Transfer Advice Forum

[smsooner]

I am a current 1L at a top 20 law school. I want to transfer to preferably SMU or Texas Tech if I cannot get into SMU (for a host of personal and family reasons). I got into both SMU and Texas Tech when I initially applied for admission. I have no clue what the admissions process is for transfer applicants. Does anyone know how well I have to do in my first year to get in as a transfer to a lesser ranked school? Should transferring from a top 20 to SMU or Tech be relatively easy or difficult? Any advice would be appreciated as I've heard it is rather difficult to transfer. Thanks in advance.

[ggocat]

Difficult to tell. I've known people who transferred down, but I don't know what their grades were like. You won't need top grades to transfer down, but you can't scrape the bottom, either. If you have a compelling reason to make the transfer (sounds like you do), then you likely will be able to transfer. Just do as well as you can with 1L grades. You'll have a better idea after grades come back. Your LSAT and GPA and prior acceptances won't make a big difference anymore, I'm guessing. But schools like to accept transfer students because they generate a lot of revenue (they don't get scholarships).

If you can hang out an extra year wherever you are, you could very likely be a visiting student at Tech or SMU (with compelling personal reasons) during your third year (and your current school would be the degree-granting institution).

[burtonrideclub]

Do you mind saying which school you are currently at? Just curious

[smsooner]

I'm at Emory, planning on transferring