Top Law Schools

Not sure I want to leave my current school, but I'd like to have options. Think Tulane/UH/SMU. I'm from the east coast, so GTown is appealing to me. I've always liked the school for some reason, and all of my legal/business contacts are in NYC.

So, chance me. I know transfers are a craps shoot, so I'm not looking for anything concrete. FWIW, I'd like to have Gtown ED in my pocket with my 1st semester grades in case something unexpected happens next May.

Finished this semester with all A-s. That's good for 3.67 and traditionally has fallen in the top 3%-4% range. Top 5% cutoff has usually sat around 3.62 or so.

So, what are my chances? Strong at Gtown? Anywhere else I should shoot?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

IIRC several people got GULC ED last year with top 5% from T2 (prepare for 80-page thread):
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=107336

It's also worth preparing an app for NYU and CLS. You will at least have a shot if you maintain or improve second semester.

Top 5% from SMU, Tulane or Houston should get serious attention from most top 15 law schools. And, if you prefer to work outside of Texas, it should be a move that you consider.

It's worth noting that I'm also paying sticker right now. I have to think I'll get offered some money to stay (assuming my grades remain strong), but I'd only be paying marginally more at other schools.

I'm probably going to use this thread to sort out the pros and cons of staying and going, so I'll be interested in any input to that regard.

Your grades are good enough, but GULC EA is a total crapshoot.

I'm curious about your schools grading policy. I'm in a very similar situation but attend a slightly lower-ranked T2 on the east coast.

At my school, no more than the top 10% can get A, no more than 15% A-, and the median must fall between 3.0 and 3.3 for the substantive classes. I think this is fairly typical, but I know other schools have stricter rules on As (ie 5%).

Is your curve much different? I'm trying to get a rough estimate of my own class rank since my school doesn't release that info till the summer. My GPA is 3.82, but I estimate my class rank slightly lower than the numbers you posted, maybe top 5-7%. I was encouraged via PM to apply to GULC early and most other T14 schools other than HYS.

Also if you are actually top 3-4% at your school, you should be able to leverage an acceptance at GULC or Texas for example into more than just "some money." I would think half tuition would be the minimum. Only a full ride should make you consider staying, IMO. (Although tact is very important when dealing with scholarships, as some admissions officers have told me than anything perceived as an ultimatum is very insulting/ineffective).

From what I've gathered in my own research, you should be a dead lock for Texas and a decent shot at GULC early, with a lesser but reasonable chance at anywhere else in the T14 in the summer (probably exclusive of HYS).

Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback.

Our school releases a listing of where the different cutoffs fall each year, so I'm working with a 4-year sample. They aim for a median right at 3.1 and usually it sits just above that (think 3.15 at highest). We do have a set number of As, A-s, B+s, etc. that can be given out by each professor. This was done in response to a situation where some professors would curve to the 3.1 by giving out a disproportionate number of As and Cs. By all indications, this policy is in place to bring the median back as close to a 3.1 as possible.

Your school may be different - we aren't "ranked" at the half-way point, per se, but the four years of documentation gives a pretty good indication of where students stand.

I will likely apply to UT, GTownEA, and a host of other T14 options (if my grades remain top-shelf). Given my sticker-paying for this year, I would definitely need a lot of help from my current school to consider staying if other options were on the table.

The fact that your school does not rank at the mid-year point, in and of itself, harms your chances at GULC EA.

Vronsky wrote:Also if you are actually top 3-4% at your school, you should be able to leverage an acceptance at GULC or Texas for example into more than just "some money." I would think half tuition would be the minimum.

Be aware that not all schools do this. My old school didn't give two shits when I notified them of acceptances.

concurrent fork wrote:

Vronsky wrote:Also if you are actually top 3-4% at your school, you should be able to leverage an acceptance at GULC or Texas for example into more than just "some money." I would think half tuition would be the minimum.

Be aware that not all schools do this. My old school didn't give two shits when I notified them of acceptances.

This. Plus, Texas is almost assuredly not going to admit you without a very, very compelling reason to transfer (think sick family in the area, accepted an internship with the Texas Supreme Court, etc.).

patrickd139 wrote:

concurrent fork wrote:

Vronsky wrote:Also if you are actually top 3-4% at your school, you should be able to leverage an acceptance at GULC or Texas for example into more than just "some money." I would think half tuition would be the minimum.

Be aware that not all schools do this. My old school didn't give two shits when I notified them of acceptances.

This. Plus, Texas is almost assuredly not going to admit you without a very, very compelling reason to transfer (think sick family in the area, accepted an internship with the Texas Supreme Court, etc.).

Why would Texas be so unlikely to accept a top 5% transfer from a borderline T1/T2 school? Because it's a state school?

Vronsky wrote:Why would Texas be so unlikely to accept a top 5% transfer from a borderline T1/T2 school? Because it's a state school?

I think UT admits very few transfer students to begin with.

bk187 wrote:

Vronsky wrote:Why would Texas be so unlikely to accept a top 5% transfer from a borderline T1/T2 school? Because it's a state school?

I think UT admits very few transfer students to begin with.

Not sure why, but this has historically been the way they've operated. Every year there are people (myself included) who get T14 transfer acceptances and are dinged at Texas. Not saying it can't be done, but that you shouldn't bank on killing it at SMU and transferring to Texas, no matter where you are in terms of class rank.

GULC EA is very tricky and a total crap (b?) shoot. I would say 50/50. Nobody gets denied but only a few get in, everyone else gets "deferred." I never waited for the RD response.