Should I transfer? (help please) Forum

[ohialehua4444]

I am at a top 30 school receiving considerable scholarship. School curves to 3.3 (B+) GPA 3.94. Two A+,1 A-, 1 B+, the rest A's. Top 5%. I am not particularly interested in big law but am interested in working for a government agency or PI generally. Should I transfer? Can anyone suggest likelihood of T14?

Thanks in advance.

[lavarman84]

You'll be in at most schools in the t14. H and S are toss-ups. Yale is Yale. Beyond that, you should be in to all the schools that take a good amount of transfers if you put forth a good application.

However, I'm not sure that's the right move if you're wanting PI or government work. That scholarship will mean a lot for you. I guess it depends on what PI or government work you are specifically wanting to do.

[ladybug1989]

You should stay. Top 5% at a top 30 should still give you a good shot at biglaw, even if you have to hustle a bit. And if you want government/PI you should certainly stay.

[UVA2B]

When you say government or PI generally, what exactly does that mean? Federal? State? Non-profit? Highly selective/prestigious PI?

If you're looking to exclusively federal government or prestigious PI, you should transfer into the T13 (I'm pegging you in my mind at Chicago or Columbia, but Harvard is also certainly possible).

If you're not sure what type of PI you want or you really do just want government jobs generally, you should probably stay and enjoy that sizable scholarship life. Not having debt is a wonderful thing.

[NoDayButToday]

I transferred from T40 to NYU for PI and that was definitely the right decision in my case. If your 1L school doesn't have the resources to support a robust PI program (clinics, coursework, extracurricular opportunities), or doesn't place well in PI in the regions you're interested in, you should consider transferring, I think. PM if you wanna chat more - I'm doing criminal defense and really benefited from the opportunities at NYU.