Advice for Transferring from a T14 to a T6 Forum

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BearyBonds

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Advice for Transferring from a T14 to a T6

Post by BearyBonds » Fri May 06, 2016 3:49 pm

Hi everyone, thought I'd create some general advice if you are thinking about transferring from a T14 law school to a T6.

First, there is likely no reason to transfer from a T14 -> CCN unless for personal reasons (or you need the slight bump in lay prestige). CCN does not provide financial aid to transfers (meaning you would pay sticker) and your current school will likely increase your scholarship if you choose to stay. Employment prospects will likely be equal and the the connections you formed your first year will likely be lost once you transfer, making clerkships and academia more difficult at the new school.

Next, T14 -> HYS
Note,
H accepted ~50 transfers last year
S accepted ~15
Y accepted ~15

H is the easiest to transfer into simply because their class size + transfers is approximately 600 students. To transfer into H, you need to be within the top 20% of your class at a T14, pretty much wherever the GPA cutoff for a V7 law firm is. Most of the students who transferred into H last year did not go to a T20 law school (simply because many T20 people who recieved offers chose to stay at their school).
Pros of Harvard: In a great city, Boston; lay prestige; city-like feel of the law school (if you have an interest, so will someone else at H); Obama went there and so did a majority of the Supreme Court
Cons of Harvard: no financial aid information until you accept your transfer offer, no LR (unless your participate in the writing competition in May), J term (weird winter quarter thing), large class size (3x that of Y/S, good or bad, making friends will be more difficult as a 2L transfer since you won't be exposed to your fellow classmates on regular basis like you were in your 1L section, OCI will be more difficult since grabbing an interview with the firms you want will be a challenge since there are more students competing for that same interview slot). Harvard has the highest GPA spread of the three schools, that is likely because H dilutes their relatively lower T20 transfer GPAs with those students transferring from a T100 school (presumably requiring a higher GPA from a lower ranked school). As such, if H is your dream school, having a 4.0 from a t14 isn't necessary to get in.
Grading System: DS/H/P/LP, top few students in the class receives a DS(A+), 30-40% receive H's, the rest receive P's, if you don't submit your exam you may end up with a LP. When you graduate, the school assigns points to each category, DS = 5, H = 4, P = 3 and so on, they then create a weighted GPA from those points, rank the students and assign graduation honors off that ranking. Although you technically do not have grades, employers will know after graduation where you fell in your class based on the honor or lack thereof you receive (summa, magna, cum laude).
More information about the school can be found here:
http://hls.harvard.edu/content/uploads/ ... Report.pdf

S falls in the middle of the Holy Trinity for difficulty to transfer into, half the S transfers went to T20 law schools (top 10% or so), the other half were at the top of their class at T50 schools.
Pros: Small class size, chance for LR, financial aid information before you need to accept
Cons: Living in suburban area; doesn't have the lay prestige of Harvard
Grading System: H/P/LP. Similar to Harvard, where book prizes are awarded to the top of the class (will appear on transcript). 30% of the class will receive an H, the rest will receive P's, if you don't submit your exam you may end up with a LP. There is no graduation honors, so no final ranking upon graduation.
More information about the school can be found here:
https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-con ... -47-52.pdf

Y is the hardest to transfer into, most of the transfers came from a T20 school. You need to be top 5-10% or so from a T14.
Pros: Lay prestige and small class size, financial aid information before you need to accept, chance for LR, two current Supreme Court justices alma mater, Clintons went there
Cons: Living in New Haven, does not have the lay prestige of Harvard
Grading System: H/P, absolutely no guidelines for grading, no graduation honors (no final ranking), class grading is at the discretion of the professor (seminars may result in the entire class getting H's).
More information about the school can be found here:
https://www.law.yale.edu/system/files/a ... report.pdf

Benefits of transferring to HYS: Student body, alumni network, resources that HYS have compared to other law schools, prestige (if you care)
Likely employment opportunities will be the same as your T14, clerkships may be more difficult due to lost connections but still very possible if you get to know your professors at your new school. Academia will likely be easier as well.
Cons: Loss of scholarship money (need-based aid can be pretty good though), loss of friends, connections, and professors from 1L, and LR (possibly)

The ABA reports will show you GPA spreads and what schools the transfers from last year attended. However, pick the school that suits you best. I know many students that chose to remain at their T14 over HYS, so it is not a no-brainer decision. Good luck and I hope this helps!

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