Top Law Schools

I have a 178 LSAT and 2.7 gpa. UG transcript gpa is 3.6, but that gpa is irrelevant of course as not the ones law schools use. A few years back I remember seeing that splitters like this had a shot at Georgetown or Northwestern if they have WE. Not sure now if those splitters can still land a top 14.

1). If you want to practice in NYC, would it make more sense to attend a top 30 law school like Fordham with the possibility of transferring to NYU, if you do well 1L? Then go to a top 20 in a different state then you want to practice?
2). What 1l class rank would a prospective transfer need to be to transfer to NYU? Top 25%, 10%, or 5%?
3). Can transfer students take the same 2L and 3L elective courses/courses that straight admits do? their class options arent different right

lawschoolsplit2023 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 30, 2023 7:39 pm

I have a 178 LSAT and 2.7 gpa. UG transcript gpa is 3.6, but that gpa is irrelevant of course as not the ones law schools use. A few years back I remember seeing that splitters like this had a shot at Georgetown or Northwestern if they have WE. Not sure now if those splitters can still land a top 14.

1). If you want to practice in NYC, would it make more sense to attend a top 30 law school like Fordham with the possibility of transferring to NYU, if you do well 1L? Then go to a top 20 in a different state then you want to practice?
2). What 1l class rank would a prospective transfer need to be to transfer to NYU? Top 25%, 10%, or 5%?
3). Can transfer students take the same 2L and 3L elective courses/courses that straight admits do? their class options arent different right

1. If you want NYC biglaw or a federal clerkship in NYC or something like that, It would make more sense to go to a Top 20 (preferably Top 14) school in a different state rather than Fordham. (People from all the top schools regularly go to NYC, so it's not weird or anything like that.) However, if you want to be a local NYC prosecutor or PD or something like that for which local ties are more important than school pedigree, then go to Fordham.

2. My impression is that Top 5% after 1L at Fordham makes you a strong candidate for NYU transfer, and that Top 10% at Fordham makes you a decent candidate for NYU transfer. But that's really just speculation based on a couple Fordham transfers I know.

3. Yes, transfer students can take the same 2L and 3L elective courses and non-transfers do. At NYU, there are mandatory classes that you have to take during 2L or 3L if you don't take them during 1L (like Con Law and Property). So, with that qualification, the answer to your third question is yes.

1. If you do well enough to transfer from Fordham, you'll probably have done well enough to get biglaw from Fordham.
2. Never go to a school if you won't be happy with the median outcome. Never go with the intent of transferring.
3. If you can get into a T14, go there over a T20 or Fordham.

Don't matriculate to a school you wouldn't want to graduate from.

Yes, you can transfer to NYU from Fordham, but if you're performing well enough to have that chance, you're already in the part of the class at Fordham that has the best job opportunities. And you can't predict your law school performance in advance.