Transferring to DC law school Forum
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Anonymous Posting
Anonymous posting is only available to the creator of each thread. The anonymous posting feature is intended to permit the solicitation of anonymous advice regarding the transfer application process, chances of being accepted, etc. Unacceptable uses include: testing the feature, questions which are clearly fake or hypothetical in nature, harassing other users, etc. Posters should also read and understand the announcements posted at the top of the Transfers forum prior to using the anonymous feature.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
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Transferring to DC law school
Hello, I am currently a 1l. I do not want to disclose my law school but it is T3 school. Besides the fact that I willingly went to a T3 school I now want to transfer to a DC law school where I feel I will be given better opportunities. I specifically have American University Washington College of Law, Georgetown, George Mason, and Howard Law in mind. I would specifically like to know if it would be a good idea to even transfer in the first place. Will I be closed off to OCI's being that I would be a transfer student? Will I be closed off to law review/moot court. I know that I would essentially have to start all over but will I be at a disadvantage to other 1L's even though all law school students take the same classes the first year? Any information will help. Thank you!
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
Transfer students are generally able to participate at their new school's OCI (that's most students' main reason for transferring), although of course confirm this with each of your schools. Ditto for LR/moot court.
At OCI employers would view you as if you were a rising 2L at your old school. The main advantage is that at higher-ranked schools, more employers attend OCI so you would have more chances to get your foot in the door. Many employers who don't bother to attend a T3's OCI may very well attend a T2's OCI.
All that said, be aware that the schools you mention (aside from Georgetown) do not have great placement. American University for example has a BigLaw placement rate of just under 13% so if BigLaw is what you're hoping for, American isn't going to be your golden ticket.
Also be aware that transfer students generally end up paying full freight at their new school, regardless of any scholarships they may have had at their 1L school.
At OCI employers would view you as if you were a rising 2L at your old school. The main advantage is that at higher-ranked schools, more employers attend OCI so you would have more chances to get your foot in the door. Many employers who don't bother to attend a T3's OCI may very well attend a T2's OCI.
All that said, be aware that the schools you mention (aside from Georgetown) do not have great placement. American University for example has a BigLaw placement rate of just under 13% so if BigLaw is what you're hoping for, American isn't going to be your golden ticket.
Also be aware that transfer students generally end up paying full freight at their new school, regardless of any scholarships they may have had at their 1L school.
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
I concur with the poster above. I transferred to Georgetown this past year.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
Law schools' "educational value" is meaningless after you graduate. I don't even know how you would measure it, but no employer will care.torero14 wrote:I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value.
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
Are you saying that ranking doesn’t matter then? The schools that I am transferring to all have a higher ranking than my current school. I though the higher ranked the school the better the quality of education.cavalier1138 wrote:Law schools' "educational value" is meaningless after you graduate. I don't even know how you would measure it, but no employer will care.torero14 wrote:I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value.
I can say that I feel that because my school is ranked the way it is it might have something to do with the quality of education, which is in my opinion just bad.
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
Rankings matter as an indicator of school prestige, which in turn is an indicator of the school's ability to place its students into legal jobs. There is little to no correlation between ranking/prestige and quality of teaching (except maybe at the extreme end of the spectrum, e.g., non-ABA law schools and maybe T4 law schools). You can find many professors at the T13 who are legal masterminds and terrible instructors.Anonymous User wrote:Are you saying that ranking doesn’t matter then? The schools that I am transferring to all have a higher ranking than my current school. I though the higher ranked the school the better the quality of education.cavalier1138 wrote:Law schools' "educational value" is meaningless after you graduate. I don't even know how you would measure it, but no employer will care.torero14 wrote:I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value.
I can say that I feel that because my school is ranked the way it is it might have something to do with the quality of education, which is in my opinion just bad.
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
What was your GPA/do you think your previous school's ranking mattered in your admittance to Gtowntorero14 wrote:I concur with the poster above. I transferred to Georgetown this past year.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.
Thanks!
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Re: Transferring to DC law school
3.6lolo24189 wrote:What was your GPA/do you think your previous school's ranking mattered in your admittance to Gtowntorero14 wrote:I concur with the poster above. I transferred to Georgetown this past year.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.
Thanks!
I'm not sure if you mean the ranking of my school or my ranking within my class at my old school.
Either way, yes. old School: Most transfers out go to Georgetown. Georgetown: Most transferring in come from old school
GPAs are relative, that's why class rankings matter.