Planning on transferring...looking for advice Forum

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[starstruck393]

Although you shoudln't be doing it, go for the cheap option, I guess. 11k per year isn't bad for T2...

[Tofu]

people say go to a school you would be fine ending up at because you can't really predict how you will do.

a lot of other students will also have "drive" and "focus"

[patrickd139]

People have been telling me "Don't go to a school you don't want to end up at if you intend to transfer." I think that is very situational. For instance, I slacked off in college and ended up with an appropriately crappy GPA. I think I am not that unusual--an upper middle class kid who went to college because everyone else was going, but didn't really have a motivation to be there other than that I was expected to. Now I have a drive and focus and I am quite certain I can do well in law school. However, I am also certain that most upper tier law schools will not believe this unless I show them the goods.

So if I am going to my first year of law school INTENDING to transfer, what would be my best plan of attack?

- Get into the highest ranked school I possibly can (low T1/high T2) so I have the best upgrade chances?
- Get into a mid T1 school and focus on flawless grades?

X-factor: I can go to UNL (ranked 75ish though the rankings were fucked up this year) for $11k/year, whereas most other schools would cost $30-40k/year to go to a private school or out of state.

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My ideal career track: Transfer to either Chicago (which would be awesome, but probably unlikely), Georgetown (I hear they like stealing high performers from lower ranked schools), or George Mason (public policy and economics program is highly rated in case I want to get my Master's and their prestige has grown quite rapidly).

After graduating, I'd like to get a clerkship or become a Navy/Marine Judge Advocate (both would give me great experience working in government sectors--each has their pros and cons), then get into a lobbying firm. Ultimately I'd like to end up doing work in crafting legislation, teaching, and possibly doing some local politics.

Please, feel free to ignore both a ton of anecdotal advice and hard statistics.

Plus. JAG --> lobbying firm? Would love to know how that works. (I'm only being slightly facetious with this part of the post.)

[vanwinkle]

People have been telling me "Don't go to a school you don't want to end up at if you intend to transfer." I think that is very situational.

It is very situational. The situation is, at every school you go to there will be 100% of the students wanting to be in the top 10% of their class. You are not unique and stand a 90% chance of disappointment. Are you ready to attempt a plan with a 90% failure rate? If so, go ahead, this is right up your alley.

[Scurredsitless1]

You have a flawed plan. If you're not happy with your options, you need to take the LSAT again. You have a much better chance of killing the LSAT than killing 1L and transferring.

Good Luck!

[2009 Prospective]

After graduating, I'd like to get a clerkship or become a Navy/Marine Judge Advocate (both would give me great experience working in government sectors--each has their pros and cons), then get into a lobbying firm. Ultimately I'd like to end up doing work in crafting legislation, teaching, and possibly doing some local politics.

A clerkship isn't a "government sector" job which gives you your golden ticket to a lobbying firm. They're research and writing intensive positions probably most appropriate for future litigators (or academia for prestigious federal appellate level). As for teaching, don't count on anything beyond maybe an adjunct position unless you go to a top 5 school and get published. As to local politics, how does a law degree really help?

If you're really interested in doing lobbying, try working on the hill for several years and make as many connections as possible. Just make sure your upper middle class parents can subsidize your living because entry level staffers make next to nothing. The law degree can come much later and I have even heard from some lobbyists that the degree is really more of a plus than a requirement.

[redginseng]

Now I have a drive and focus and I am quite certain I can do well in law school.

Many students believe in this. Unless they believed in this, they wouldn't go to T2 - T4 and pay full tuition trying to be top so they can break into Biglaw or transfer.

By mathematical certainty, most students' belief turns out to wrong.

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[Fiction]

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[goblue1646]

I've done some research on this--just make sure you realize that transferring isn't as easy and it was in undergrad, and that many people plan to transfer up, but only about 1% of these people actually end up doing it. It's entirely possible that you'll do better in law school than you did in undergrad, but that doesn't mean your grades will be good enough to transfer.

I think you need to go to the best school that you can, and then REALLY focus and do well. That way your chances of transferring will be higher, and even if you don't end up transferring, you'll graduate with a decent ranking and probably score a good job anyway.

[Tofu]

people say go to a school you would be fine ending up at because you can't really predict how you will do.

a lot of other students will also have "drive" and "focus"

I can predict with near 100% certainty that I will do better in law school than I did in undergrad.

You may "do better in law school than you did in undergrad, but that doesn't mean your grades will be good enough to transfer."

The important question is: if your grades end up not being good enough to transfer to a T-14 or George Mason, will you be satisfied with your choice of school?

[Blindmelon]

I thought I'd blow LS out of the water. Ended up median. Everyone wants to do well, not just you. Everyone else is thinking the same way you are. Good luck!

[patrickd139]

people say go to a school you would be fine ending up at because you can't really predict how you will do.

a lot of other students will also have "drive" and "focus"

I can predict with near 100% certainty that I will do better in law school than I did in undergrad.

I'll resist the urge to be a douche and, instead, just reiterate that this plan is a bad idea. I just ask that you please come back in a year and let us know how this all worked out for you.

Good luck!

[Cupidity]

No lose situation.

Think about it, argument is that you cant count on transfering because you may not perform well: better you learn that you suck at a T2 with little debt, than a T-14 where you are bottom 25% and 100k in debt, right?

Transferring is possible, I know people that have gone Coastal >>> UF, and UF >>> (accepted) Columbia, Michigan, GULC w/ boat (attending)

[traehekat]

This isn't what you want to hear, but I have to echo what many others have already said. Don't attend a school you wouldn't be satisfied graduating from, because there is a very good chance that will be what happens.

Believe me, I have a similar feeling that I can make up for my lackluster numbers and pwn the shit out of law school and transfer up into an elite institution. I mean why not, I did very well in every one of my undergrad law courses, right?

The facts are simple...
- everyone wants to do very well.
- there are a lot of extremely intelligent people in law school.
- law school is difficult at pretty much every school, whether its a T14, T1, or TTT.
- there is still a luck element in how well you end up doing.
- putting in the effort isn't enough, you have to know how to study smart (many 1Ls fall in this trap in law school, I think)
- etc.

I don't doubt you can do better/put in more effort than you did in undergrad. The odds are still against you though, so I would really recommend either attending a school you will be happy to graduate from, or retaking the LSAT.

Good luck.

[bees]

Seems like you have a flawless plan. It's good that you're already so keen to the fact that it's much easier to transfer at lower ranked schools than higher ones and combined with the fact that you are a college slacker turned motivated 0L I don't see how you can fail.

[Dignan]

I'm sorry to pile on, but you're getting pretty good advice on here. Even if you work very hard, and even if you outperform most of the students at your school, it's going to be tough to transfer way up. If you want to have a shot at transferring to a school like U of Chicago from UNL, you are probably going to have to finish among the top 5 students in your class (not top 5%, but top 5 students). To reach that level, you're going to need more than intelligence and an improved work ethic; you are going to need some luck. As many 1Ls will tell you, law school grading is at least a little arbitrary. The difference between a 3.6 and a 3.9 can be a matter of chance.

By the way, even if you manage to finish your first year at the very top of your class at your T2 school, there's still a decent chance that the T14 you want won't take you.

Don't risk it, dude. It's fine to keep the idea of transferring in the back of your mind, but go to a school that you wouldn't mind graduating from.