Transfer to Michigan? Forum

[tfer2222]

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[starchinkilt]

Congrats on the acceptance!

[omninode]

Congrats on the Michigan acceptance. I say go for it if you don't get accepted at one of the other schools you mentioned. Michigan does better in NY than any school outside the top 10. They may even outdo Penn, though I'm not certain about that.

And don't worry about the cold. Ann Arbor weather is generally no worse than NYC.

[tfer2222]

So UMich is gonna be better in NYC than GULC, Cornell? (if those become options, although I know Cornell takes almost no transfers)..

[tfer2222]

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[keg411]

So UMich is gonna be better in NYC than GULC, Cornell? (if those become options, although I know Cornell takes almost no transfers)..

I'm pretty sure Mich is better than GULC for transfer + NYC. Cornell is a closer question, but they take very few transfers and the ones they do take usually have ties to Cornell specifically (for instance, I'd personally take Cornell over Mich, but I have family ties to Cornell law).

[tfer2222]

So UMich is gonna be better in NYC than GULC, Cornell? (if those become options, although I know Cornell takes almost no transfers)..

I'm pretty sure Mich is better than GULC for transfer + NYC. Cornell is a closer question, but they take very few transfers and the ones they do take usually have ties to Cornell specifically (for instance, I'd personally take Cornell over Mich, but I have family ties to Cornell law).

Thanks thats what i was thinking (hoping). You're applying for transfer correct? (I'm on TLS a lot I just made this username for more anonymity) Where all have you applied/heard back from? I wasn't expecting to hear back from anyone until mid July.

[bdubs]

I can't see any logical reason why transferring should carry a larger or smaller stigma at similarly ranked schools, take whichever school places best into the NY firms you are interested in.

[keg411]

So UMich is gonna be better in NYC than GULC, Cornell? (if those become options, although I know Cornell takes almost no transfers)..

I'm pretty sure Mich is better than GULC for transfer + NYC. Cornell is a closer question, but they take very few transfers and the ones they do take usually have ties to Cornell specifically (for instance, I'd personally take Cornell over Mich, but I have family ties to Cornell law).

Thanks thats what i was thinking (hoping). You're applying for transfer correct? (I'm on TLS a lot I just made this username for more anonymity) Where all have you applied/heard back from? I wasn't expecting to hear back from anyone until mid July.

Yup. (Decided personally not to go anon for transfer apps, though I know a lot of people do it)

As for what I've heard so far:
In at GULC. Probably not in at Boalt. Not even complete anywhere else due to dean certs (Mich, NW, Cornell, Penn, NYU, CLS). Dunno if I'm actually going to go, and I also wasn't expecting to hear as early as I did (figured I would hear nothing until mid-July and I still may hear nothing until mid-July.

[tfer2222]

So UMich is gonna be better in NYC than GULC, Cornell? (if those become options, although I know Cornell takes almost no transfers)..

I'm pretty sure Mich is better than GULC for transfer + NYC. Cornell is a closer question, but they take very few transfers and the ones they do take usually have ties to Cornell specifically (for instance, I'd personally take Cornell over Mich, but I have family ties to Cornell law).

Thanks thats what i was thinking (hoping). You're applying for transfer correct? (I'm on TLS a lot I just made this username for more anonymity) Where all have you applied/heard back from? I wasn't expecting to hear back from anyone until mid July.

Yup. (Decided personally not to go anon for transfer apps, though I know a lot of people do it)

As for what I've heard so far:
In at GULC. Probably not in at Boalt. Not even complete anywhere else due to dean certs (Mich, NW, Cornell, Penn, NYU, CLS). Dunno if I'm actually going to go, and I also wasn't expecting to hear as early as I did (figured I would hear nothing until mid-July and I still may hear nothing until mid-July.

You did GULC EA right? (I troll these threads way too much... ) I applied RD and went complete this week. DC Sounds better than Ann Arbor but I don't think I can pass UMich up.

[keg411]

You did GULC EA right? (I troll these threads way too much... ) I applied RD and went complete this week. DC Sounds better than Ann Arbor but I don't think I can pass UMich up.

Nope, RD for GULC. The EA thread was the active one, so I just posted there rather than start a new thread. Went complete for the first time early June, then went complete again and was admitted this past week.

Personally, you have to see where you get in and then figure what is important to you. I would likely pick Mich > GULC if those were my only two options, but that's all contingent on all of the job placement information I get from these schools (and my current school).

[XxSpyKEx]

My only worries are: Living in a small (freezing) college town for two years, possible transfer stigma

If 40,000+ students at a big 10 university is a SMALL college town to you, what’s your idea of a big college town then?

I've read that NYC firms don't mind as much about ties to the area: is this true?

Pretty much. NYC is the one market I don’t recall getting any questions about my ties to. NYC residents are kind of assholes who think that everyone wants to come live in their city. But I guess it works out well for people like us who don’t have ties to NYC.

Will I have a shot at big NYC Firms with no ties to the northeast?

Yes.

[tfer2222]

If you start out your career in NYC biglaw, are you tied to the northeast from then on, or could you perhaps move back south at some point, like lateral between offices or something? I know t14 degrees are "portable", but how portable are they once you are offered a job and start working?

I'm having second thoughts on transferring and it's starting to freak me out. Like i said above, I'm not getting scholly but I'm fairly confident I can land a biglaw gig down here. Making a jump up to Michigan in hopes of landing a biglaw job in NYC, one of the most saturated markets, is really scaring me. (not to mention michigan weather)

[keg411]

If you start out your career in NYC biglaw, are you tied to the northeast from then on, or could you perhaps move back south at some point, like lateral between offices or something? I know t14 degrees are "portable", but how portable are they once you are offered a job and start working?

I'm having second thoughts on transferring and it's starting to freak me out. Like i said above, I'm not getting scholly but I'm fairly confident I can land a biglaw gig down here. Making a jump up to Michigan in hopes of landing a biglaw job in NYC, one of the most saturated markets, is really scaring me. (not to mention michigan weather)

NYC is the easiest market to lateral from.

However, I think if you really want to stay in the South and that's where most of your connections are AND you feel you could get the job you want down there at your current school -- you don't have to leave. Did you apply to any of the more "southern"-focused T14's like Duke or UVA? I could see where South --> Mich might be a bit of a culture shock.

I also think it's natural to have second thoughts (I feel you on it, trust me). There is no need to 100% commit today if you're willing to eat a seat deposit at Mich to wait out the T6 (and even then you can still go back to your current school).

[CanadianWolf]

It's difficult to offer advice without knowing the particular law schools involved in your decision. Assuming that you are a student at the University of Florida, you may have difficulty adjusting to the cold weather in Michigan. But, if you want NYC biglaw, then transferring to Michigan is the only reasonable option at this point. However, if at Tulane, then your class rank may get you some NYC biglaw interviews & the cold weather may be tolerable because New Orleans gets cold, damp, sometimes windy weather during the cold months which is adequate training for Ann Arbor. Either way, your best bet for NYC biglaw is Michigan.

[tfer2222]

If you start out your career in NYC biglaw, are you tied to the northeast from then on, or could you perhaps move back south at some point, like lateral between offices or something? I know t14 degrees are "portable", but how portable are they once you are offered a job and start working?

I'm having second thoughts on transferring and it's starting to freak me out. Like i said above, I'm not getting scholly but I'm fairly confident I can land a biglaw gig down here. Making a jump up to Michigan in hopes of landing a biglaw job in NYC, one of the most saturated markets, is really scaring me. (not to mention michigan weather)

NYC is the easiest market to lateral from.

However, I think if you really want to stay in the South and that's where most of your connections are AND you feel you could get the job you want down there at your current school -- you don't have to leave. Did you apply to any of the more "southern"-focused T14's like Duke or UVA? I could see where South --> Mich might be a bit of a culture shock.

I also think it's natural to have second thoughts (I feel you on it, trust me). There is no need to 100% commit today if you're willing to eat a seat deposit at Mich to wait out the T6 (and even then you can still go back to your current school).

I think all of the anxiety I'm having is coming from not knowing exactly where I'll be and what firms I'll be bidding on. Thus, I feel like I'm getting seriously behind in regards to research/preparation, and I feel pressure to make a decision now and find a place.

I'm also going to have to break my lease and the longer I wait, the more it's gonna cost me.

I didn't apply to Duke or UVA, and I don't have a good reason why...

But literally: almost no scholarship at a 40-50 with an opportunity to go to UMich... is it ridiculous to stay?

[keg411]

If you're worried about researching firms, just do everything (because whichever school you choose, you will want to mass mail the other markets). The positive is that the Mich OCI stuff should give you a TON more information and you can probably just use your current school's info as a supplement.

The $$ thing depends on how expensive your current school is. If it's a cheap state school and you wouldn't go $150k in the whole by staying... well, that's different than if you're at an expensive private school... in which case it's more worth it to transfer (unless you can get your school to give you $$$).

[uzpakalis]

I vote stay and ask for money from your current school. Save the spot at Michigan for someone that really wants to go there. Cough Cough...

[tfer2222]

- the most indecisive person of all time

[ndirish2010]

You're at SMU?

[tfer2222]

You're at SMU?

[keg411]

You're at SMU?

Sigh. Yes.

Are you from TX/Dallas? If yes, you should stay at SMU. If not (and you're from the east coast), I would consider transferring.

[ndirish2010]

Given SMU and its good placement in Dallas, I vote T6 or stay.