OCI Blog

No. If an attorney encourages you to submit your materials, do so as early as possible without sacrificing the quality of your submission (have your CDO advisor provide feedback, make sure to do a final proofread, etc.) It’s advantageous to be seen early in the process where that opportunity has been extended to you!

As you saw in Module 4, significant increases in GPA from fall to spring semester can be indicated parenthetically on your resume. However, be mindful that employers will see your transcript, so there is no need to highlight relatively small GPA increases. Use your best judgment, and feel free to ask your CDO advisor if you have questions about whether or not to separate out your spring semester GPA.

Absolutely. Journal membership is only one factor that firms may assess in a holistic view of your candidacy. Think about ways that you can gain additional research and writing experience - as a research assistant, through Moot Court, advanced legal research or writing courses, etc. - and communicate your intent to do so in conversations with firms.

Please note that the proper listing for the Lawyering Lab instructor is "Volk, et. al." (not "staff," "N/A," etc.) Please be sure to revise or prepare your grade sheet accordingly!

If you choose to include your GPA and/or class ranking on your resume, you must do so in the exact manner presented by the Registrar’s Office. If you are unsure of the cut-off point for your GPA within the class rankings, please refer to the Registrar's website here:  http://www.bu.edu/law/current-students/jd-student-resources/curricular-requirements/grades-honors/.

NOTE: Do not attempt to estimate your class rank based on your GPA. Any attempt to do so violates BU Law’s regulations. As such, providing rankings below the top 1/3 of the class is incorrect and not permitted. And remember, BU Law grades are based on a 4.3 scale (not 4.0).

The information you include on your resume must be completely accurate and truthful to the best of your knowledge. Please refer to the CDO's full policy on Resume Integrity on our website: https://www.bu.edu/law/current-students/career-development/application-materials/resumes/resume-integrity/

No. You may not indicate that you are either on a journal, or a candidate to be on a journal, nor that you participated in the journal write on competition, until you have been notified you’ve been selected. Participation in the write on competition is not an honor. Rather, it is only an honor if you have been selected. Please refer to discussion about Honors on pp. 5-6 in the Resume Handbook.

Please complete the 3 categories of OCI preparation as indicated below:

• OCI OnRamp Modules 1-4, prior to July 2 at noon. (If you are only bidding for government employers, you only need to complete Module 1. Please notify your CDO advisor if you are applying exclusively to government employers.)
• Resume review: obtain a score of 70+ on VMock, and then have your resume reviewed (remotely or in-person) by a CDO advisor prior to July 2 at noon.
• Mock interview (with an attorney or CDO advisor) prior to your first screening interview. Please email Chloe Morse, cgmorse@bu.edu, if you did not originally sign up for a mock interview but would like to be considered if additional slots with attorneys arise. Those who do not register for a mock interview with a practicing attorney are required to schedule a mock interview with their CDO Advisor via Symplicity.

Please note that failure to complete these requirements means your participation in OCI may be restricted. Feel free to contact your CDO advisor with any questions.

No, there is no benefit to bidding early - employers will not see your bids until the deadline has passed. Therefore, it makes sense to wait until class rank and journal results become available, so you can include as much information as possible on your resume.

That said, to avoid potential system overload issues, please don't wait until the morning of July 2 to bid!

• Q: What does the "no multiple interviews" icon on Symplicity mean?
  • A: This means that you may only interview with one of a firm's offices - for example, if a firm's NY and Boston office are interviewing separately at OCI, you should only accept an interview with one office. (It is fine to bid for both offices.)
  • Please note that some employers apply “no multiple interviews” to OCI and all other Off-Campus Recruitment Programs (ex: the BLG job fair.) If you receive multiple interview offers from the same employer through different recruitment opportunities (i.e., OCI and the BLG job fair), the employer will generally ask that you accept only one of the interviews.

• Q: Is there a limit on how many employers I can bid for?
  • A: No, you may bid for as many employers as you are interested in potentially interviewing with. Please note, however, that there will be practical limitations on how many interviews you can feasibly conduct on a given day - both from a scheduling perspective and to avoid burnout so you are putting your best foot forward in each screener.

Please remember that purchasing a new suit for OCI is not required. Candidates may, for example, borrow suits from friends, family, or upper-level students. If you do choose to purchase a suit, review the latest OCI OnRamp module for information on student discounts and tips on interview attire.

Additionally, as you may have seen in today's (6.10.19) Monday email, the Dean has generously made funding available to provide limited financial assistance to students with demonstrated financial need, who need to purchase interview attire. Specifically, up to 25 awards of $400 will be provided to members of the Class of 2021, as follows:

• Applications must be submitted via Symplicity by June 17^th, at 5pm
  • Application materials include a personal statement of no more than 250 words, outlining the student’s need for interview attire.
  • Students’ financial need will be assessed based on information currently on file with the Financial Aid Office. Contact the Financial Aid Office (bulawaid@bu.edu) with questions or to provide any relevant updates.
• Students selected to receive the interview attire awards will be notified by email by June 24th. All confirmed award recipients will receive additional information following the initial notification.
• Students who have already received financial assistance from the Law School for interview attire may not receive these additional funds, and receipt of these funds will preclude receiving any additional financial assistance on this front for AY 2019-20.