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Hey everyone. I currently go to school just about an hour and half away from my hometown. Lately, I have been seriously considering transferring back to my hometown school (similarly ranked).

There are a ton of pros in favor of transferring to my hometown. 1) I will be living rent and utility free which means I'll be saving $12,000/yr in loans. 2) I'm engaged and my fiance is currently in my hometown. 3) I love my hometown's weather and the city

The things that are holding me back from making the transfer is that I will lose the opportunity to participate in Law Review and OCI during my 2L. Additionally, I feel well connected and comfortable with the student body at the school that I am currently at. After spending an entire year with the same people, I feel that I can rely on them for anything such as study groups, advice, and especially networking.

Will I be giving up more than I will be gaining by transferring? Is it crazy to be making a lateral transfer? Any advice is very appreciated!

Do you want to practice long-term in your hometown? If so, how were your job prospects 1L summer in your hometown coming from your current school?

Why do you lose the opportunity to compete in the write-on for LR and OCI?

patrickd139 wrote:Do you want to practice long-term in your hometown? If so, how were your job prospects 1L summer in your hometown coming from your current school?

Why do you lose the opportunity to compete in the write-on for LR and OCI?

It would be ideal for me to work in my hometown. I didn't really focus on finding jobs in my hometown during my 1L because I was fortunate to land an internship in my current city very early in the job search. However, I don't expect it to be significantly more difficult for me to work in my hometown after graduation.

From my understanding, as a transfer I would not be able to participate in LR or OCI for my 2L year but I would be able to during my 3L. Am I mistaken?

If you were so worried about getting back to your hometown why didn't you get a job there over the summer?

SoCow wrote:

patrickd139 wrote:Do you want to practice long-term in your hometown? If so, how were your job prospects 1L summer in your hometown coming from your current school?

Why do you lose the opportunity to compete in the write-on for LR and OCI?

It would be ideal for me to work in my hometown. I didn't really focus on finding jobs in my hometown during my 1L because I was fortunate to land an internship in my current city very early in the job search. However, I don't expect it to be significantly more difficult for me to work in my hometown after graduation.

From my understanding, as a transfer I would not be able to participate in LR or OCI for my 2L year but I would be able to during my 3L. Am I mistaken?

This definitely varies from school to school, but I don't personally know of a single school that prohibits you from participating in 2L OCI. The closest to this I've heard of is Fordham, which prohibits transfers from participating in their earliest interviewing week. But it doesn't sound like you're planning transferring to Fordham.

As for the journals, pretty much the same story. There might be logistical/intellectual stamina problems with writing on if the school's write-on competition happens to start right after finals end, or you might have to go through the write-on process before you know whether you've been admitted, or you might have to go through the process right before school starts in a separate transfer student write-on competition, thus interfering with OCI. In each of those scenarios though, you should be able to land some journal, if you're substantively good enough to make it.

Plan of action: call your hometown law school and ask their admissions office about this specifically. What kind of internship (i.e. firm, DA's office, judicial, corporate) were you able to get this summer?

I transferred to Loyola Law School Los Angeles and wrote onto Law Review. I was recently elected Articles Editor. The Editor-in-Chief next year is also a transfer.

patrickd139 wrote: This definitely varies from school to school, but I don't personally know of a single school that prohibits you from participating in 2L OCI. The closest to this I've heard of is Fordham, which prohibits transfers from participating in their earliest interviewing week. But it doesn't sound like you're planning transferring to Fordham.

As for the journals, pretty much the same story. There might be logistical/intellectual stamina problems with writing on if the school's write-on competition happens to start right after finals end, or you might have to go through the write-on process before you know whether you've been admitted, or you might have to go through the process right before school starts in a separate transfer student write-on competition, thus interfering with OCI. In each of those scenarios though, you should be able to land some journal, if you're substantively good enough to make it.

Plan of action: call your hometown law school and ask their admissions office about this specifically. What kind of internship (i.e. firm, DA's office, judicial, corporate) were you able to get this summer?

I just assumed law review was out of the question because at my school the write-on takes place immediately after finals, therefore not allowing me write-on at the transfer school if they also started after finals. Thanks for clearing that up!

I was offered a judicial externship for the summer. It seemed like a great opportunity and I committed to it.

What are some negative impacts that I might face when making a lateral transfer? I could only think of the lost connections that I have developed this past year. Has anyone had any difficulty making the transition to a new law school?

Of course some people have had difficulty transferring to a new school. This is law school. Some people succeed and other people fail.

No one will care that your school is similarly ranked.