Transfers of 2014: A TLS Retrospective Look at Transferring Forum

[Manteca]

bumping this thread in case 1L's have transfer related questions they wanna get out now that grades are trickling in (although only one semester's worth)

Um hello help me plz.

Ask away

I guess you kind of answered it for scotti but I was wondering when we should start getting our application materials together. Also, out of curiousity, is it ever worth it to ED transfer or not?

[Nebby]

Well there is only one ED--Chicago. It's worth it if you would go there over anywhere else.

[DoveBodyWash]

Well there is only one ED--Chicago. It's worth it if you would go there over anywhere else.

I personally wouldn't ED. It's not significantly earlier as far as finding out your results. And let's say u get in ED with your fall grades and then ur grades drop in spring, it changes the equation cuz now, despite going to Chicago, your less marketable at OCI. If your grades stay same or go up, you'd get in via RD anyway. I don't think there's any advantage to ED, especially cuz I don't think it's necessarily easier to get in. It's mostly meant to lock kids down who would probably get onto HS.

[lhanvt13]

Well there is only one ED--Chicago. It's worth it if you would go there over anywhere else.

I personally wouldn't ED. It's not significantly earlier as far as finding out your results. And let's say u get in ED with your fall grades and then ur grades drop in spring, it changes the equation cuz now, despite going to Chicago, your less marketable at OCI. If your grades stay same or go up, you'd get in via RD anyway. I don't think there's any advantage to ED, especially cuz I don't think it's necessarily easier to get in. It's mostly meant to lock kids down who would probably get onto HS.

^ trust this guy. His "should I ED" nagging lasted ~ 6 months

[MagicMike80]

I wouldn't do ED because only a few schools do it and you're likely to have a wider array of options than just those schools.

If you have a professor whose class you killed first term (and if you're considering transferring you must have such a person), you could ask them for a recommendation letter. Otherwise, you don't need to do much besides focus on your grades. There is more than enough time after final exams but before summer jobs start to fill out all your forms, etc.

I would also say here that I don't know if there should actually be a big rush to get applications in as soon as possible. I don't know if schools actually start looking at them before the 6/15 deadlines.

Also, on the grade front, only have one back but it's my best yet. No fear.

[Jloubriel26]

Ended Up ranking into the top 10% at school. Now I have to keep it up for the spring semester.

Good Luck to all Transfers

[Nebby]

Ended Up ranking into the top 10% at school. Now I have to keep it up for the spring semester.

Good Luck to all Transfers

Congrats dude!

Grades are back finally. 3.5, but I can't find what the median is so I don't know how that stacks up. Still happy nonetheless. I also learned that, if you're taking an international law class and over half of the students are LLM students with international practice experience, then expect median LOL.

[TheNextAmendment]

Ended Up ranking into the top 10% at school. Now I have to keep it up for the spring semester.

Good Luck to all Transfers

Congrats dude!

Grades are back finally. 3.5, but I can't find what the median is so I don't know how that stacks up. Still happy nonetheless. I also learned that, if you're taking an international law class and over half of the students are LLM students with international practice experience, then expect median LOL.

Haha. Glad I dropped International Law in September on that basis alone.

[toothbrush]

Ended Up ranking into the top 10% at school. Now I have to keep it up for the spring semester.

Good Luck to all Transfers

Congrats dude!

Grades are back finally. 3.5, but I can't find what the median is so I don't know how that stacks up. Still happy nonetheless. I also learned that, if you're taking an international law class and over half of the students are LLM students with international practice experience, then expect median LOL.

Which int'l law class did you take?

Also, median is purportedly B+ so 3.33; Stone is a 3.41 so you're on pace for that. Maybe 2L median is really closer to Stone... who knows.

[butlerraider1]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

[DoveBodyWash]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

do you have specific questions/concerns? Might be easier to provide anecdotes in response to something more specific

[butlerraider1]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

do you have specific questions/concerns? Might be easier to provide anecdotes in response to something more specific

Well, I'm mostly interested in hearing from people that gave up a scholarship from a lower ranked school to transfer and whether they now regret it or not.

[DoveBodyWash]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

do you have specific questions/concerns? Might be easier to provide anecdotes in response to something more specific

Well, I'm mostly interested in hearing from people that gave up a scholarship from a lower ranked school to transfer and whether they now regret it or not.

Tough question cuz my answer will change depending what stage i'm in. I haven't started repayment yet. If you were to ask me this during a stressful time at the firm while I'm just starting repayment, I'd probably question the decision a little more than I would if you were to ask me this down the road when I'm more established and i'm further along with repayment.

For right now I don't regret it. The net financial effect of transferring was that I was basically attending the new school on a 1/3 scholarship since my first year of tuition was free at my T20. I would have come to this school with that financial package as an 0L so it was easier for me to make the jump.

Had close friends at my T20, have great friends here, most of whom are non-transfers. So lets call the friend factor a wash. Career prospects here are much much better for every market. Wouldn't have gotten my offer if i hadn't transferred since the firm didn't preselect me during OCI at my T20. Since career prospects are better for everyone, the environment is more laid-back and less stressful.

Students here make their decisions based on what they want to do, what they enjoy, etc... At my T20 it was all about accumulating as many accomplishments as possible. Simple example, students here don't do Moot Court unless they want to. There are people who could have graded-on to law review but chose not to cuz it's a lot of work and they're not interested in litigating or clerking or whatever etc...At my T20, it didn't matter what your interests were, you did things (e.g. participate in journal, competitions, etc..) because those things increased your odds of getting a job. Grades/exams here are comparatively relaxed as well. Median here means 160k. Median at my T20 meant you had to start falling in love with public interest work.

[Nebby]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

do you have specific questions/concerns? Might be easier to provide anecdotes in response to something more specific

Well, I'm mostly interested in hearing from people that gave up a scholarship from a lower ranked school to transfer and whether they now regret it or not.

What do you want to do? What is your scholarship? What is your school rank? What's your 1L GPA or rank or percentile?

[butlerraider1]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

do you have specific questions/concerns? Might be easier to provide anecdotes in response to something more specific

Well, I'm mostly interested in hearing from people that gave up a scholarship from a lower ranked school to transfer and whether they now regret it or not.

Tough question cuz my answer will change depending what stage i'm in. I haven't started repayment yet. If you were to ask me this during a stressful time at the firm while I'm just starting repayment, I'd probably question the decision a little more than I would if you were to ask me this down the road when I'm more established and i'm further along with repayment.

For right now I don't regret it. The net financial effect of transferring was that I was basically attending the new school on a 1/3 scholarship since my first year of tuition was free at my T20. I would have come to this school with that financial package as an 0L so it was easier for me to make the jump.

Had close friends at my T20, have great friends here, most of whom are non-transfers. So lets call the friend factor a wash. Career prospects here are much much better for every market. Wouldn't have gotten my offer if i hadn't transferred since the firm didn't preselect me during OCI at my T20. Since career prospects are better for everyone, the environment is more laid-back and less stressful.

Students here make their decisions based on what they want to do, what they enjoy, etc... At my T20 it was all about accumulating as many accomplishments as possible. Simple example, students here don't do Moot Court unless they want to. There are people who could have graded-on to law review but chose not to cuz it's a lot of work and they're not interested in litigating or clerking or whatever etc...At my T20, it didn't matter what your interests were, you did things (e.g. participate in journal, competitions, etc..) because those things increased your odds of getting a job. Grades/exams here are comparatively relaxed as well. Median here means 160k. Median at my T20 meant you had to start falling in love with public interest work.

Very insightful and helpful post. Thanks a lot.

[butlerraider1]

Bumping this as someone considering transferring. Any more anecdotes?

do you have specific questions/concerns? Might be easier to provide anecdotes in response to something more specific

Well, I'm mostly interested in hearing from people that gave up a scholarship from a lower ranked school to transfer and whether they now regret it or not.

What do you want to do? What is your scholarship? What is your school rank? What's your 1L GPA or rank or percentile?

Scholarship: Full tuition
School rank: Tier 3 (but not in a saturated market, i.e. it has a good LST score for a tier 3)
1L Rank: top 1% as of now
I came to law school with modest goals (like working for as an ADA or in a small firm in my hometown) that's why I chose the school I did, but now, after receiving my grades, I think I want to work for a firm for a few years than maybe the USAO. Possibly clerk too.

[Nebby]

Transfer to T14.

[rpupkin]

Scholarship: Full tuition
School rank: Tier 3 (but not in a saturated market, i.e. it has a good LST score for a tier 3)
1L Rank: top 1% as of now
I came to law school with modest goals (like working for as an ADA or in a small firm in my hometown) that's why I chose the school I did, but now, after receiving my grades, I think I want to work for a firm for a few years than maybe the USAO. Possibly clerk too.

You left out a key piece of info: Do you want to work in the market in which your current law school is located? If yes, you probably should stay at your current school with a full tuition scholarship.

[zosluu]

Any advice?

TTT Top8% URM
Very strong resume, locked up a federal judicial internship also but also have Capitol Hill experience. Want DC, LA, NY, Chi..pretty much any of the big cities

[butlerraider1]

Scholarship: Full tuition
School rank: Tier 3 (but not in a saturated market, i.e. it has a good LST score for a tier 3)
1L Rank: top 1% as of now
I came to law school with modest goals (like working for as an ADA or in a small firm in my hometown) that's why I chose the school I did, but now, after receiving my grades, I think I want to work for a firm for a few years than maybe the USAO. Possibly clerk too.

You left out a key piece of info: Do you want to work in the market in which your current law school is located? If yes, you probably should stay at your current school with a full tuition scholarship.

The answer to this is yes, which is making the decision so tough.

[rpupkin]

Scholarship: Full tuition
School rank: Tier 3 (but not in a saturated market, i.e. it has a good LST score for a tier 3)
1L Rank: top 1% as of now
I came to law school with modest goals (like working for as an ADA or in a small firm in my hometown) that's why I chose the school I did, but now, after receiving my grades, I think I want to work for a firm for a few years than maybe the USAO. Possibly clerk too.

You left out a key piece of info: Do you want to work in the market in which your current law school is located? If yes, you probably should stay at your current school with a full tuition scholarship.

The answer to this is yes, which is making the decision so tough.

I'd stay. Not worth going into all that debt for the chance of a slightly better outcome.

[irish921]

I'll bite for anecdotes.

Top 10% at T30 after 1L. Applied to transfer. Had the opportunity to leave for T6. Decided to stay, keep Law Review, and keep my scholly. It was definitely a risk, but a calculated one. Ended up getting biglaw (my goal) and saved myself tons of money by staying.

On the other hand, I also know someone in my situation who decided to stay and struck out. No LR. If you don't care about dat prestttige, then do your own risk assessment on your options. TLS would have told me to transfer. I stayed. Wanna be safe? Transfer and never look back.

[DoveBodyWash]

You left out a key piece of info: Do you want to work in the market in which your current law school is located? If yes, you probably should stay at your current school with a full tuition scholarship.

The answer to this is yes, which is making the decision so tough.

I'd stay. Not worth going into all that debt for the chance of a slightly better outcome.

Do you mind telling us which market? Or giving us some idea on your school's placement in that market?

Any advice?

TTT Top8% URM
Very strong resume, locked up a federal judicial internship also but also have Capitol Hill experience. Want DC, LA, NY, Chi..pretty much any of the big cities

Do you want just any BigLaw? How specific are your goals? I'm not sure how much your 1L judicial internship will help you as far as 2L summer jobs.

[zosluu]

You left out a key piece of info: Do you want to work in the market in which your current law school is located? If yes, you probably should stay at your current school with a full tuition scholarship.

The answer to this is yes, which is making the decision so tough.

I'd stay. Not worth going into all that debt for the chance of a slightly better outcome.

Do you mind telling us which market? Or giving us some idea on your school's placement in that market?

Any advice?

TTT Top8% URM
Very strong resume, locked up a federal judicial internship also but also have Capitol Hill experience. Want DC, LA, NY, Chi..pretty much any of the big cities

Do you want just any BigLaw? How specific are your goals? I'm not sure how much your 1L judicial internship will help you as far as 2L summer jobs.

I'm patent bar eligible so I'm def thinking IP. Big Law is the goal but I wouldn't mind working at a mid sized firm. The judge I'll be working for says she will give me projects on any IP related matter this summer.

[DoveBodyWash]

I'm patent bar eligible so I'm def thinking IP. Big Law is the goal but I wouldn't mind working at a mid sized firm. The judge I'll be working for says she will give me projects on any IP related matter this summer.

Apply to transfer and participate in the Loyola IP fair in the summer. By the time you have to make a final transfer decision you'll have (or not have) callbacks/offers from the patent fair and you'll have a better idea of how much or little you'll gain from transferring