Can you transfer as a 2L? Forum

[thexfactor]

My friend just made a joke about transferring again after you get your 2l grades. It got me very curious ...can you transfer two times? after you get 2l grades and just do another 2 years of law school?

I donno if this question has been asked.

[patrickd139]

As I understand it, hours requirements cut three ways for transferees: you must have a certain number of hours completed to weed out PT students; you can't have too many to assure that the school can still make money off you when they blast you with full tuition; and you can't have too many to ensure a 2L remains a 2L for OCI purposes, etc. (hence the distinction between a visiting and transfer student).

Tell your "friend" to call and check it out at the school s/he wants to transfer to as a 2L?

[vanwinkle]

You can apply as a 3L to be a "visiting" student to another school for your 3L year. You don't receive a degree from that school but you get to attend classes there, possibly work for professors or contribute to their student journals... I can see the possible appeal.

However, most transfer students are required to complete a minimum number of hours at their new school that basically constitutes two full years of credits earned there. Thus I don't think you could be a transfer and then also a "visiting" student to a third school. You either do {1L},{2L-3L} or {1L,2L},{3L}.

In other words, you're going to be enrolled for two years somewhere.

[09042014]

I think what OP is asking is that can he transfer after his 2L year and effectively redo 2L and 3L at the new school.

It also appears he already transferred once and is looking to transfer up again.

This seems no possible and extremely retarded. My apologies if I misunderstood but the OP is hard to read.

[vanwinkle]

I think what OP is asking is that can he transfer after his 2L year and effectively redo 2L and 3L at the new school.

It also appears he already transferred once and is looking to transfer up again.

This seems no possible and extremely retarded. My apologies if I misunderstood but the OP is hard to read.

I thought that at first but then I went "no, that's just too dumb a question to ask, lemme assume he didn't mean that".

Now that I've gone back and looked again, you're right. It was that dumb.

[09042014]

I think what OP is asking is that can he transfer after his 2L year and effectively redo 2L and 3L at the new school.

It also appears he already transferred once and is looking to transfer up again.

This seems no possible and extremely retarded. My apologies if I misunderstood but the OP is hard to read.

I thought that at first but then I went "no, that's just too dumb a question to ask, lemme assume he didn't mean that".

Now that I've gone back and looked again, you're right. It was that dumb.

Dumb or genius! He'll show you when he rubs his Yale Class of 2020 diploma in your face. What's 500K in debt when you are a Yalie?

[dcpolitico]

Yes, it is possible but would most likely involve forfeiting about 20 credit hours. I would like to open this to a serious cost-benefit debate.

Is it worth it to transfer to Yale if you are already top 1% as a 2L at a T14. And, would that justify forfeiting $40k in tuition. How would you explain this to an employer who's already offered you a summer associateship that you accepted? How do you explain to the law review that you can't be editor-in-chief (or w/e position you accepted) because you are transfering again?

If you can persuasively answer these questions, then I will offer research that explains how it's possible to double transfer.

P.S. Considering the almighty thexfactor posted this, I am tempted to call shenanigans. In fact, this is probably a flame, and I have been duped into taking the bait.

[thexfactor]

Yes, it is possible but would most likely involve forfeiting about 20 credit hours. I would like to open this to a serious cost-benefit debate.

Is it worth it to transfer to Yale if you are already top 1% as a 2L at a T14. And, would that justify forfeiting $40k in tuition. How would you explain this to an employer who's already offered you a summer associateship that you accepted? How do you explain to the law review that you can't be editor-in-chief (or w/e position you accepted) because you are transfering again?

If you can persuasively answer these questions, then I will offer research that explains how it's possible to double transfer.

P.S. Considering the almighty thexfactor posted this, I am tempted to call shenanigans. In fact, this is probably a flame, and I have been duped into taking the bait.

I am just curious whether this can actually be done. not actually going to go through with it.

[concurrent fork]

I really doubt that a school worth transferring to would let you do this. Many state on their websites that you may only transfer to begin your second year. Even if it is technically possible:

1. At least some T14s (CLS comes to mind) explicitly require an addendum explaining why you have earned more than a maximum number of credit hours. "Because I already did 2L" is probably not convincing to an adcomm.
2. If you somehow were allowed to participate in OCI, employers will look at you cross-eyed when you hand them a resume with 3 law schools listed.
3. Absorbing 4 years of tuition, including what must be at least 3 years of sticker price (barring need-based aid), is a poor financial decision IMO.

[owlfredo]

Just to bump, but I'm a 2L who is actually going to attempt a 2L transfer (transferring after two years at one school, completing two at another). If anyone has more experience/anecdotes, please do share. I'll be willing to start a thread this summer to reveal how my attempt pans out.

[vanwinkle]

Just to bump, but I'm a 2L who is actually going to attempt this (transferring after two years at one school, completing two at another). If anyone has more experience/anecdotes, please do share. I'll be willing to start a thread this summer to reveal how my attempt pans out.

Trying to explain this to employers should be entertaining. Please videotape your interviews and post them on YouTube. (If you lack video recording equipment, a transcript run through xtranormal should suffice.)

[Renzo]

Just to bump, but I'm a 2L who is actually going to attempt this (transferring after two years at one school, completing two at another). If anyone has more experience/anecdotes, please do share. I'll be willing to start a thread this summer to reveal how my attempt pans out.

Trying to explain this to employers should be entertaining. Please videotape your interviews and post them on YouTube. (If you lack video recording equipment, a transcript run through xtranormal should suffice.)

Only one way to explain it: own your prestige whoring. "Yes, I spent an extra $45,000 and a year of my life because my old school wasn't prestigious enough for me. What about it."

[zomginternets]

This could be possible if you have some extremely compelling reason.. i.e. dying parent.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg transferred from Harvard to Columbia her third year, so it's not a totally out of the question, but you gotta really play your cards right to make it work out for you. (Unsure if she got a harvard degree or a columbia degree, and also unsure if ABA rules regarding transfers have changed since then.)

If you're just straight prestige whoring then I really don't think it'll work.

[bellamy]

This could be possible if you have some extremely compelling reason.. i.e. dying parent.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg transferred from Harvard to Columbia her third year, so it's not a totally out of the question, but you gotta really play your cards right to make it work out for you. (Unsure if she got a harvard degree or a columbia degree, and also unsure if ABA rules regarding transfers have changed since then.)

If you're just straight prestige whoring then I really don't think it'll work.

Interestingly she received her LLB from Columbia

[Renzo]

This could be possible if you have some extremely compelling reason.. i.e. dying parent.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg transferred from Harvard to Columbia her third year, so it's not a totally out of the question, but you gotta really play your cards right to make it work out for you. (Unsure if she got a harvard degree or a columbia degree, and also unsure if ABA rules regarding transfers have changed since then.)

That was an LLB, not a JD--a lot's changed since then. And I believe she went part-time or took time off because her husband was ill at some point in her legal education.

[patrickd139]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg also did a few other things in her life and legal career that we probably should disregard as "possible" for the rest of us.

[Renzo]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg also did a few other things in her life and legal career that we probably should disregard as "possible" for the rest of us.

[AreJay711]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg also did a few other things in her life and legal career that we probably should disregard as "possible" for the rest of us.

Nuh-uh. I'm the most specialist snowflake of them all.

[dr123]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has a degree from Princeton Law, no joke.

[missinglink]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has a degree from Princeton Law, no joke.

One of the few that can claim to have a law degree from Princeton.

I always tell people that my dream law school was Princeton. Most people outside the legal field think Princeton has a law school.

[run26.2]

This could be possible if you have some extremely compelling reason.. i.e. dying parent.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg transferred from Harvard to Columbia her third year, so it's not a totally out of the question, but you gotta really play your cards right to make it work out for you. (Unsure if she got a harvard degree or a columbia degree, and also unsure if ABA rules regarding transfers have changed since then.)

If you're just straight prestige whoring then I really don't think it'll work.

Interestingly she received her LLB from Columbia

I heard her tell the story of this one time. She actually asked Harvard if they would grant her the degree even though she would attend her third year at Columbia. They said that to get a Harvard degree, the third year had to be spent at Harvard. She transferred.

Years later she was nominated to the Supreme Court. Harvard contacted her and informed her that they wanted to award her a law degree. She thanked them kindly and said she was happy with her Columbia degree.

[3ThrowAway99]

This could be possible if you have some extremely compelling reason.. i.e. dying parent.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg transferred from Harvard to Columbia her third year, so it's not a totally out of the question, but you gotta really play your cards right to make it work out for you. (Unsure if she got a harvard degree or a columbia degree, and also unsure if ABA rules regarding transfers have changed since then.)

If you're just straight prestige whoring then I really don't think it'll work.

Interestingly she received her LLB from Columbia

I heard her tell the story of this one time. She actually asked Harvard if they would grant her the degree even though she would attend her third year at Columbia. They said that to get a Harvard degree, the third year had to be spent at Harvard. She transferred.

Years later she was nominated to the Supreme Court. Harvard contacted her and informed her that they wanted to award her a law degree. She thanked them kindly and said she was happy with her Columbia degree.

[PDaddy]

Just to bump, but I'm a 2L who is actually going to attempt a 2L transfer (transferring after two years at one school, completing two at another). If anyone has more experience/anecdotes, please do share. I'll be willing to start a thread this summer to reveal how my attempt pans out.

For argument's sake, I would suspect that if there was some sort of "hardship" situation, one might be able to get this done.

What if one needed to transfer for geographic reasons to be near a sick parent? One could certainly argue that one would not want to drop down in quality of school and shouldn't be compelled to. Maybe a school that originally admitted the student out of UG (sans scholarship) would like the idea...for example, if one was at UCLA but needed to be in NC and wanted to go to Duke, or needed Charlottesville and wanted to go to Virginia. Students have turned down T14 schools to go to schools just outside of the T14 because of $$$.

But that scenario, if it exists, is what the 3L visitor situation is designed to address. There really isn't much rationale for enabling a student to go into more debt, and the school gets little or no reward out of it.

[PDaddy]

I heard her tell the story of this one time. She actually asked Harvard if they would grant her the degree even though she would attend her third year at Columbia. They said that to get a Harvard degree, the third year had to be spent at Harvard. She transferred.

Years later she was nominated to the Supreme Court. Harvard contacted her and informed her that they wanted to award her a law degree. She thanked them kindly and said she was happy with her Columbia degree.

Harvard WOULD pull that BS...all so that it could claim another SCJ.

[PDaddy]

I really doubt that a school worth transferring to would let you do this. Many state on their websites that you may only transfer to begin your second year. Even if it is technically possible:

1. At least some T14s (CLS comes to mind) explicitly require an addendum explaining why you have earned more than a maximum number of credit hours. "Because I already did 2L" is probably not convincing to an adcomm.
2. If you somehow were allowed to participate in OCI, employers will look at you cross-eyed when you hand them a resume with 3 law schools listed.
3. Absorbing 4 years of tuition, including what must be at least 3 years of sticker price (barring need-based aid), is a poor financial decision IMO.

TITCR

...and one that would make employers question your judgment...