1l summer as a transfer Forum

[LouisdePointeduLac]

Hi everyone. I don’t like to bug the forum for questions because most of the answers have already been answered somewhere in the forum, but I have one that I can not find an answer to. I just got back my first semester grades and I’m highly considering transferring. I’d prefer to apply to schools that have EA but I will most likely apply to some regular decision ones as well. Here comes my issue. I don’t have a perfered market. I know it is important to work your 1l summer in the market that you want to get a job in for 2l summer and beyond. I’m looking to transfer to schools in the DC market, Atlanta(grew up in the south near by for ties), and Philadelphia. Should I just apply and attempt to have a job in each of them? Also as you know regular decision transfers aren’t made until late into the summer so how does that work? If the answer is as simple as I should just focus on one market I apologize for wasting everyone’s time. Thank you in advance!

[NoDayButToday]

I think it helps to do 1L summer in the location or region where you want to be, but it's certainly not required. I have plenty of friends who went abroad 1L summer or who worked in different locations or fields from where they ultimately intended to work. I did both my summers in Boston biglaw--and now I'm a public defender in South Carolina--and I transferred to a school in New York.

I think if you transfer up to a T14 or perhaps T20, the schools usually have the name recognition and alumni networks/other connections and the fellowship money/resources to launch you out to wherever you're interested in going, as long as you also make the effort to search for positions if they're out of market. That was a big draw for me to NYU. I knew I'd have a better shot of getting back South from NYU than from BC. I'd suggest applying to transfer to whatever schools you want to attend and have the grades to have a shot at. I would think of yourself as market-flexible rather than market-flaky.

Regular decision does require some flexibility, but not as much in terms of job market--more financially and in terms of your housing/moving situation. (though some schools don't let transfers participate in OCI so be careful of that). At OCI, you'll get most of the same questions as the students who started at the institution, about your past work experience and your 1L summer job and your interests in their firm, etc., but you'll also get a few questions about why you transferred (and why that school). Admissions-wise, you usually hear from schools between late June and late July--I applied late, but knew mid-July--and then you have a month or so to get ready for OCI, do journal write-on competition, pick your classes, find housing, etc. A lot of transfers to NYU, ended up living in campus housing for 2L. Georgetown also has student housing (assuming that's what you mean by DC), though I'm not sure what the availability is for transfers. Not sure about Penn or Emory, assuming those are the schools you're thinking about?

[LouisdePointeduLac]

Thank you so much for your reply! It gives me some pretty good insight into what is ahead of me. It is nice to hear that you were kind of all over the map. Thanks again!!!

[sdancer89]

I also transferred. It is sort of a strange summer since you're not quite sure where you're going to end up at the end for school. My 1L school was in the Mountain West, I had a GULC EA acceptance, and planned to apply to other schools after second semester grades. I ended up spending 1L summer back in the Bay Area where I'd lived during college and after. Somewhat like you, I had a few market preferences and had no idea where I'd end up after the transfer, so just picked a place for summer where I had an interest in ending up in. So, I knew I was going to end up moving somewhere-- I just wasn't quite sure where I was going to move. Ultimately, I ended up at Berkeley, so it was just a matter of getting my stuff moved since I was already there for the summer.

Fast-forward to now and I'm working as a PD in a different market than both schools I went to that I likely wouldn't have had access to without the transfer. I think it helps to spend 1L summer somewhere where you would be interested in ending up, but don't necessarily assume that it will close off your ability to end up somewhere else after.

The end of summer and figuring out where you're moving tends to be a little chaotic, but it's totally do-able.

[LouisdePointeduLac]

Thank you as well! I thought it was at least a good idea to be in one of the markets that you want to work in. While it does seem like it might be somewhat choatic both of you have greatly eased my mind on the matter. Thank you both!!