OC schools: Chapman, La Verne, Whittier, Western State Forum

[123LWoods]

Whittier, Western State, and La Verne are all 4th tier, (now fully) ABA-accredited schools, while Chapman is the only 3rd tier in OC.

I just completed my 1L year at Whittier and am hoping to transfer to Chapman. Anyone know the statistics or likelihood of such an attempt? Grades have just come in and I don't know my ranking yet, but I was wait-listed at Chapman before I decided to just accept the scholarship at Whittier.

In all honestly, my ranking probably won't be that high, my LSAT wasn't great, and my UGPA was a 3.53. I've got a great internship right now, though, and I definitely have some glowing letters of recommendation.

And just a word of warning! Whittier has INSANE grading standards. One Section will always be the hardest. If you're unfortunate enough to be put into the section with the smartest people and the toughest/worst professors-- 4th tier school or not-- it's not going to be an easy year. READ UP ON WHITTIER (and professors) BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO ATTEND! The school makes professors lower the curve, allows professors to give NO "A"s (or above a 3.5), allows, at most, only 10% of the class to get above a 3.3, and you MUST maintain a 2.5+ to be eligible to continue schooling. Most schools have a 2.0 minimum, but at Whittier, You don't get put on "academic warning" or "academic probation" if you fall below a 2.5. Instead, you're automatically dropped any will not be in "good academic standing" so you'll be unable to transfer to another ABA-accredited school.

Let ye be warned!

[JWicker10]

Honestly, I don't think that your job prospects from Chapman would be appreciably better than they are at Whittier. I don't know that it's really worth it to spend the time, effort and especially money since you have a scholarship, to transfer. Just my opinion.

[SwollenMonkey]

Whittier, Western State, and La Verne are all 4th tier, (now fully) ABA-accredited schools, while Chapman is the only 3rd tier in OC.

I just completed my 1L year at Whittier and am hoping to transfer to Chapman. Anyone know the statistics or likelihood of such an attempt? Grades have just come in and I don't know my ranking yet, but I was wait-listed at Chapman before I decided to just accept the scholarship at Whittier.

In all honestly, my ranking probably won't be that high, my LSAT wasn't great, and my UGPA was a 3.53. I've got a great internship right now, though, and I definitely have some glowing letters of recommendation.

And just a word of warning! Whittier has INSANE grading standards. One Section will always be the hardest. If you're unfortunate enough to be put into the section with the smartest people and the toughest/worst professors-- 4th tier school or not-- it's not going to be an easy year. READ UP ON WHITTIER (and professors) BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO ATTEND! The school makes professors lower the curve, allows professors to give NO "A"s (or above a 3.5), allows, at most, only 10% of the class to get above a 3.3, and you MUST maintain a 2.5+ to be eligible to continue schooling. Most schools have a 2.0 minimum, but at Whittier, You don't get put on "academic warning" or "academic probation" if you fall below a 2.5. Instead, you're automatically dropped any will not be in "good academic standing" so you'll be unable to transfer to another ABA-accredited school.

Let ye be warned!

When you say that "Whittier allows professors to give no A grades", what exactly do you mean? Can you elaborate on this and your experience at Whittier Law School? Where do you live? How far are you from campus?

[123LWoods]

Chapman, apparently, has gone from 3rd tier to 1st (or 2nd, really), so it is the highest-ranked school in OC. It's currently shares Rank 93 w/ several other schools.

Whittier implemented a whole new system starting last year. For starters, they went from the 100-point scale to the 4.0 scale. Theoretically, that shouldn't have a huge impact on grading, but there is some.

The handbook goes into full detail about what the "new" standards are, but as for what I was referring to, it is stated in the handbook that 1L professors and certain upper-division course professors are allowed to submit final grades w/o awarding any "A" grades. Some professors are known for not giving above a 3.5 (or rarely above a 3.3). Also, if a professor decides they would like to award "A" grades to their class(es), only a small percentage (something like 10%) is allowed to curb the curve.

I'm not bad-mouthing the school. Some students, even some in the top % (who do not wish to transfer out), are completely happy w/ the guidelines and the school, as a whole.

Personally, I prefer a school that values student successes over certain reputation rankings.