Transfer from a top 20 with full scholarship? Forum

[eastcoast_iub]

There's no way median T20 gets into UM, that's bullcrap. There was two T30 top 25%ers in my transfer class and that was the lowest they went.

[johnnyquest]

There's no way median T20 gets into UM, that's bullcrap. There was two T30 top 25%ers in my transfer class and that was the lowest they went.

I'm not sure why OP would lie. Maybe your school isn't seen in the same light as OP's.

[rpupkin]

There's no way median T20 gets into UM, that's bullcrap. There was two T30 top 25%ers in my transfer class and that was the lowest they went.

First, unless you were on the transfer admissions committee and reviewed all the incoming transcripts, I don't see how you can know what the actual credentials were of all the members of your transfer class. Maybe one of those who told you were they were top 25% was actually top 40%. Or perhaps someone who said they were top 10% was actually at median. Students--yes, even transfer students--sometimes lie about their grades.

Second, even if you're right about the lowest-quality transfer admit in your class, that doesn't mean that UMich wouldn't go lower for a future year's transfer class. Maybe they've decided to increase the size of their transfer class for economic reasons. I know UMich has recently shrunk its incoming 1L class size (probably for USWNR reporting reasons); it seems likely that they'd want to make up for some of the lost income by taking more transfers. Both GULC and NU have been doing this for years.

[eastcoast_iub]

I don't have to be on the admissions committee to know those grades aren't getting you into Michigan. I knew most of the people in my class's grades at their old schools and the general breakdown was T1: top 10 to 15%, T2: 5 to 10%, T3 down: 1 to 5%. T1 top quarter was an outlier. There's no plausible reason to lie about your grades once you're admitted. And there are enough people looking to transfer in this legal job market that they wouldn't need to reach that low. UM's transfer class has long been substantially smaller than NU and especially GTown's. The incentive they have to keep transfer class size down is employment statistics - the bigger the overall class, obviously the more jobs are needed, and for many firms at least jobs may be a zero-sum game with respect to students from a particular school.

[DoveBodyWash]

I don't have to be on the admissions committee to know those grades aren't getting you into Michigan. I knew most of the people in my class's grades at their old schools and the general breakdown was T1: top 10 to 15%, T2: 5 to 10%, T3 down: 1 to 5%. T1 top quarter was an outlier. There's no plausible reason to lie about your grades once you're admitted. And there are enough people looking to transfer in this legal job market that they wouldn't need to reach that low. UM's transfer class has long been substantially smaller than NU and especially GTown's. The incentive they have to keep transfer class size down is employment statistics - the bigger the overall class, obviously the more jobs are needed, and for many firms at least jobs may be a zero-sum game with respect to students from a particular school.

They also need to keep the lights on. And pay the faculty. And compensate for revenue they lose every year as they give bigger scholarships to a smaller incoming 1L class.

Not many people apply to Michigan for transfer. Nowhere near as much as GULC/Northwestern/CLS/HLS/NYU etc...The transfer applicant pool isn't tiny, but it's also not that big. The same applicants are applying to all the same schools, and most people would pick the T14's in major metros with better job placement over Michigan, which Michigan's adcomm is definitely aware of. You think they're gonna be like "oh no we refuse to dip lower even if it means losing all the stronger candidates to other schools because it might marginally bring down job placement" ??

At the end of the day transfers are about revenue. Anyway I know for a fact that OP isn't lying about his admission.

ETA: If it bothers you that much then go ask Spivey if he's surprised that M admitted a median/T20 candidate

[eastcoast_iub]

Revenue is obviously a consideration, but if it was the only consideration then why wouldn't schools take massive transfer classes?? At some level they are concerned about employment statistics. Michigan's transfer class is still pretty small in size and I'm sure they reject a sizable number of people - many would rather go to school in major markets, but many are also concerned about cost-of-living debt and about getting away from their crappy schools to the best school they can get into. So the demand is still there.

Dipping to median is pathetic though. The school is just setting that kid up for failure anyway. Median T20's BigLaw prospects are not looking bright at the T20 or at UM. So it'd be stupid to leave a scholarship for that.