State school or highly ranked LAC? Forum

[jstanz]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to get your input real quick on the following situation: I'm a sophomore at a well-ranked (top 15) LAC in the northeast studying public policy (blend of econ, phil, gov). I transferred here last winter after spending one semester at my local flagship state university.

Do I:

1. Finish my undergrad here where I'll take out about 39k in loans to pay for the prestige of this school, where my GPA is 3.2 (but I'll recover to 3.4-3.5)

or do I:

2. Transfer back to my state school where I'll graduate debt free (maybe even with money in the bank) and finish with a GPA around 3.8-3.9

I project that my LSAT will be around 166-170, based off practice sections I've done and my SAT --> LSAT conversion.

I want to go to BC or BU law with big scholarship money (likely apply to BU ED Binding program)

Does this seem like a super easy objective decision? I think my judgement might be clouded by the fact that I worked super hard to transfer here because I thought that strength of undergrad was a big factor in grad school admissions--silly me.

Thoughts?

[mt2165]

ok a few things wrong here. First, lsac compiles your gpa based on all your UG transcripts, so every semester, no matter what school, will be counted for your lsac gpa. Meaning, unless you think you can't do well at your current school, transferring back does not help you. UG prestige (esp for an LAC) means very little for law school admissions purposes, but that debt is very real so consider that. Also sat to lsat conversions aren't worth shit so make sure to prep really hard and maximize your score.

[jbagelboy]

Undergraduate profile is a huge deal in grad school admissions, just not law school admissions. I recommend sticking with the smaller private college and exploring opportunities outside law, which is a field in sharp decline with very low quality of life. Your new school offers you closer connections to faculty and stronger chance at admission to competitive ph.d/ma programs, post-grad fellowships like fulbright, or entry level positions in consulting and tech.

[alexjinye]

Ask youself: are you 100 percent sure that you want to go to law school and become a lawyer?
If yes, transfer is the way to save money and bump gpa.
If no, stay.

[CanadianWolf]

Depends upon the schools in question & whether or not attending law school is set in stone. If at Hamilton, then it might be worth staying due to their emphasis on writing & success of their graduates; if at Wesleyan, then state school might be the better option due to no debt & higher GPA.

P.S. When you specify Top 15, I assume that it is not a Top 10 LAC.