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Hey all, im currently at new york law school and I really want to transfer to the University of Richmond (im applying to other va and DC schools also.) What do you think is the grade range I would need?

I am thinking of getting 2 letters of recommendation, one from a professor who gave me an A and one from someone in the va ags office ( i know him on a more personal level, political functions, not just some guy who will write nice things. hes also an alum from U of R.)

Also, what should I craft in my personal statement. theres alot of obvious stuff in making this transfer move, better opportunities, moving back to my home state, being close to my folks etc. But i feel like i have alot of less reasons specific to that school. For instance at GMU Law i actually am really interested in their law and economics program, their politics leanings and it is also my alma mater. what do you guys think?

also, What do you guys think about the URM bump? Im puerto rican. I saw on the app that the ask me to check hispanic but no specifics. should i try to bring that out in the application?

Thanks so much for all the help!

m4g1c0ff3 wrote: What do you think is the grade range I would need?

I would guess top 20% would give you a decent chance. What is your rank?

m4g1c0ff3 wrote: Also, what should I craft in my personal statement.

Build yourself up (but not too much) and discuss the specific reasons why you want to transfer to X school.

m4g1c0ff3 wrote: also, What do you guys think about the URM bump?

NO

You would be better off trying to transfer to GM (assuming you still have VA residency). Sticker at Richmond is a gamble. Most likely you will be viewed as a median student, and you will most likely have no chance of obtaining a job through OCI. Only 60% of the students at Richmond are employed after 9 months according to the most recent statistics.

So forget the URM bump entirely? Im in the middle right now with first semester grades. ive revamped the studying etc etc. yes i know how difficult it is to do well. im gunning anyway.

Yeah im definitely going to try to apply to GMU. What do you think about that? if its 20 for U of R should i just give up at mason at this point?

If you are at median you will have a hard time transferring. Focus on your grades, and see where the chips fall after grades are posted. If you stay around median you should apply anyway, just so you won't wonder what if...

thats really the plan. i wish i was giving the anecdotal "no really I'm working harder" bit. but i actually am doing something different. so we will see. im hoping to land somewhere between top 35-30 %, but of course i am trying to get it up as high as i can for other reasons.

Sorry to say, but if you're median at a TTT you pretty much have no shot at those schools. If you can break Top 30%...kudos. You'll still have a rough time at transferring without a compelling reason.

what exactly is a compelling reason?

m4g1c0ff3 wrote:what exactly is a compelling reason?

"better opportunities, moving back to my home state, being close to my folks etc."

I would think certainly more compelling than the above. Probably more in the vein of "my husband/wife has to move to the area," etc.