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I am in the top 5% of my class at a DePaul/Kent/Loyola and I have a 1L SA position at a V100 firm known to bring back their 1L SAs for 2L SA and permanent offer. I have 2 years unique WE. I want the Chicago market exclusively. I am being very picky with where I apply because I love Chicago and I would not mind staying at my T2.

I am applying to Northwestern and Georgetown (EA). That's it. NU is my #1 choice, hands down. I want to go there badly. GULC is my "safety." I don't like UChicago (also, if I got in, I would also get into NU and NU is my #1 so it's not worth the app) so I am not applying there. I feel iffy about Michigan because I don't want to live in Ann Arbor for the next 2 years when I pretty much have a position at a V100 firm.

Things to consider:
1. After going through the callback process at multiple Chicago firms, I noticed the strength of my current school's alumni network... which gives me pause. I felt that my school alumni is willing to bend over backwards to help out one of their own, here in the Chicago market. I don't want to lose this. But I also don't know if that's true with every other school. -- Can someone offer some insight?

2. I feel that I stood out among a sea of NU/Chicago/Michigan applicants because I was from my T2 school. Big law Chicago is often saturated with NU/Chicago/Michigan apps, with only a certain number of spots reserved for each school. I am noticing many firms reserve at least one spot for my T2, and obviously there are fewer people I am competing with because there are only like 25 people in the top 10%, many of whom don't even want big law jobs.

3. Assuming I want a different Chicago firm for 2L OCI, is my app to GULC even worth it? Not many Chicago firms do OCI at GULC, and GULC grads are pretty rare in Chicago. So my question is: Risk losing strong T2 alumni network for GULC name?

4. In the future when I am trying to build clients, how important is my school name? For example, is a client more likely to want to work with me if I went to GULC over a T2? Is the different negligible?

5. Is my analysis credited? Or should I be applying to more schools regardless of the fact that I have a 1L SA? It is a fine balance because I don't want to spend too much time writing essays for schools. I also need to maintain my GPA. Also, scholarship negotiations may come into play -- which would be the only reason (maybe?) that I would apply to GULC.

Do you have a scholarship to your school? If you have a big scholarship, no reason not to stay if you like your school. If you're paying sticker or close to it, I think you're pretty much in at NU as long as you keep your grades up. I don't see the point of applying to GULC unless its for scholarship-negotiation purposes. You're right on not coming to A2 for 2 years since you already have a job in Chicago (unless for some reason you want to live in Ann Arbor for two years).

A couple things to consider:

- You were lucky getting a 1L SA from one of those schools. I was in the same position last year, top grades and diversity credentials from that group, but couldn't get a lot of firms to look at my resume (even when I was recommended by profs.) The Chicago firms I did interview at always chose a Northwestern/UChicago person over me. There could have been other things at work but it happened multiple times.

- Say you get an offer to come back your 2L year (which you should.) Coming from a T2, the firm is still going to expect you to do moot court, law review, being a TA, etc. because that's what they want the people coming from OCI to have. That's a lot of work. As a T14 transfer your life is a lot easier because the firms, for whatever reason, expect a lot less of you. You don't have to be on a journal (especially at UChicago, where journal membership is relatively low) and you just have to keep your grades at an acceptable level, which is not hard given higher curves and lower interest. They'll be happy you are at a top school.

- Yes your T2 alumni will go to bat for you, to a level that you won't find with UChicago/Northwestern because there is so much more of them. How much that will help I'm not sure, especially since 2L recruiting is so different and offer decisions are made by hiring committees.

- If you're at Loyola, they will categorically refuse to negotiate a scholarship based on transfer admissions. Not sure about Kent/DePaul

- If you maintain your GPA and get on Law Review/Moot Court, you will be able to interview with pretty much every Chicago firm at OCI, save for maybe Kirkland.

- GULC is probably a waste of time if you don't want to go there, especially because you should get into Northwestern.

- Bottom Line: You're in a great position. I would say transfer, unless you can get a sizeable scholarship from your school. With Northwestern, WE and a 1L SA you will be an easy sell to every Chicago firm. That said, if you stay at your T2 you'll probably be fine too.

I don't at all feel like an acceptance from UChi would mean an acceptance to NU is a foregone conclusion.

If you're serious about transferring up, I'd throw out an app to UChi as well.

Don't transfer to Georgetown. It's a big "I don't want to be in Chicago" flag.

I don't even get why you want to transfer to Northwestern or U of C. You got the biglaw job. I really doubt firms wouldn't hire you based on your current school / grades, then magically would want your dick after a transfer when they see your grades are from that same school.

Desert Fox wrote:Don't transfer to Georgetown. It's a big "I don't want to be in Chicago" flag.

I don't even get why you want to transfer to Northwestern or U of C. You got the biglaw job. I really doubt firms wouldn't hire you based on your current school / grades, then magically would want your dick after a transfer when they see your grades are from that same school.

It's weird but Kirkland doesn't do OCI at Kent/Loyola but hired transfers at UChicago/Northwestern from both those schools.

Thanks for your help guys. I think I will drop my app to GULC and do NU only. I will also apply to Chicago. Aside from that, I'll try hard to get moot court/law review at my T2 for a solid back-up plan. Thanks!

Do not even bother with GULC, seriously. Most who go to GULC will have a shot at some random and relatively low ranked v100, something that you already have secured. Not saying vault is everything, or even anything, but Partner profits and overall health of the firm are. How healthy is your v50 or v70? How confident are you that a downturn in the market will not leave you jobless? Say what you want about the v10 and even the v20, but most of them offer greater financial security. Let me stress that I am not saying job security is categorically true for v20 firms (I'm looking at you Dewey, and yes you too Latham), but just that health and profitability of the firms tend to be better, and therefore ex ante risk is lower. If you transfer to uchicago, you will have a shot at Kirkland, and strong likelihood of getting an offer from the other top Chicago firms.

Also, your degree will be more marketable ad inifitum. Don't underestimate this point.