My chances of transferring... please help! High T2/Top 5% Forum

[iheartlaw]

Hey guys & gals,

So after patiently waiting for about 7 weeks, I finally have my 1L GPA. I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on what my chances would be at certain schools and if it was worth it for me to apply to certain school.

My overall 1L GPA is 3.9X which puts me just at the top 5% cut off (from last year, since our rankings are not released until August) which was 3.95. This is subject to changing one way or the other, but I roughly stand at the 5% mark. My grades were A, A, A, A-, C+. (I know that C+ kills me =\ ). Our school gives a .333 boost per grade which is why I stand at a 3.9X (out of a possible 4.333 scale).

For sake of getting the best advice I can, I will include my LS institution. I attend Santa Clara University School of Law and am a part-time student. I am taking courses over the summer however, and will have 26 completed units by summers end. My softs include, incoming vice president of two major law associations on campus, as well as successfully starting my own business and working roughly 50 hours a week while attending law school part-time.

I am currently applying to:
- GULC
- UCLA
- USC
- Loyola LA
- UC Hastings

What are my chances at applying to any of these schools?

Also, I wanted to get your guys' opinion on these reach schools (not to say that the other schools are not reaches in and of themselves).

- Cornell
- Northwestern
- Duke
- Penn
- Columbia
- NYU
- Michigan
- Chicago

Further, for some one who hopes to practice in Southern California (LA region), would it be advisable to apply to UT-Austin and Fordham. I am not sure of these schools reach in to the LA market, and would love to hear anyone's input who is knowledgeable about the topic. I would apply to these schools because, although they are not in the region I want to practice in, the school I currently attend is in Northern California and doesn't have the greatest reach in to the LA market either, and it might behoove me to get a degree from a more prestigious school since I am paying sticker at my current law school anyways.

Sorry for the uber long post, but I truly appreciate your guys' time and advice.

Kind regards,
I <3 Law.

[Machine Spirit]

Nice GPA. I'm sort of confused how it can be a 3.92 considering that C+, but I suppose that .333 boost helps considerably.

I can't help much with the first list, but as to your second list (i.e., the "reach schools") you should be warned that most of those have deadlines of July 1st (Columbia is July 15th though, and NYU permits supplements till July 15th), so you need to get started if you're actually legitimately considering applying. Given Santa Clara's ranking though, and considering your status as a part time student, it may be quite difficult to pierce the T14.

However, others likely will be able to comment with far better/experienced advice, so perhaps I'm being too harsh.

Edit: As a side question for future posters, do schools that receive transfer applications take into consideration such GPA boosters? Or do they merely accept the figures verbatim?

[Azmatt]

Bump. Because, now I'm curious.

[iheartlaw]

Machine Spirit - To my understanding although the GPA is important, I think they look to your rank in relation to your colleagues more favorably as an indication of how well one performed. So rank > gpa.

Thanks for the advice. I have all of my stuff ready for the most part. I need to obviously cater my PS to each school if I intend to apply to them, I just want to know my chances at the "reach" schools and the first list of schools. Being a PT student puts me in a strange position with tremendous uncertainty. But I can only hope for the best and expect the worst.

[mardimar]

.

[stinger35]

For what its worth, I am PT at a T2 and have already made it into the t14.

[iheartlaw]

Stinger,

Can I ask what your stats were/rank and which T14 schools you were able to break in to. Thanks in advance.

[GermX]

You'll get into one of those schools for sure.

[iheartlaw]

Thanks GermX. I think I have a decent shot at Loyola LA and UC Hastings, everything else is sort of up in the air for me (in my opinion, though I am hoping for the best). But do you think I have a shot at any of those "reach" schools, particularly UCLA/USC/Cornell/Duke/Northwestern/GULC?

[Lawl Shcool]

dude aim higher. UCLA/USC/etc. are targets for you, not reaches.

edit: just saw OP is PT. I know that changes things because some schools dont accept PT transfers, but still: aim high.

[iheartlaw]

I appreciate the suggestion of aiming high. I think what I have taken from this whole learning experience is that transfer admissions are highly unpredictable. And because of that, I am not sure if I am aiming too high by applying to NYU/Columbia/Chicago. I can only hope that UCLA/USC are targets because they are two school that I would absolutely LOVE to go to. I guess the general consensus is to "apply broadly" (taken from my man AcesandEights) and see what sticks. I hope I can meet the requirements to these schools before the deadlines approach, and that if I can they are willing to accept PT students. I will do some reconnaissance work and figure out which schools accept PT students and which do not, and narrow my list accordingly.

[stinger35]

I appreciate the suggestion of aiming high. I think what I have taken from this whole learning experience is that transfer admissions are highly unpredictable. And because of that, I am not sure if I am aiming too high by applying to NYU/Columbia/Chicago. I can only hope that UCLA/USC are targets because they are two school that I would absolutely LOVE to go to. I guess the general consensus is to "apply broadly" (taken from my man AcesandEights) and see what sticks. I hope I can meet the requirements to these schools before the deadlines approach, and that if I can they are willing to accept PT students. I will do some reconnaissance work and figure out which schools accept PT students and which do not, and narrow my list accordingly.

I applied to NYU and they basically told me to go fuck myself. Just a warning.

[mardimar]

.

[stinger35]

GULC's deadline has passed, and Penn states on its website that they do not accept pt transfers. I believe you need 28 credits by 7/1 and 7/15 to apply to NYU and Columbia respectively.

Columbia will occasionally accept PT'ers I have heard from a personal story. They basically ask for an addendum though if you have less than 28 credits. I think if you can sway them, you can get in. NYU said "firm deadline that cannot be waived" (although in the winter I was told it was not firm and was 27 credits)

[iheartlaw]

I am not shocked to hear what you guys are writing. Many of the schools I spoke to had one policy with different interpretations from different people working in the admissions office. Some stated unit requirements were strict, other people at the same school stated that they weren't. Some schools stated that they accept PT programs, while other people from the same school said that they did not. Truth is, I feel like it is largely a judgment call by the adcoms while reviewing your application. Although I recognize that certain schools do have hard steadfast rules that they do not stray away from. I have heard differing things from admissions people at the same school. I guess when you take out Penn/NYU/Columbia since I do not fulfill their unit requirement, there aren't that many other "reach" schools left for me to apply to.

What was your guys' opinion on applying to Fordham and UT-Austin if you aspire to practice in the LA region. Smart/dumb move? I realize they do not have as much national reach like other schools in the T14, but it may be very well possible that they have greater reach in to LA than my school does from Northern California. I am curious to hear what you guys think. Particularly if anyone goes to one of these schools or is knowledgeable about job prospects in LA from Fordham and UT-Austin.

Thanks!

[dfw1008]

UT obviously gets all the biglaw firms in Texas, and its reach extends beyond Texas however I do not believe it has any strong ties to the LA area. Definitely in the South and Southwest regions, but I do not think it places relatively well on the West Coast mainly because of all the higher ranked schools specifically in CA (USC, UCLA, Berkley, Stanford) that UT grads would have to compete with for jobs in LA. I think you would be at a disadvantage applying as a transfer if you are not a TX resident and don't have any compelling reasons to transfer there- but hey its worth a shot if you want to spend the app fee.

[iheartlaw]

dfw1008- Thanks for the advice on UT! I also received a private pm with regards to Fordham. It seems that much of what you said is true and that UT's reach in to LA is not very strong, and neither is Fordham. Although those are fine institutions, I don't want to end up in NY or TX for 5 years after law school.

Stinger - Can I ask how you have already been admitted at a T14 as a PT student? When i called GULC and UChi to ask if I could apply early action with my first semester grades, they had told me that they don't have enough grades to make a decision on a PT student, and to apply after my 1L. Did you hear something differently?

[UCLAtransfer]

If you end up within the top 5 percent you are definitely not out of line applying well into the T14. I don't know if I saw it on your list, but you should definitely be applying to Berkeley if you would like to attend.

I would be absolutely SHOCKED if you didn't get into UCLA with your school/rank. USC accepts almost nobody for transfer admissions regardless, but if you definitely want SoCal/LA, might as well try...

If you have the money to gamble on app fees, I would apply anywhere in the T14 you would consider attending. Transfer cycles are unpredictable, but I think they are predictable enough to say with some confidence that you have a really good shot at cracking multiple schools in the T14.

Good luck!

[megaTTTron]

If you end up within the top 5 percent you are definitely not out of line applying well into the T14. I don't know if I saw it on your list, but you should definitely be applying to Berkeley if you would like to attend.

I would be absolutely SHOCKED if you didn't get into UCLA with your school/rank. USC accepts almost nobody for transfer admissions regardless, but if you definitely want SoCal/LA, might as well try...

If you have the money to gamble on app fees, I would apply anywhere in the T14 you would consider attending. Transfer cycles are unpredictable, but I think they are predictable enough to say with some confidence that you have a really good shot at cracking multiple schools in the T14.

Good luck!

titcr

[iheartlaw]

UCLATransfer & megaTTTron -

I genuinely hope that this is the case. A shot at any T14 would make me the happiest guy in the world. I am just a bit concerned because I am a PT student, and I feel like having fewer grades for the admissions committee to look at when rendering their decision will put me at a large disadvantage. I do agree with you guys that if I was a FT student, I have a legitimate shot at transferring, it is just factoring PT in to the equation sort of creates more unpredictability. I am going to shower the T14, and see what sticks.

I must say that I am incredibly stressed out from summer school, but your guys' post has given me some great motivation. I hope that an opportunity arises for me to gain admission in to one of my target schools. And I will be certain to post my results, so that other PT students have something to "base" their chances off of. Thanks again for the replies, and UCLATransfer it would make me unbelievably happy to go to UCLA. In fact, it is definitely my TOP choice.

[prosp23]

I was under the impression that USC would not consider applications of students who had not completed the full 1L curriculum and that I would have to wait until next year as a part-time student to apply. Is this incorrect?

Good luck, iheartlaw. I definitely agree that UCLA is a target school for you, not a reach. In general, schools did tell me that being a 1LE puts you at a disadvantage, but it seems like you're competitive even at a disadvantage.

[iheartlaw]

Prosp - No, you are actually correct. USC does only accept students who have completed their first year of course work. They told me to take another year of PT as well, and then apply. But I know that schools like Harvard, Boalt, etc. say the same thing and they have made exceptions in the past. I am just praying that they look favorably at my application and that I am an exception (i know, i know- wishful thinking).

I also was told the same information from UCLA. Bleh. Being PT sucks.

[solidsnake]

I appreciate the suggestion of aiming high. I think what I have taken from this whole learning experience is that transfer admissions are highly unpredictable. And because of that, I am not sure if I am aiming too high by applying to NYU/Columbia/Chicago. I can only hope that UCLA/USC are targets because they are two school that I would absolutely LOVE to go to. I guess the general consensus is to "apply broadly" (taken from my man AcesandEights) and see what sticks. I hope I can meet the requirements to these schools before the deadlines approach, and that if I can they are willing to accept PT students. I will do some reconnaissance work and figure out which schools accept PT students and which do not, and narrow my list accordingly.

I applied to NYU and they basically told me to go fuck myself. Just a warning.

Why? Because you are (were) a PT student?

[megaTTTron]

UCLATransfer & megaTTTron -

I genuinely hope that this is the case. A shot at any T14 would make me the happiest guy in the world. I am just a bit concerned because I am a PT student, and I feel like having fewer grades for the admissions committee to look at when rendering their decision will put me at a large disadvantage. I do agree with you guys that if I was a FT student, I have a legitimate shot at transferring, it is just factoring PT in to the equation sort of creates more unpredictability. I am going to shower the T14, and see what sticks.

I must say that I am incredibly stressed out from summer school, but your guys' post has given me some great motivation. I hope that an opportunity arises for me to gain admission in to one of my target schools. And I will be certain to post my results, so that other PT students have something to "base" their chances off of. Thanks again for the replies, and UCLATransfer it would make me unbelievably happy to go to UCLA. In fact, it is definitely my TOP choice.

Read this (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 22&t=82937) and this (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=118669). Set the stress aside (I know, I know, impossible) and put some effort into your PS(s). Then apply liberally to the top 17 or 18. PT transfer info is even more clouded than FT, which means almost no one knows what's going on. Just go for it.

[stinger35]

I appreciate the suggestion of aiming high. I think what I have taken from this whole learning experience is that transfer admissions are highly unpredictable. And because of that, I am not sure if I am aiming too high by applying to NYU/Columbia/Chicago. I can only hope that UCLA/USC are targets because they are two school that I would absolutely LOVE to go to. I guess the general consensus is to "apply broadly" (taken from my man AcesandEights) and see what sticks. I hope I can meet the requirements to these schools before the deadlines approach, and that if I can they are willing to accept PT students. I will do some reconnaissance work and figure out which schools accept PT students and which do not, and narrow my list accordingly.

I applied to NYU and they basically told me to go fuck myself. Just a warning.

Why? Because you are (were) a PT student?

(were) and yes basically. That being said, they are refunding me the app fee. Pretty cool of them, I guess.