Ottawa OCI advice 2025

[hopefulllawyer]

I only applied to the Ottawa OCI recruit because I can't see myself living anywhere else this summer (I'm at UOttawa so it'll be easier to rent here and I like the city). I have like a 3.4 GPA (B+), and my lowest mark was a D in 1L. I explained this in my cover letter, and also highlighted that I got an A+ in the following semester showing my growth.

I only got 3 OCI offers (out of 15 applications), which I'm not sure how to feel about. I know I have a lower GPA for big law firms (I only have one OCI from a full service firm), but I also saw people only getting 1 OCI with higher grades so I am happy I got at least 3. On the other hand, I feel a lot of pressure to excel and hopefully get one offer on call day. 

There's also 3 other random job openings for the summer which I'll apply to as a back up. If all else fails, I'll try and get a fellowship ($7.5k for research this summer). However, in an ideal world, I would really love to get experience at a firm this summer. It aligns with my career goals, and last summer I did summer courses so I'm especially broke this year.

I guess I would like to know what advice you can give me for preparing for my OCIs. I've booked a mock interview with career development, I'm reviewing the firms this entire weekend, and I'm also prepping my interview answers and questions. 

Are there any things that you think made you stand out during your OCI interviews?