Transfer Decision? T20 to HYS. Forum

[chrisihat]

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[zomginternets]

I'm tempted to call flame.

Assuming not a flame, no reason to transfer--every biglaw firm in your market will be at your school, and you're (literally) the first person they want to talk to.

[buckilaw]

If you have SCOTUS aspirations it might be worth it to transfer to Harvard or Yale. I'd stay put though.

[bhan87]

Are you paying sticker at your current school? If so, the transfer would be worth it imo

[lawfuture10]

Are you paying sticker at your current school? If so, the transfer would be worth it imo

Even if paying sticker, possibly still not worth it.

With BigLaw aspirations, being the #1 at a T20 > transferring. Especially if you're already in the market where you want to work.

But hey, its always nice to have options. So why not put out the applications, get into HYS and make the horrible decision of staying or going when it comes time to do so.

[chrisihat]

Thank you to everyone who responded. This is my first time ever posting on this forum after reading it for a long time, and I am extremely appreciative of the sincere and helpful responses.

[fatduck]

1.) definitely apply. it's always good to have options, and it will help you bargain for a scholarship at your current school.

2.) if you want biglaw in the market where your school is, then you should probably just stay, especially if you get $.

[lawfuture10]

Thank you to everyone who responded. This is my first time ever posting on this forum after reading it for a long time, and I am extremely appreciative of the sincere and helpful responses.

I am paying full price at my current school (I applied late in the cycle and didn't have great numbers) but am trying to now get some sort of scholarship. (If anyone has advice on how to do that, it would also be appreciated.)

Also, any more advice on the decision to transfer would be appreciated!

Definitely put out transfer applications -- simply for the sake of pressuring a scholarship out of your current school.

I would blanket the t10, not just HYS.

Once you get back all of your lovely acceptances, take them to your Dean's office and tell them to give you money or you're going to peace out.

The worst they can do is say no. However, they are going to have strong motivation to keep you, as you are arguably the most employable student in the school, so they should cough up some scholarship moneys to motivate you to stay.

[aliarrow]

I'm sorry to derail, but do you have any study habits/scheduling/methods different from whats already been posted by previous #1s? There are just so few of you (by definition), I hate to pass an opportunity to get info.

[chrisihat]

I'm sorry to derail, but do you have any study habits/scheduling/methods different from whats already been posted by previous #1s? There are just so few of you (by definition), I hate to pass an opportunity to get info.

Since I really am not on here much, I don't know what others have posted, but I really don't do anything special. Throughout the semester, I do all of the reading once while highlighting, then reread it and brief cases/notes/statutes. I do this before class, by hand. In class, I just take notes (again by hand). I think by hand is very important to both not get distracted and to help memory.

Honestly, the most important thing to me is going back through and outlining (which I imagine is thoroughly discussed on here) and then creating a one page checklist for test day. I refine these as I go through practice exams, and take all of the practice exams my professors give me, all under timed conditions.

I hope this is helpful, but I know it probably isn't very original. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to message me.

[Danteshek]

Transfer for Y, but not H.

[chrisihat]

Transfer for Y, but not H.

Any reason for this? I am very new to all this stuff, so if it is obvious I apologize.

[notanumber]

If I were in your shoes I would apply to transfer and try to get your school to negotiate some serious scholarship money. If they give it to you, stay, but if they don't give you a good scholarship, I'd probably transfer to HYS. You'll get biglaw from any of them and their vastly superior loan repayment programs will be a good backstop if you get fucked by the economy or something else beyond your control in your first year or two of biglaw.

[mst]

Transfer for Y, but not H.

I feel like this is what I would do given your situation. I'd apply for both though, and one or two others, so even if you don't get in (inexplicably) to one you still have some schools to barter with for a scholarship.

[Danteshek]

Transfer for Y, but not H.

Any reason for this? I am very new to all this stuff, so if it is obvious I apologize.

HLS is a massive law school with a ton of graduates. YLS is a small law school whose students have outsize opportunities, even compared to HLS. In short, I think it would definitely be worth it to transfer to YLS. HLS I am not so sure.

[chrisihat]

Thanks for the clarification.

Any further advice is appreciated.

[buckilaw]

If I were in your shoes I would apply to transfer and try to get your school to negotiate some serious scholarship money. If they give it to you, stay, but if they don't give you a good scholarship, I'd probably transfer to HYS. You'll get biglaw from any of them and their vastly superior loan repayment programs will be a good backstop if you get fucked by the economy or something else beyond your control in your first year or two of biglaw.

I neglected considering LRAPs. This arguably mitigates a lot of the risk you would face as a transfer.

[vanwinkle]

Transfer for Y, but not H.

Any reason for this? I am very new to all this stuff, so if it is obvious I apologize.

HLS is a massive law school with a ton of graduates. YLS is a small law school whose students have outsize opportunities, even compared to HLS. In short, I think it would definitely be worth it to transfer to YLS. HLS I am not so sure.

Unlike Danteshek, I actually transferred to H and can personally speak on this. Transfers in my experience do not have much trouble standing out, even at a "massive" school like HLS, when it comes to grades.

This year's transfer class did remarkably well at OCI from what I could glean, and most employers seem to respect how difficult it is to earn a spot here. There are some bumps, and you'll probably get skeptical interviewers, but honestly, you can literally give "because it's Harvard" and have it be accepted in 95% of interviews. Plus, you'll be showing them your grades, and they all know what a 4.15 GPA means. I know people who were #1 or close to it at their T25 school, in a very similar position and with a similar GPA, and they do not regret transferring here at all.

I do think it could make useful leverage to get scholarship money from your school, and you should take it if you can get it. You're not likely to have trouble finding work where you are, and reducing your debt load would come in handy if you're going into BigLaw. (You're going to have to pay your loans back yourself, so the less loans you have the better.) Since you're not angling for academia or anything like that, staying probably makes sense if it means less debt.

But if your school won't cough up anything, and we're talking same-price comparisons... Why wouldn't you go to Harvard for the same price you're paying now, if you had the chance?

[dresden doll]

If no money, transfer the hell out and do not look back.

[Big Shrimpin]

If no money, transfer the hell out and do not look back.

When you do 2L OCI at your new school, employers will see your 1L grades. This is often quite an advantage, although your mileage may vary by firm. So long as you have a legit story for transferring (which is a proxy for "because it's a better school"...although you don't have to say it in so many words, the employer will probably infer it as such...in my experience, however, that was a good thing), you should be in a good position for staying competitive for offers.

GL keeping that GPA this semester!