking the time to draft a response and your kind words. I definitely see what you're saying and after some reflection, I would have to agree. Thank you! 

[atelieranicca]

On 7/17/2024 at 10:14 AM, chrysanthemum said:

I go to Oz. My 1L grades comprise of Bs, two B+s and two Cs. I currently work as a 1L summer law student for government. I am not applying to any Big Law positions, only public sector/public interest/labor firms & some litigation boutiques. During first semester, a parent was in the hospital for a month due to a sudden medical issue requiring emergency surgery. I visited them almost daily. They are currently applying for disability benefits and as my family is relatively low-income, the experience has been emotionally/financially distressing for my family, and I was unable to manage it well during first semester. I also had been diagnosed (informally by a family doctor) with a mental illness a few months prior to starting 1L. It wasn't until the end of first semester that I realized that I qualified for accommodations and alongside accommodations and weekly therapy, I was able to learn to more effectively manage it in second semester. 

I was wondering if it is worth mentioning any of this in cover letters, to provide context to my grades. One C is from a course I took in fall sem and the other is a full year course that I did poorly on in the first half. I did participate in virtually every public interest opportunity that was available in 1L, and have a ton of relevant work experience/background, so I would like to use as much space as I can to discuss my relevant experience/story but I am worried that the grades will be disqualifying unless I try to explain them. 

I'm so sorry to hear about everything you've been going through during a transition that's already incredibly difficult. I wish you much lighter days ahead with more support and levity, but also commend you on everything you've been doing to advocate for yourself and for your family so far.

Feel free to reach out via PM - I have a very different set of experiences (that also involved mental heath) and ultimately I did submit an addendum to my applications in 2L, and I was successful in the recruit. I'm now finishing up my summer at MAG and about to go into 3L at Oz. Hopefully there's something of use from my experience that I can pass on - even if not, happy to be a listening ear!