Stay at Fordham or transfer to Cornell? Forum

[alumniguy]

I am considering a similar transfer (T25 --> T10), and when I visited, even the kids at the T10 kept asking me why I would bother transferring.

I meant law firms...sorry.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.
But won't employers know that I was 5% and on law review when interviewing for Cornell OCI? So, technically all the chances I had at Fordham, I should have at Cornell right?

[holybartender]

Stay at Fordham. You've already secured a job with your grades. The prestige gain is not worth leaving LR and a situation where you have established that you can excel.

[alumniguy]

OP here.
But won't employers know that I was 5% and on law review when interviewing for Cornell OCI? So, technically all the chances I had at Fordham, I should have at Cornell right?

It depends on Cornell's requirements when submitting resumes (some schools don't allow certain kinds of information to be posted on resumes collected for OCI purposes). Either way, you could mass mail resumes with this information if Cornell doesn't allow it, but it just seems a bit striverish to me. Most, if not all, firms will know that in order to transfer to Cornell you had to do extremely well at your initial school and that will be enough. Some firms might decide to not interview transfer students period (I highly doubt this is very probable).

The point here is that top 5% at Fordham is pretty much a homerun. You should talk to Fordham OCI to see which firms interview on campus. You should assume you will have your pick of interviewing at any firm that comes to campus. I would be surprised if all but the most selective firms (I'm thinking Wachtell, maybe Cravath, etc.) don't participate in Fordham's OCI. Moreover, my guess would be that the few firms that don't recruit at Fordham probably wouldn't be interested in interviewing you even if you do transfer to Cornell.

[DrGuano]

OP here.
But won't employers know that I was 5% and on law review when interviewing for Cornell OCI? So, technically all the chances I had at Fordham, I should have at Cornell right?

It depends on Cornell's requirements when submitting resumes (some schools don't allow certain kinds of information to be posted on resumes collected for OCI purposes). Either way, you could mass mail resumes with this information if Cornell doesn't allow it, but it just seems a bit striverish to me. Most, if not all, firms will know that in order to transfer to Cornell you had to do extremely well at your initial school and that will be enough. Some firms might decide to not interview transfer students period (I highly doubt this is very probable).

The point here is that top 5% at Fordham is pretty much a homerun. You should talk to Fordham OCI to see which firms interview on campus. You should assume you will have your pick of interviewing at any firm that comes to campus. I would be surprised if all but the most selective firms (I'm thinking Wachtell, maybe Cravath, etc.) don't participate in Fordham's OCI. Moreover, my guess would be that the few firms that don't recruit at Fordham probably wouldn't be interested in interviewing you even if you do transfer to Cornell.

the only v15 that is not at fordham is (shocker) wachtell. every other firm is at fordham and makes offers to fordham students annually. i'm a top 6%/grade-on lrev that already turned down nyu. its a no-brainer. for cornell, they'd need to offer me some money before i'd even consider making a thread on tls considering a transfer. do some homework man

[spanktheduck]

There is really nothing that Cornell can get you that Top 5% at Fordham cannot. Maybe elite stuff like acadmia or something, but honestly Cornell doesn't really feed into that stuff all that well to warrent the transfer, especially with your school and your grades. I would not transfer and I say tthis as someone at Cornell. And besides, why would you want to move to Ithaca?

[mths]

And besides, why would you want to move to Ithaca?

fucking.seriously

[vanwinkle]

Lots of good advice in this thread already. I don't have too much to add, except to say that any small advantage that does exist is not worth two years in Ithaca, and to address this:

You'll also have to explain at every interview why, when you were already in NYC with Law Review at the top of your class, you gave all of those things up to go to a marginally better school. Absolutely not worth it.

No one is going to ask OP that question.

Everyone could ask OP that question. It's a standard interview question for transfer students. Even if they think it was a smart move, they may still want to hear OP explain it him/herself. And if OP doesn't have a good explanation, it can tank an otherwise positive interview.

[ndirish2010]

And besides, why would you want to move to Ithaca?

fucking.seriously

Because some people like Ithaca? I think it would be a much better place than NYC to spend three years of law school.

[bogart]

If you like small town life then Ithaca is fantastic. Beats durham, ann arbor, and wherever the hell uva is (for me, at least). Comparing it to nyc is apples and oranges and a pointless discussion.

[ToTransferOrNot]

Lots of good advice in this thread already. I don't have too much to add, except to say that any small advantage that does exist is not worth two years in Ithaca, and to address this:

You'll also have to explain at every interview why, when you were already in NYC with Law Review at the top of your class, you gave all of those things up to go to a marginally better school. Absolutely not worth it.

No one is going to ask OP that question.

Everyone could ask OP that question. It's a standard interview question for transfer students. Even if they think it was a smart move, they may still want to hear OP explain it him/herself. And if OP doesn't have a good explanation, it can tank an otherwise positive interview.

+onemillion. Every single interview I have ever had post-transfer - 2L OCI, 3L hiring process, clerkships - the "why did you transfer"/"why did you transfer to Chicago specifically" question has come up.

[ToTransferOrNot]

If you like small town life then Ithaca is fantastic. Beats durham, ann arbor, and wherever the hell uva is (for me, at least). Comparing it to nyc is apples and oranges and a pointless discussion.

lolwtf?

[ndirish2010]

Charlottesville is a great college town. In my opinion, a better one than Ithaca.

[robert85]

Charlottesville is a great college town. In my opinion, a better one than Ithaca.

no

[bogart]

Charlottesville is a great college town. In my opinion, a better one than Ithaca.

That's fair...My point is that to put down cornell because its not in a big city is lame. If OP, or anyone else absolutely has to live in a big city then stick with schools in big cities. Also, I was harsh, charlottesville is a great college town. My personal preference is ithaca, but I'm from the northeast so the other locations are a bit too different for me.

Anyways, it about the OP, and yes, you should stay at fordham in this situation.

[flcath]

Btw, top 5% at Fordham gets you way, way better than Cornell.

Why not Columbia, where, frankly, you're a shoo-in?

[ndirish2010]

Charlottesville is a great college town. In my opinion, a better one than Ithaca.

That's fair...My point is that to put down cornell because its not in a big city is lame. If OP, or anyone else absolutely has to live in a big city then stick with schools in big cities. Also, I was harsh, charlottesville is a great college town. My personal preference is ithaca, but I'm from the northeast so the other locations are a bit too different for me.

Anyways, it about the OP, and yes, you should stay at fordham in this situation.

Agreed. I wasn't putting down Ithaca, I really like it. That being said, I may be the only person alive to be rejected 3 times by Cornell (though two of them were WLs- WL freshman admissions, rejected for transfer UG, reserve LS).

[Anonymous User]

Btw, top 5% at Fordham gets you way, way better than Cornell.

Why not Columbia, where, frankly, you're a shoo-in?

OP here:
I did apply but I'm doubtful. My status checker is still completion pending and they already gave a large number of admits to first wave...
Plus, my GPA is 5% at Fordham, but the number itself is not that high. I would imagine students from other schools much inflated grades looks more attractive. Maybe this is a stupid assumption but yea.

[Eco]

Stay, honestly Cornell is not worth it. Why didn't you try for NYU/Columbia btw?

[fingersxd]

OP, you seem like you really want to transfer. The question I have for you is, "wtf?! why?"

Marginal prestige benefit of Cornell is not worth it given your standing at Fordham will get you BigLaw if you want it and once you are working your law school will matter far less. Plus, you would voluntarily choose to be in Ithaca over NYC? ou must be nuts!

Harvard, yes. I could understand NYU or CLS (and even then I might not do it), but anything 'lower' than that makes no sense.