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Law School Transfer Q
Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:32 pm
by UAKAVA
I've been thinking about transferring schools recently. I really dislike the market that my school is located in, and really can't see myself having much of a future here. I'm currently attending a T50 school (ranked 48 without giving away too much), and my wife may be taking a job in a new city come next year. I really want to follow her out there, but the only issue is I could potentially be transferring down a notch if I did. How easy would it be to transfer from a T50 school to either a mid T2 or, my other option in that city, a T30? I understand that I'm being an idiot in even considering transferring down, but she's worth it. Let's say if I'm just inside the top 1/3rd of my class and had a good LSAT score (166) but relatively blah UG grades (3.31)? Are these stats alright for some movement? Ignore the weird timing, long story in terms of schedule and such.
Re: Law School Transfer Q
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 2:05 pm
by concurrent fork
This question is better suited for the transfer forum, but some quick thoughts:
--Yes, lateral transfers are more common than you might think, but the process is still competitive.
--You can only transfer the summer between your 1L and 2L year.
--The time frame is extremely condensed. Unless the school has an ED option, you will typically find out whether you are admitted a couple of weeks before you need to make a decision. If you do not have confirmation of your wife's work situation by that time, you could be in a tough spot.
--Numbers on successful transfer applicants are notoriously hard to come by. However, your UGPA and LSAT will have virtually no impact on your application. Decisions are based on your first-year grades with some weight given to personal circumstances (need to relocate due to spouse is a plus). Anecdotally, top 1/3 is probably the outside range of a successful lateral transfer. If you want to move up to a higher T1, you need a better class rank to stand a realistic shot.
--These are just my observations from this year's transfer cycle - for more info try the Yahoo transferapps database and the various result threads of the transfer forum.