T14 Transfers from T3 Schools Forum

[mjackw506]

I just finished my first semester at a T3 school. From what I can tell based on talking to 2L's, my GPA puts me in the top 8 or so students in a fairly large law school (upwards of 250 full time day students per year). I have a very small scholarship from the state, but no grants or scholarships from the University. I am wondering if it is worth transferring to any school outside of the T14?

I know people get into GULC from my school regularly with my GPA (3.76), but the debt for another two years is a huge turn off, especially if I was offered a scholarship to stay here. I know the traditional advice is to go the the best school possible, but aren't my chances of landing a decent job just as high if I am top of the class at a T3 or T2 than if I were the middle of the class at a T14?

Also, I have no desire to work a big law job in DC or NYC, I just want to work a "Big Law" job in the city my school is in, which my school places well in.

(my school is projected to rise in the next few years to ~80-95, not that this really matters a whole lot)

Any insight, including comments of how I should read the other forums (I've read them all) are welcome.

Thanks!

[BrownBears09]

If you want to stay, parlay that ranking into scholly money from your school imo.

[patrickd139]

Valid inquiry, for sure. I turned down a few transfer acceptances (incl. T14) to stay at my T2 solely because of the astronomical increase in cost.

Is your school the flagship law school in your market? How big is your scholarship right now? Is there any way you can get more merit-based aid from your current school?

[mjackw506]

My school isn't the flagship school, but the flagship school in my city sends a lot of it's grads to work in DC (just down the road). This leaves the legal market in my city largely to graduates of my school (which is much larger than the flagship), and then grads of T14 schools to snag a good portion of the Big Law jobs. My scholarship is only about 10% of tuition, and that's excluding costs of living. This scholarship is also through the state I live in, and not the school.

That said, I have heard that students ahead of me were able to approach the dean with the proposition of leaving and were awarded some scholarship money to stay. My dilemma is how much is enough to stay and how much is too little to for-go the opportunity to attend a T14? I think that I should be awarded some grants next year as the median grant amount is 10k per student. My guess is they keep this away from 1L's who they are afraid might take that money and then run away to another school, and only dish it out once people decide to stay. I'm not sure if this is accurate, just me trying to make sense of why no one in my year has a large grant but our school average is one of the largest in the country.

Any ideas on whether grants or merit based aid opens up after 1L?

[random5483]

I would sacrifice 1L grades and full tuition scholarship to attend a T14 at sticker if I were attending a T3/T4. I would be less inclined to leave a T3 or T4 for a T1 if the difference was a full scholarship v. sticker price. The decision gets a lot murkier if you are attending a good T2 or T1 school.


Personally if I were attending a T3 I would apply to T1s and T14 schools. If you get into any of these schools you might be able to negotiate an increased scholarship (or maybe a full tuition scholarship). At that point you are much better armed to make a decision on whether or not you plan on transferring.

[XxSpyKEx]

If your school partakes in this scholarship negotation crap that I hear so much about with respect to lower ranking school, then you might as well just apply to GULC ED for now, and then within the t30 generally after 2nd semester's grades are up. If nothing else you can use your highest acceptance to leaverage a larger scholarship your next 2 years. You'll have plenty or time to worry about whether you should actually transfer or not nearly a half a year from now (but you might as well apply, assuming your school does scholarship negotiations after 1L).

[mjackw506]

Thanks all, I think for now I am going to take your advice and apply to some big name schools. I appreciate all the input.