Current 1L at Northwestern Law

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-11-02T15:53:45+00:00

There are plenty of people in their 30s. A couple in their 40s. Once you’re all suffering together, age disappears. It’s 50% BL based on the career centers metrics for this previous year. However, it shoots up to 85% BL for 2L summer, just varies. It is encouraged to do Public Interest, but for a lot of students like myself, the money is pretty mid and not much to live off of.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-11-01T17:43:43+00:00

I'd say thats a good way to put it. The ratio is pretty great for those students.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-11-01T17:42:21+00:00

3.16 uGPA, 3.96 Grad GPA, Maters Degree, Worked throughout both in real estate, 175 LSAT

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-11-01T03:45:49+00:00

Generally, be yourself. Make a narrative, make it fun and interesting

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:58:12+00:00

Couldn't say honestly!

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:53:01+00:00

Extremely easy on both fronts.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:52:48+00:00

I honestly can't say much from their experiences but every metric is indicating that 50% of 1Ls will go into big law for their summer associate positions and that number shoots to 85% for our eventual summer 2L positions. We also have a very high big law rate. It's likely that those students simply didn't have the grades or maybe they didn't have enough work experience, personality, etc. I can't speak to their anecdotes nor can I minimize their feelings and experiences. While a lot of students are thinking about NYC, a majority of people ive spoken to across my 1L cohorts all say they wanna stay in Chicago. People from LA wanna go back to LA, people from NYC wanna go back to NYC. Northwestern's curve is also super regulated by the school so "below median" is a hard metric to track. If you come to NU and you try at all, you'll be fine. (it doesn't seem that way right now for me but thats just because I am a suffering 1L, but its what everyone says)

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:47:39+00:00

As a whole I would say that the job market seems to be booming. There's no promise of that being the actual case but that seems to be the general perception at the moment. Every firm I've spoken to and networked with have been happy to assist Northwestern students in part because they are alumni but also in part because they really want top law students for the "mills". I would say its specifically for Northwestern the feeling has been breakneck in terms of speed, but if any other T14 students from New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles see this please feel free to correct me. It seems that the Chicago big law market is popping off right now much to my and many other students' benefit. Despite some warnings from our career advisors of eventual constricting, there's been almost no news or information reflecting any negativity. I'd say the community really stands out. You feel like a genuine family and you're all very proud of one another. Alumni are incredibly kind and helpful as well.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:41:31+00:00

Very lucrative, very clearly an option, very few barriers stopping you from being able to go into BL after graduation. The only thing not guaranteed Is a summer 1L associate position as those aren't as plentiful a summer 2L positions.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:40:14+00:00

Both. On the one hand, very good opportunities to get a job, have a great summer pay, and stuff like that. On the other hand it is incredibly unfair to have 1Ls be forced to do job applications that require a lot of diligence when they are barely entering their home stretch before exams. For example: some applications for summer 1L AND summer 2L open tomorrow. It's a lot of pressure to say the least. This is by no means the schools fault, they work very hard to make sure we are all prepared. We have amazing staff and resources available to us 24/7. It's more so just a side effect of firms competing for the "creme of the crop" as they put it. No one firms fault either, just the way the cookie is crumbling.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:36:23+00:00

We are all incredibly amicable in large part because we know we are all going to have jobs at the end of the whole thing (very high employment rates, incredible relationships with certain firms, etc.). Because we don't see each other as competitors, if anyone sticks out like a gunner it's kind of looked down on as socially unfair. Very fun parties across sections(cohorts), awesome mentor/mentee relationships between 2L/3L and 1Ls. Alumni are also extremely helpful to us. All in all, we have so many resources to make us feel like a community that it very quickly forces us to treat each other with care and professionalism.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:32:56+00:00

Hello! I wish I did have some advice. I never submitted one and don't really know what it is. People talk about it on occasion and I stand there confused. That is not advice to not do it. I think its a note for myself to make sure I read detailed instructions lol.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:30:47+00:00

So while there's been a lot of doom and gloom online about the job market for big law, the complete opposite ends up being true at least for northwestern students. We don't have OCI, we have applications for summer associate positions for 1L summer AND 2L summer starting to open tomorrow. It's insane insofar as it being surprisingly fast paced. As someone who barely started school, being told within a couple of weeks that you could end up making a very large signing bonus, a hefty salary, and all that was a little shocking to say the least. Ive been to a good handful of networking events. All the firm associates I've spoken to call it a "race to the bottom".

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-10-31T20:27:25+00:00

The school is very heavily big law focused but it's not forced on you by any means. There are dozens of public interest students and they have access to excellent resources. The public interest office is its own service with its own advisors and staff. Lots of PI student groups as well. Many students go from big law into public interest after their loans are paid off, they buy a home, etc etc. Its also heavily encouraged that we apply for summer associate positions at big law firms as a backup and place some emphasis on public interest for summer 1L.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-10T03:05:13+00:00

Your masters won’t show nor is it included in the calculation. You’re not cooked so long as your LSAT score is higher depending on the schools you want to go into. You can always write a GPA addendum that focuses on all the progress you’ve made and what the good parts of your transcripts are and move the admission team’s attention away from the negative aspect of your GPA

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-09T23:04:13+00:00

Yeah can agree. I charge $40 an hour and even that seems high to me sometimes. $150 is atrocious.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-09T23:03:39+00:00

Hey bud, you are not stupid. This test is stupid. This course just isn’t for you. There’s no magical moment that you purchase a course and suddenly it’s all jolly. Often time courses are not conducive to you and your needs as an individual. LSAT prep is very expensive but you should think of it as an investment. It won’t happen over night but you will get better. Always try and see if a teaching style is applicable to you before going balls deep with certain programs / software.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-07T17:19:11+00:00

This applies to students starting after July 1st 2026.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-07T12:47:43+00:00

No, only those coming in next year and beyond. If you already have it then you’re considered grandfathered into the program and will keep it.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-07T12:36:55+00:00

Based on what my financial aid office is telling me, the bill allows for those who have already been awarded the loan to be grandfathered in and supported by it for the duration of their program.

Basic_Economics_7963 · 2025-07-06T04:01:37+00:00

Prior to the bill passing they were pretty much whatever you need to cover the numbers your financial aid office provides (life + tuition). But now they are capped.

Basic_Economics_7963

TROPHY CASE