Good grades/what to do

[win45]

Am I a fool if I take a non-paying job this summer or should I be using decent grades to my advantage, work my connections and try to get biglaw or at least a small to mid SA gig.  Or is it too hard with the economy now.  Thanks for the advice!

[SASS]

A fool, certainly not. I assume you are a 1L and it may be hard for you to find a paying gig b/c of the economy. Also, if your at a lower ranked school, it will be even more difficult. It is hard to find a job out there right now. The most important thing you can do is to get experience your 1L summer. If you know what type of law you want to practice, volunteering in that field will help you find a paying job your 2L summer in that field. If you can find a paying job, good for you. If not, you are certainly not a fool.

[botbot]

Even top students might get shutout.  Apply everywhere, see what options present themselves.

[lyre]

Talk to some 2Ls at your school to find out where they worked during 1L, that will give you an idea of who hires 1Ls from your school.  You could also talk to Career Services, they will probably have a good idea as well.

I'd just take whatever job you're most interested in.  If you need money, try to find a paying gig.  But if you're interested in doing a volunteer job, just do it.

[CTL]

I got a 4.0 first semester (top student, no A-) from a 40-50 t1.and my question is am I a fool if I take a non-paying job this summer or should I be using these grades to my advantage, work my connections and try to get biglaw or at least a small to mid SA gig.  Or is it too hard with the economy now.  Thanks for the advice!

Have you considered transferring?  If you can pull the same feat off second semester, you can likely transfer to a T20.  It's just something to consider..

[Bob Loblaw Esq.]

I got a 4.0 first semester (top student, no A-) from a 40-50 t1.and my question is am I a fool if I take a non-paying job this summer or should I be using these grades to my advantage, work my connections and try to get biglaw or at least a small to mid SA gig.  Or is it too hard with the economy now.  Thanks for the advice!

Have you considered transferring?  If you can pull the same feat off second semester, you can likely transfer to a T20.  It's just something to consider..

t20? if you're pulling a 4.0 after this semester too you should be applying to HYS.

[M_Cool]

Do you have spring OCI?  Seems like the #1 student would have a decent shot of getting something from OCI. 

[no634]

Even top student might get shutout.  Apply everywhere, see what options present themselves.

Second.

And if you really want the corporate experience, see if you can sign up for a corporate externship through your school.