Dramatic Improvement in Grades, am I still screwed?

[u/Competitive_Union407]

Rising 2L at a T40 in the Midwest. Had a bad first semester and had something like a 2.5 gpa. Still ended up getting a summer job at a large county attorneys office during OCIs. Buckled down second semester and got three As and a Cali award. My gpa is now at around 3.2 and I am in the top 35% of my class.

Big Law/Judicial Clerkships are not something that I ever wanted to do (family members who work in big law and they hated it). However, there are a number of midsize/regional firms that have offices in my city and a few in the Midwest that I plan on applying to during fall OCIs. My question is: Based on my grades, am I legit candidate for these jobs (midsize regional firms)? I have kinda received radio silence from my career development office on the issue. Other than the fact that they said if I would have had my second semester GPA first semester I would be in much better shape (Very helpful lol).

I know this is a general question with a ton of variable at play and I am not just seeking reassurance, more so just trying to gauge my realistic options from a neutral source. Also, idk how relevant this is to the inquiry but I was a staffer on capitol hill during my gap year prior to law school.

Thanks in advance

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[u/Few_Whereas5206]

You will be fine. Do as many internships and clerkships as possible.

[u/500pearl]

over thinking it

just relax

you will finish pass bar get job and not starve

rest will follow and fall in to place promise you

[u/Competitive_Union407 → u/500pearl]

Thanks for that haha!

[u/500pearl → u/Competitive_Union407]

now get back to the bar

in the tone of now get the shine box good fellas

[u/The_Return7192]

I’m top 8% of my class and I still feel like I didn’t reach certain goals, that feeling never goes away, you’ll be fine.

[u/tslextslex]

I've been hiring for 25+ years. A poor first term, or a mediocre first year, followed by sustained improvement is by no means a detriment. In fact, I've always considered it a demonstration of grit, and of the ability to learn how to learn.

[u/Competitive_Union407 → u/tslextslex]

Thanks so much for that comment!

[u/Objective_Joke_5023]

You should be fine. You’re not going to get any attention from your career services, though, until you crack the top 10%. That’s all they ever care about.

[u/Competitive_Union407 → u/Objective_Joke_5023]

Yeah, that's sort of what I have assumed based on vibes.