Advice for Transferring to Another Law School Forum

[peeker82]

tag

[mapnoren]

If you fall within the top 20-25% at a low t2, what are reasonable expectations for transferring?

[ToTransferOrNot]

If you fall within the top 20-25% at a low t2, what are reasonable expectations for transferring?

Er, none, unless you're talking about lateral.

[risktaker]

I need your help Arrow. I will be going to school next fall and I am trying to figure out if going to Northeastern would be bad if I plan on transferring? They do not give out regular grades, so is there any way for schools to figure out if I am in the top 5% of my class? I will most likely have to decide between going to University of the Pacific, University of San Francisco or Northeastern. Would it be a good decision to go to UOP or USF if I am planning on transferring after 1L? Thanks in advance.

[risktaker]

bump please

[Arrow]

I need your help Arrow. I will be going to school next fall and I am trying to figure out if going to Northeastern would be bad if I plan on transferring? They do not give out regular grades, so is there any way for schools to figure out if I am in the top 5% of my class? I will most likely have to decide between going to University of the Pacific, University of San Francisco or Northeastern. Would it be a good decision to go to UOP or USF if I am planning on transferring after 1L? Thanks in advance.

Because transferring is always a huge gamble, I would prepare to "stay" at the school you choose to attend. This likely means that you should choose the school in the location you would like to practice in. Everyone tells you that you should not pick a "random" school with an intent on transferring, so make sure you like where you attend the first year. Simply put, if you want to practice in Sacremento, go with McGeorge. If you want to practice in SF, go with USF, and if you want to practice in Boston area, go with Northeastern.

By your screenname, it sounds like you are a risk taker, but all of those schools are ranked roughly the same, making location really your only concern. You might as well stick to the bay area where weather is nice (but I am biased but I'm here). Best of luck!

[risktaker]

Thanks Arrow! I have decided to stick to California and will apply to University of San Diego as a reach school, but if not, it's most likely going to be a bay area school that I go to.

[sand87632]

Love law school, don't love Boston so much. I was in NYC last weekend, a much cooler place to be. What would it take to transfer from BU to NYU or Columbia? I like BU, but Boston is boring!

[Arrow]

Love law school, don't love Boston so much. I was in NYC last weekend, a much cooler place to be. What would it take to transfer from BU to NYU or Columbia? I like BU, but Boston is boring!

I would say top 10% to be safe, but top 15% may be sufficient. Definitely apply if you are even in the top 20%. I would also emphasize in detail why you favor New York over Boston in your PS. Good luck!

[Miracle]

great thread!

[sand87632]

Love law school, don't love Boston so much. I was in NYC last weekend, a much cooler place to be. What would it take to transfer from BU to NYU or Columbia? I like BU, but Boston is boring!

I would say top 10% to be safe, but top 15% may be sufficient. Definitely apply if you are even in the top 20%. I would also emphasize in detail why you favor New York over Boston in your PS. Good luck!

What about transferring from BU to the following schools:
1) UCLA
2) UT Austin
3) Georgetown
4) Cornell
5) Michigan

[Arrow]

Love law school, don't love Boston so much. I was in NYC last weekend, a much cooler place to be. What would it take to transfer from BU to NYU or Columbia? I like BU, but Boston is boring!

I would say top 10% to be safe, but top 15% may be sufficient. Definitely apply if you are even in the top 20%. I would also emphasize in detail why you favor New York over Boston in your PS. Good luck!

What about transferring from BU to the following schools:
1) UCLA
2) UT Austin
3) Georgetown
4) Cornell
5) Michigan

BU to UCLA/UT are almost lateral transfers, which have often accepted people around the top 1/3 mark. You would also need a strong reason for transferring, and I would not recommend you transfer up for just few spots barring a strong reasons for the location change as BU is a fantastic law school. I would say top 20-25% would put you in a pretty good spot.

For Georgetown and Cornell, you probably need slightly higher grades, likely around the 20% mark. There really is no huge difference between rank 14-16, so you will probably have to do some explaining on your PS still. For Michigan, I would say top 15% is pretty good. It really is a slighting scale, so as you go higher up on the rankings you need slightly better grades. For all of these schools, I would apply if you are anywhere near the 20-25% mark. These are all rough estimates, so just do the best you can on your exams!

[peter844]

I was just admitted into Uconn (158/4 and go to Uconn undergrad). I am still awaiting a few other schools ranked better than Connecticut. I was wondering is Uconn considered Tier1 and where is the cutoff around from Tier 2? I was hoping to transfer to a T14 after my first year ( assuming I am top 5% if not better). Can someone speculate on what schools I have a chance at? Or would top 1% at this school be more realistic for T14 shot.

[Arrow]

I was just admitted into Uconn (158/4 and go to Uconn undergrad). I am still awaiting a few other schools ranked better than Connecticut. I was wondering is Uconn considered Tier1 and where is the cutoff around from Tier 2? I was hoping to transfer to a T14 after my first year ( assuming I am top 5% if not better). Can someone speculate on what schools I have a chance at? Or would top 1% at this school be more realistic for T14 shot.

Hey peter844,

There is no magic "line" that divides T1's and T2's, though UConn leans more towards T2 requirements. There really is no "cut-off" per se. You should be able to transfer into the T14 with top 10%, with a lock at top 5%. I would apply if you are in the top 15%. Top 1% would put you in the T6 with ease. Most T14 schools are roughly the same in terms of their number requirements (the higher you go in the T14, the higher your numbers need to be though). Good luck!

[Omerta]

I was just admitted into Uconn (158/4 and go to Uconn undergrad). I am still awaiting a few other schools ranked better than Connecticut. I was wondering is Uconn considered Tier1 and where is the cutoff around from Tier 2? I was hoping to transfer to a T14 after my first year ( assuming I am top 5% if not better). Can someone speculate on what schools I have a chance at? Or would top 1% at this school be more realistic for T14 shot.

To reiterate the OP, you shouldn't go to a law school you plan to transfer from. There are kids at my school who thought that, their grades came back median-ish, and that's the end of that.


I've fudged my grades a bit, but I have ~3.9 (no rankings, but probably top 5 people) from Emory. First of all, I love going to Emory and I love Atlanta. I also have a little over a half scholarship. I would only transfer to H/Y/S and I have no desire to work in the Northeast and want to work in FL/GA. Parents pay living expenses and are anxious at the thought of me going to a more expensive school. The transfer would be purely investment driven. Thoughts?

[peter844]

I was just admitted into Uconn (158/4 and go to Uconn undergrad). I am still awaiting a few other schools ranked better than Connecticut. I was wondering is Uconn considered Tier1 and where is the cutoff around from Tier 2? I was hoping to transfer to a T14 after my first year ( assuming I am top 5% if not better). Can someone speculate on what schools I have a chance at? Or would top 1% at this school be more realistic for T14 shot.

Hey peter844,

There is no magic "line" that divides T1's and T2's, though UConn leans more towards T2 requirements. There really is no "cut-off" per se. You should be able to transfer into the T14 with top 10%, with a lock at top 5%. I would apply if you are in the top 15%. Top 1% would put you in the T6 with ease. Most T14 schools are roughly the same in terms of their number requirements (the higher you go in the T14, the higher your numbers need to be though). Good luck!

Thank you for the information!

[sand87632]

I was just admitted into Uconn (158/4 and go to Uconn undergrad). I am still awaiting a few other schools ranked better than Connecticut. I was wondering is Uconn considered Tier1 and where is the cutoff around from Tier 2? I was hoping to transfer to a T14 after my first year ( assuming I am top 5% if not better). Can someone speculate on what schools I have a chance at? Or would top 1% at this school be more realistic for T14 shot.

To reiterate the OP, you shouldn't go to a law school you plan to transfer from. There are kids at my school who thought that, their grades came back median-ish, and that's the end of that.


I've fudged my grades a bit, but I have ~3.9 (no rankings, but probably top 5 people) from Emory. First of all, I love going to Emory and I love Atlanta. I also have a little over a half scholarship. I would only transfer to H/Y/S and I have no desire to work in the Northeast and want to work in FL/GA. Parents pay living expenses and are anxious at the thought of me going to a more expensive school. The transfer would be purely investment driven. Thoughts?

I would apply to transfer and, even if you don't want to change schools, use it as a bargaining chip to get more scholarship money.

[Arrow]

I was just admitted into Uconn (158/4 and go to Uconn undergrad). I am still awaiting a few other schools ranked better than Connecticut. I was wondering is Uconn considered Tier1 and where is the cutoff around from Tier 2? I was hoping to transfer to a T14 after my first year ( assuming I am top 5% if not better). Can someone speculate on what schools I have a chance at? Or would top 1% at this school be more realistic for T14 shot.

To reiterate the OP, you shouldn't go to a law school you plan to transfer from. There are kids at my school who thought that, their grades came back median-ish, and that's the end of that.


I've fudged my grades a bit, but I have ~3.9 (no rankings, but probably top 5 people) from Emory. First of all, I love going to Emory and I love Atlanta. I also have a little over a half scholarship. I would only transfer to H/Y/S and I have no desire to work in the Northeast and want to work in FL/GA. Parents pay living expenses and are anxious at the thought of me going to a more expensive school. The transfer would be purely investment driven. Thoughts?

If you keep that 3.9, I would send in applications to HYS and the T6 schools. Regardless of whether you get in, you have a good reason for staying if you can negotiate that half scholarship into a full one. If you get into HYS, the investment would definitely be worth it in my opinion. Good luck!

[Miracle]

I know someone who spoke to Dean Trujillo at UVA about transferring. Supposedly the dean said that they hadn't taken anyone who wasn't in the top 5% int he last few years (3 that he's been there?), and that they only take 15 people a year. Is there a way to square this with your info?

What chances do you think someone in the top 10% at a 30-40 ranked school has of UVA, Duke, or better?

I honestly have no idea. That information certainly is confusing, though from the Yahoo Database, I am sure there are more people who made it into UVA with different numbers.

Normally, someone in the top 10% at a T1 has great chances all throughout the T14. Perhaps times have changed, or perhaps only top 5% students went, or perhaps it is just more of a generalization. Either way, give it a shot as your chances should be great!

What is this yahoo database that everyone is referring to?

[Arrow]

I know someone who spoke to Dean Trujillo at UVA about transferring. Supposedly the dean said that they hadn't taken anyone who wasn't in the top 5% int he last few years (3 that he's been there?), and that they only take 15 people a year. Is there a way to square this with your info?

What chances do you think someone in the top 10% at a 30-40 ranked school has of UVA, Duke, or better?

I honestly have no idea. That information certainly is confusing, though from the Yahoo Database, I am sure there are more people who made it into UVA with different numbers.

Normally, someone in the top 10% at a T1 has great chances all throughout the T14. Perhaps times have changed, or perhaps only top 5% students went, or perhaps it is just more of a generalization. Either way, give it a shot as your chances should be great!

What is this yahoo database that everyone is referring to?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transferapps/

I think you need a yahoo account to sign in, that's all.

[shulerds]

I'm a 1L at the University of South Carolina after fall semester I'm in the top 5%. How far up do you think I could transfer? What do you think my chances are of transfering to Duke, UGA, Emory, UNC, or Georgetown ?

[Arrow]

I'm a 1L at the University of South Carolina after fall semester I'm in the top 5%. How far up do you think I could transfer? What do you think my chances are of transfering to Duke, UGA, Emory, UNC, or Georgetown ?

Congrats on your grades! You should have no trouble transferring into the T1, and the T14 should be within reach with those numbers. I would say you have a lock on UGA and UNC, with a good chance at Emory as well. If you keep your top 5%, Georgetown and Duke should both look favorable, though I would recommend you apply to more schools in the top 20 just in case. Your numbers are in range, so transferring should be no problem overall. Good luck!

[mrosmith]

I currently go to a T3 in Ohio. I have a 3.65(All A's with a B- in torts) and am 16/126, putting me around 12-13%. This semester there will be more full time students (transition students) and traditionally at my school second semester GPA's fall, probably resulting in me ending up in the top 10%. My undergrad GPA was a 2.5 at Michigan and my LSAT scores were 151(took it blind) and a 155. I'm willing to apply to any school to transfer. Right now I'm planning on blanketing the 35-45 range schools with some fallback schools in the 50-70 range. Is this a good strategy? I feel like this is the price is right and I am playing the price range game, sliding the bar up and down the rankings. I ultimately want to maximize the probability of getting into the best school possible, no matter where that school is. I have two letters of Rec lined up and could possibly get more if needed. Let me know what you think.

[Arrow]

I currently go to a T3 in Ohio. I have a 3.65(All A's with a B- in torts) and am 16/126, putting me around 12-13%. This semester there will be more full time students (transition students) and traditionally at my school second semester GPA's fall, probably resulting in me ending up in the top 10%. My undergrad GPA was a 2.5 at Michigan and my LSAT scores were 151(took it blind) and a 155. I'm willing to apply to any school to transfer. Right now I'm planning on blanketing the 35-45 range schools with some fallback schools in the 50-70 range. Is this a good strategy? I feel like this is the price is right and I am playing the price range game, sliding the bar up and down the rankings. I ultimately want to maximize the probability of getting into the best school possible, no matter where that school is. I have two letters of Rec lined up and could possibly get more if needed. Let me know what you think.

If you get top 10%, I would aim a little bit higher. Top 15% should get you into the T2 for sure, though it would be a reach/stretch to make the T14. I would at least throw an application to Georgetown if you keep your grades. I would not "blanket 35-45" schools per se, but apply to all T1 schools in the regions you are interested working in. Because of your small school size, the difference between top 5% and top 10% is only like 5 people, so I am not sure if that will play in your favor. Congrats on your grades, and keep up the good work. Just try to get your grades/rankings as high as possible second semester and focus on that for now. Good luck!

[liltay357]

0L here,

just trying to wrap my head around $$$ if I transfer after my first year. There is no chance that my new school would offer me any money?