can you transfer from part-time program to different school? Forum

[mollie]

when transferring, do schools mind if you are coming out of another school's part-time program?

[A'nold]

This is the question. We have mused about this for a very long time. You should PM OperaSoprano. She is very helpful and knows more about this than most of us.

[Hook 'Em]

I saw this in a thread from a few weeks ago:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =2&t=73453

Are there schools that take part time transfers?

I know Columbia does, but I don't think its too easy to do.

I began this project for A'nold, when he was admitted to UConn PT. It is not finished, but here is what I know:

Yale: a year's credits. No PT prohibition.

Harvard: No PT transfers

Stanford: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Columbia: Min 28 credits. No PT prohibition.

NYU: Min 28 credits, complete by July 1st. No PT prohibition, but it would be impossible to have more than 24 credits by July 1st.

Chicago: Early Decision and Regular Decision. 1 year of credits required by July 1st. No PT prohibition, but see above.

Michigan: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Berkeley: No PT transfers

Virginia: Explicitly PT friendly

Northwestern: Min 30 credits. No PT prohibition for high credit requirement

Duke: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Cornell: Up to 32 credits. No PT prohibition

GULC: Extremely PT friendly. 3 semesters of PT credits will do. Has a PT Program

UCLA: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Vandy: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

WUSTL: Min 22 credits. No PT prohibition

GW: Will accept fewer than 28 credits. No PT prohibition. Has a PT Program

Emory: Explicitly PT friendly

BC: No PT transfers

BU: Can transfer in Fall or Spring. No PT prohibition

My edit:

Most flexible schools for PT transfers: Virginia, GULC, GW, WUSTL, Emory, and BU.

Least flexible schools: Harvard, Berkeley and BC say no.

(Fordham itself is, of course, PT transfer friendly!)

[OperaSoprano]

I saw this in a thread from a few weeks ago:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =2&t=73453

Are there schools that take part time transfers?

I know Columbia does, but I don't think its too easy to do.

I began this project for A'nold, when he was admitted to UConn PT. It is not finished, but here is what I know:

Yale: a year's credits. No PT prohibition.

Harvard: No PT transfers

Stanford: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Columbia: Min 28 credits. No PT prohibition.

NYU: Min 28 credits, complete by July 1st. No PT prohibition, but it would be impossible to have more than 24 credits by July 1st.

Chicago: Early Decision and Regular Decision. 1 year of credits required by July 1st. No PT prohibition, but see above.

Michigan: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Berkeley: No PT transfers

Virginia: Explicitly PT friendly

Northwestern: Min 30 credits. No PT prohibition for high credit requirement

Duke: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Cornell: Up to 32 credits. No PT prohibition

GULC: Extremely PT friendly. 3 semesters of PT credits will do. Has a PT Program

UCLA: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Vandy: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

WUSTL: Min 22 credits. No PT prohibition

GW: Will accept fewer than 28 credits. No PT prohibition. Has a PT Program

Emory: Explicitly PT friendly

BC: No PT transfers

BU: Can transfer in Fall or Spring. No PT prohibition

My edit:

Most flexible schools for PT transfers: Virginia, GULC, GW, WUSTL, Emory, and BU.

Least flexible schools: Harvard, Berkeley and BC say no.

(Fordham itself is, of course, PT transfer friendly!)

Nicely done, Hook 'em! I need to update that list. According to a very successful PT 1L I spoke with, Berkeley, and most other T14s, are willing to be flexible. The issue is one of timing. As you know, in application season, earlier is better. Summer credits may delay processing of your application, unless the school will take you on the basis of Fall and Spring grades alone. Many will, and it pays to ask.

My own plan is to do as well as I can, then ask my school to consider me for a small scholarship, since I am paying sticker now.

[mollie]

so, can you transfer after your 2nd year in a part-time program if you have a few extra classes beyond 1l?

[OperaSoprano]

so, can you transfer after your 2nd year in a part-time program if you have a few extra classes beyond 1l?

This is a grey area. I have never met a post 2L transfer, and some schools cap the number of credits you can transfer in, but I think it's theoretically possible.

Many schools will allow you to visit as a 3L. In this situation, you receive your degree from your home school, but take classes at your "transfer" school for your final year.

Basically, PT can make transferring a bit harder, but schools will work with you if your GPA and credentials are good. It's never a good idea to rely on transferring, but it's certainly an option for the top of the class, PT or FT. What schools are you considering?

EDIT: For TLSing while drinking champagne.

[mollie]

all the Cali schools from Hastings up to Stanford.

[articulably suspect]

so, can you transfer after your 2nd year in a part-time program if you have a few extra classes beyond 1l?

This is a grey area. I have never met a 2L transfer, and some schools cap the number of credits you can transfer in, but I think it's theoretically possible.

Many schools will allow you to visit as a 3L. In this situation, you receive your GPA from your home school, but take classes at your "transfer" school for your final year.

Basically, PT can make transferring a bit harder, but schools will work with you if your GPA and credentials are good. It's never a good idea to rely on transferring, but it's certainly an option for the top of the class, PT or FT. What schools are you considering?

What is the purpose of the 3L visit thing?

[OperaSoprano]

so, can you transfer after your 2nd year in a part-time program if you have a few extra classes beyond 1l?

This is a grey area. I have never met a 2L transfer, and some schools cap the number of credits you can transfer in, but I think it's theoretically possible.

Many schools will allow you to visit as a 3L. In this situation, you receive your GPA from your home school, but take classes at your "transfer" school for your final year.

Basically, PT can make transferring a bit harder, but schools will work with you if your GPA and credentials are good. It's never a good idea to rely on transferring, but it's certainly an option for the top of the class, PT or FT. What schools are you considering?

What is the purpose of the 3L visit thing?

Resume enhancement and networking, as far as I can tell. I grew up in Palo Alto, so I will attempt to help if I can. Are you a 0L at present?

[articulably suspect]

Yup, applying this fall. Am I missing something? What does palo alto have to do with anything? I can see the networking aspect being worthwhile, but does it really help to do it?

[OperaSoprano]

Yup, applying this fall. Am I missing something? What does palo alto have to do with anything? I can see the networking aspect being worthwhile, but does it really help to do it?

My parents still live in CA, so I researched and applied to a bunch of CA schools.

If I could spend my third year visiting at Harvard, I'd probably do it.

Transferring, not so much.

[articulably suspect]

I emailed a bunch of schools, just to be safe (gpa 3.32, good softs, I can PM you my softs if you're interested, aiming for 165-taking Testmasters course for Sep), in N CA who have pt programs regarding their policies for transferring into the FT programs. It sounds like this isn't an extremely common request. The majority of the schools claim that you must get approval from the dean. How difficult is this? Santa Clara made it sound as if it was just a simple as asking to transfer, whereas McGeorge said you had to make the Dean's List, (she didn't know the GPA requirement, I'm assuming 3.0-3.3?). My realistic goal, given my numbers is to get into Hastings/Davis though.

Mainly looking into PT programs as back up (if I totall yscrew up the LSAT), backdoor admissions into certain higer ranked schools (ie GTown, GW, Fordham, maybe American), I don't want to get stuck in a PT program though, maybe the exception would be Gtown, but getting in is still a longshot.

I'm interested in PI, Govt, no interest in Big/Midlaw, have good contacts in N. CA and would prefer to stay in CA.

[ruleser]

I spoke to UCLA admissions, they said they couldn't say until they knew the coursework (obviously it's not a common request) - turns out you'd have to do 2 years of PT before transferring - guess that's the equivalent of completing 1L full-time.

Is that what's meant above by 1 year (2 years of PT) or does that mean you can transfer after 1 year of PT?

[monkeywrench]

Regarding harvard, i think they do allow part-time transfers...

lifted from their transfer student section of the website:

Eligibility

Applicants for transfer admission must have completed one year of full-time study in a JD program (or one third of total credits required in a part-time program) at a United States law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Students may apply for transfer to begin the second year of JD studies in the fall semester only.

--LinkRemoved--

I am curious about whether the other schools require one years worth of part time or one years worth of credit.

[ruleser]

I saw this in a thread from a few weeks ago:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =2&t=73453

Are there schools that take part time transfers?

I know Columbia does, but I don't think its too easy to do.

I began this project for A'nold, when he was admitted to UConn PT. It is not finished, but here is what I know:

Yale: a year's credits. No PT prohibition.

Harvard: No PT transfers

Stanford: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Columbia: Min 28 credits. No PT prohibition.

NYU: Min 28 credits, complete by July 1st. No PT prohibition, but it would be impossible to have more than 24 credits by July 1st.

Chicago: Early Decision and Regular Decision. 1 year of credits required by July 1st. No PT prohibition, but see above.

Michigan: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Berkeley: No PT transfers

Virginia: Explicitly PT friendly

Northwestern: Min 30 credits. No PT prohibition for high credit requirement

Duke: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Cornell: Up to 32 credits. No PT prohibition

GULC: Extremely PT friendly. 3 semesters of PT credits will do. Has a PT Program

UCLA: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

Vandy: a year's credits. No PT prohibition

WUSTL: Min 22 credits. No PT prohibition

GW: Will accept fewer than 28 credits. No PT prohibition. Has a PT Program

Emory: Explicitly PT friendly

BC: No PT transfers

BU: Can transfer in Fall or Spring. No PT prohibition

My edit:

Most flexible schools for PT transfers: Virginia, GULC, GW, WUSTL, Emory, and BU.

Least flexible schools: Harvard, Berkeley and BC say no.

(Fordham itself is, of course, PT transfer friendly!)

Just a note on the ones that above poster says, "Would be impossible to have 28 credits by July 1" etc. - not at all. It just takes 2 years PT. So after Spring 2nd year PT at Loyola (since I know the numbers there) you'd have over 30 credit hours, even without doing a summer session the first year.

[OperaSoprano]

To other prospective PTers: Not sure how it works at every school, but at Fordham we can have our first year finished by July 15th, if we take summer classes. I'm planning to do this so I can switch into my school's FT program next Fall. Someone who wanted to transfer could sneak in just under deadline at many schools. This isn't a common request, though. I was told that less than 1% of PT students transfer. People talk about gaming the system, but this information, if true, suggests that most PT students cannot easily get up and leave.

More research needs to be done, though. The Berkeley website explicitly prohibits PT transfers, yet someone called the school and was told PT students were perfectly welcome. Also, I believe Harvard just changed policy. Four months ago, when I compiled this research, the Harvard website did not say that.

[ruleser]

Just spoke to Yale so can add a clarification - first, yes, the do accept PT aps as stated above. I asked about the timing, since UCLA had told me I would apply after my second year of PT, since that is the eqivalent of 1 year of FT coursewise - Yale confirmed this, that PT transfer ap might be sent after year 2 depending on how the courses line up in your PT prog.

I also asked if PT applicants are at a disadvantage, and they said no, they are considered the same.

[iheartlaw]

Just spoke to Yale so can add a clarification - first, yes, the do accept PT aps as stated above. I asked about the timing, since UCLA had told me I would apply after my second year of PT, since that is the eqivalent of 1 year of FT coursewise - Yale confirmed this, that PT transfer ap might be sent after year 2 depending on how the courses line up in your PT prog.

I also asked if PT applicants are at a disadvantage, and they said no, they are considered the same.

this is actually not true. if 2 years of PT = 1 FT then it would take PT'ers 6 years to finish law school, rather it is only 4. At my school a PT student completes 21 units compared to a FT's 30. At Fordham i think PT has 22 units and FT has 30-31?

[iheartlaw]

rather what i think is going on is that they require students to finish "a first year's of coursework" which generally means, take more than one year of PT, becuz at mys chool you can't even take 9 units over the summer to have completed "a first year's coursework." and even if you do take 9 units, you likely wont have your grades in time for when they make your decision, thus they will have to pass judgment on you having only seen how you performed in 21 units. the schools i have spoken to have said that generally it is VERY hard to get in. People at USC and UCLA even went so far as to tell me that in 15 years of working there, they have not seen ONE PT student with only 1 year of PT coursework accepted through transfer.

[im_blue]

so, can you transfer after your 2nd year in a part-time program if you have a few extra classes beyond 1l?

This is a grey area. I have never met a 2L transfer, and some schools cap the number of credits you can transfer in, but I think it's theoretically possible.

Many schools will allow you to visit as a 3L. In this situation, you receive your GPA from your home school, but take classes at your "transfer" school for your final year.

Basically, PT can make transferring a bit harder, but schools will work with you if your GPA and credentials are good. It's never a good idea to rely on transferring, but it's certainly an option for the top of the class, PT or FT. What schools are you considering?

What is the purpose of the 3L visit thing?

Depends on the school. Some only accept people with a compelling reason to be in the area, so I'd imagine something like spouse or sick relative. Others allow academic reasons such as taking certain classes or working with certain faculty.

[km23]

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