For general information on how to write a case comment, see here (PDF). For examples from a recent competition, see here (PDF) and here (PDF).

The 2008 Transfer Student Write On Competition, mandatory for all incoming transfer students desiring membership on a law journal, will officially begin at 9:00 a.m. on June 2, 2008.

The annual transfer competition, overseen by the Office of Journal Administration(OJA), requires that that all participating students signify their intention to compete by purchasing the rights to a special competition packet. Once a student purchases these packet rights, he or she will receive a "Packet ID" number. This number will serve to identify competitors in the otherwise anonymous competition.

The online packet itself contains printed material such as newspaper articles, reviews, and commentary all relevant to a recent court case. Students deciding to participate in the competition are required to use these materials and no others to write their own case commentary. In addition, journals may also require the composition of a separate "personal statement" in which the candidate describes his or her assets and how those might prove beneficial to the journal. Transfer students are also required to complete a special "Bluebooking test" as part of their competition packet.

Starting on June 4, transfer students will be able to log on to the competition website and purchase and download all the competition materials. All transfer students will have seven days, to the hour, from the point at which they purchase their packet, to complete the Write On. The last day to purchase and download the packet will be July 21, 2008. All packets must be completed and out of students' hands by Monday, July 28, 2008.

How many journals can I try to join?
There are currently 10 separate law journals published at GULC. They are: Georgetown Law Journal , American Criminal Law Review , The Tax Lawyer , Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics , Georgetown Journal of International Law (formerly Law and Policy in International Business ), Georgetown International Environmental Law Review , Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy , Georgetown Immigration Law Journal , Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law , and Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy .

Participants in the Write On competition indicate the journal(s) on which they want to be considered for membership by listing those journals on the Write On website in their order of preference. The preferencing area of the website will open some time after the competition begins. Its opening will be announced to competition participants via e-mail.

You may preference as many journals as you wish. Because of the very competitive nature of the Write On, though, OJA recommends that you preference as many journals as possible. The only journals you should leave off your list are those in which you have absolutely no interest in membership. The Write On system will attempt to match you with one of the journals on your list, starting with your most preferred and working down your list until you are either matched or all possibilities are exhausted. The journal editors will not know how you preferenced their journals.

The Georgetown Law Journal will generally only consider students who preference it as their first choice.

Is the transfer competition packet the same as the packet used in the regular Write On competition?
For the most part, yes. The central case and supporting materials are all taken from the same packet used for the regular competition. However, due to the abbreviated length of the transfer competition, some of the regular packet materials are withheld from the transfer packet. You will still have everything you need to write an effective case comment, but the initial reading/planning time will be lessened.

What does the competition require me to do?
The Write On competition requires that you write a case comment using only materials provided in the online packet that you purchase rights to for $40. You are also required to complete a bluebooking test, and some journals also require the completion of separate personal statements by any prospective members.

How long will I have to complete the Write On?
You will have exactly seven days, to the hour, from the point at which you first purchase your packet to complete the competition. This means that if you purchase your packet at 11:15 ET on June 20, all of your completed materials must be out of your hands no later than 11:15 ET on June 27. The last day for packet downloads in the transfer competition is July 21; all packets must be out of students' hands by July 28.

Do I have to be in DC to participate in the Write On?
No. The Write On competition is run entirely through the competition website, which you can access through the OJA website. When you complete your packet, you have the choice of either hand-delivering it to OJA or uploading your completed paper to the competition website or you may send it via Fed Ex, UPS, or any other shipping company that time and date stamps its packages.

Who judges the Write On papers?
The judges consist of rising third-year staff members from each law journal. Each paper is read by three different judges from three different journals. The judges score each paper on qualities such as analysis, structure, and creativity, and enter their scores directly into the Write On database.

Is my paper score made public?
OJA does not release Write On paper scores to anyone—not even those who wrote them. All editors and judges involved in the competition will only be able to identify individual papers by their packet number. The competition is completely anonymous. If you think you might want to have a copy of your own paper for future reference, make sure that you either print or save a copy on your computer for yourself. You will not receive your paper back once it is scored.

Will my grades from my current school count in the competition?
No. Because no two schools can be counted on to use the same grading system, your individual grades do not count in the Write On competition. Instead, you will be assigned a set number of points for grades. This number is given to all transfer students and when calculated with the score of your competition paper represents your final overall competition score. You will, however, need to provide OJA with a copy of your transcript. This should be sent in with your full packet. This is for office purposes only and will have no impact on your Write On score.

How does the Write On system match me to a journal?
Once your paper has been scored by three judges, the Write On system averages those scores and generates a final paper score. This score is combined with your Bluebooking test score. In addition, some journals will factor in a personal statement score. The total of these scores is your raw score. Your raw score, however, will probably be different across several journals, since some of the journals weight the various components of the score at different levels. For example, one journal might value the paper score at 50 percent of the total raw score and your Bluebook test as the other 50 percent. Another might break the total raw score down as 40 percent paper, 40 percent Bluebook, and 20 percent personal statement.

This raw score then becomes the main component in a complex algorithm that takes into account both how the journal ranked you (i.e., how your raw score compares to everyone else's) and how you preferenced it (i.e., if it was your first choice, you'll be more likely to place higher than someone with an equal raw score who preferenced it third). This is why you should be sure to preference highest the journals you want to be on the most.

How will I know if I made it onto a journal?
Once the final matching is run by OJA, results will be available on the Write On website. Results will also be posted outside OJA, with participants identified by journal and packet number. All Write On participants will receive an email alerting them that final results are available. We plan to announce results this year on or about August 22, 2008.

Is it possible for me to make it onto more than one journal?
You will not be matched to more than one journal. Instead the Write On system will match you to the journal you are best suited for based on your total score and its criteria. If, after being offered membership, you decide that you do not wish to be a member of that journal, you may decline membership. You will not, however, be offered any other journal memberships. Declining membership in the journal you are matched to will, in effect, be declining journal membership completely. This is why you should only preference journals in which you have a sincere interest.

What if I'm not matched to a journal? Can I try again next year?
Unfortunately, not everyone who participates in the Transfer Write On competition will be matched to a journal. There are limited spaces, and the competition for them is strong. If you are not accepted to a journal, there is no other opportunity to participate in the Transfer Write On competition. It is only open to incoming transfer students.

Keep in mind, though, that while the resume value of journal membership is certainly great, GULC offers many other activities that carry equal resume value. Career Services can provide excellent assistance in evaluating non-journal extracurricular options. The NALP guide also offers unique and valuable guidance specific to particular firms.

Are there any strategies I can follow to increase my chances of being accepted to a journal?
Obviously, the best strategy is to write the best paper that you can and to do well on the Bluebooking test. Every journal considers these two components in its ranking of prospective members.

You should, however, be honest with yourself about your scores. If, for example, you feel as though you did not put forth a great deal of effort in writing your paper, you probably should not preference as your number one choice a journal that places a high value on the paper score. Remember that the system calculates how highly you preference any given journal when generating your ranking on it. The higher you rank, the more likely you'll be offered membership.

If you're preferencing journals that require personal statements, be sure to spend time writing those statements. It's quick and easy to create a "boilerplate" personal statement that you can send to each journal after only minor modifications, but this type of impersonal approach will rarely net you good scores. It's a much better idea to personalize each statement to the journal in question. OJA suggests that you write your personal statement as soon as you start the competition and before you begin writing your case comment. It's been our experience that students are often so tired by the time they finish the case comment that they have little desire to put any more time into crafting original, thoughtful personal statements.

Also, pay attention to your preferencing. Remember that you should preference as many journals as you have any interest in— the more you preference, the more chances you'll have to be offered membership.

How many spots are available for transfer students?
This number varies from journal to journal. Every journal, however, reserves spots specifically for transfer students, so you will have a chance of getting on any journal that you choose to preference.

 

More specific information about the Transfer Write On competition will be available on the Transfer Write On website once it opens for packet purchases. If you have additional questions before then, you may contact the Office of Journal Administration at 202.662.9423, or you may e-mail Brett Marston, Director of Journals and Publications, at bem29@law.georgetown.edu.

 

 

Revised March 7, 2008 (BEM)