Transferee to USC offering advice and taking questions Forum

[Tiresias]

Hello everyone. I am starting this thread to help people interested in transferring to USC some insights (some of this advice can apply to any school). Transferring is a very difficult process, and perhaps shedding some light on it will put some of your minds at ease. Before I begin, I want to lay down some ground rules. (1) I am not a fan of TLS. For lack of a better term, there are too many immature people on here. So questions and comments must be constructive. (2) I will try and check this once a day. If I don't answer right away, don't worry.

So here are the insights I wish to make.

1. My transfer class consisted of people from every single Tier. I would say primarily from T2-T3. A few from T4 (maybe 2-4). And a few from T1. Generally speaking, it seemed the percentile's worked like this. T1 -> Top 10-20% (closer to top 10%, if you have a hard science background, you will have some leeway). T2 -> Top 5% (People in the upper T2 schools can maybe be as low as top 10%). T3 -> Top 2-3%. T4 -> 1-2%. These are ESTIMATES only.

2. Strong ties with SoCal is very important but not critical. The majority of people came from either (1) CA schools or (2) had strong CA ties. However, this is not a deal breaker. There are some people who had no CA ties.

3. Last year, USC sent its acceptance letter in the middle to end of July. If I remember correctly, I received mine in an email on a friday (I think it was the 19th or close to it). They came after UCLA gave its acceptance letters (but not all of them).

4. I think you can get the exact statistics from the ABA, but the transfer class comprised of about 25 people. It is important to know, USC has a very big LLM class. Some of the LLMs seek to transfer into the JD program. Last year, two of the transfer students were from the LLM class. The year before had more.

5. OCI (I know this is the big question). OCI was not kind on the transfer students. I know two people who received offers. One had an MBA. I do not think this is unique to USC. In fact, if you look at NLJ, USC was ranked 12th for percentage of students hired at NLJ 250. However, it is important to recognize the strength of the Trojan Network. I have never seen anything like it.

The reason why transfers perform poorly at OCI is not because we are not qualified. Rather, the firms are in the business of risk management when it comes to hiring. Taking a person who is a transfer is a risk compared to students who had their first year at a certain school.

6. Quality of life. This also applies to everyone. Transferring is not an easy process. Being accepted is just the begining. I feel lucky and am happy I transferred to USC. The people here are very nice and the environment is not competitive at all. It is very important you transfer to a school that has a culture that is appropriate for you. Losing your 1L ties is huge. I went to visit my old school and it was like visiting war buddies. The 1st semester, some of the ties are very strong. But usually, transfers assimilate better during the 2nd semester because people are taking classes with completely different people. I also value the fact it is a small school. I turned down other schools because they had large classes. Bear that in mind when you make your choice.

I hope this helps.

[bingbang1025]

PM'ing you

[concurrent fork]

The reason why transfers perform poorly at OCI is not because we are not qualified. Rather, the firms are in the business of risk management when it comes to hiring. Taking a person who is a transfer is a risk compared to students who had their first year at a certain school.

Transfers only seem to perform poorly at OCI outside of the T12 or so. At CCN for ex., transfers have close to 100% success rate which is better than the class at large.

[thebauss]

Hi, I just got in as a transfer to SC today. Wondering your thoughts on paying sticker and how you feel about your choice to transfer. Any other advice would be great. I'm coming from a school 25-30 ranked, but I want to practice in LA.

[tatianabideau]

Also, can you speak to USC vs. UCLA?

[thebauss]

Any tips on where to live?

[SKTransfer]

I am in "first committee review" on my USC status checker-I keep hearing that some people get their decisions via email, phone, usps. Are people getting them in different methods?

[quiver]

The reason why transfers perform poorly at OCI is not because we are not qualified. Rather, the firms are in the business of risk management when it comes to hiring. Taking a person who is a transfer is a risk compared to students who had their first year at a certain school.

Transfers only seem to perform poorly at OCI outside of the T12 or so. At CCN for ex., transfers have close to 100% success rate which is better than the class at large.

Seconding this.

[06102016]

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