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Hi all! This might not quite be the right place to post, but here goes. Note: I'm starting 1L this fall

Situation: I was accepted into Berkeley (my dream school) and a slightly lower ranked school - still T20 - that gave me tons of money (where my SO is also going). Decided to go to lower ranked school and am now regretting that decision. Really stupid, dumb, whatever, I know. I've been kicking myself over this for awhile now.

What are my options? I'm pretty sure I can't come crawling back to Berkeley for 1L, but does anyone know if there is a stigma against accepting transfers to a school where you were accepted to begin with? Right now, I'm assuming my only option is to work my ass off, get fabulous grades and then try to transfer back to B.

Thanks for the help

I think you made the right decision in the first place. Especially if you were paying sticker at Berkeley.

Ah, sorry this happened. Maybe reapply next year?

if you think you made a mistake of biblical epic proportions- then withdraw from that school and wait a cycle. If you really want Berk- email, call, write a loci and include it with your application ( and mail it in asap). Once you start- the only thing that matters is your grades, so if you want to go there, now would be the easiest time to do so. I would not make any sudden decisions- and really think it through before you do this, however. IF after further review, you still think you are making a mistake- then dont go to the other school. But take time, and talk to your SO about this- and see how it goes before you do anything.


If its just nerves or whatnot- remind yourself why you made the decision in the first place. SUre a lot of people get cold feet fdor a bit ( i did as well), especially as the time gets closer. A little refresher into your decision making process helps soothe those feathes. IF after doing this, you still feel as though you made the wrong choice- or are still not 100% happy ( or close to it)- dont go. Only go to a school that you will be happy graduating at median from.

srilina wrote:Right now, I'm assuming my only option is to work my ass off, get fabulous grades and then try to transfer back to B.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=124519

To be helpful, there are other options you have:

1) Wait a year and reapply to Berkeley.

2) Contact Berkeley right now and explain that you regret your choice to withdraw, would gladly deposit and attend if given the opportunity, and ask if they'll reopen the offer to attend. They may just say no. They may also offer you a deferred acceptance (offer for the next class).

3) Go to your T20 and stop freaking out over whether you made the right choice or not.

Others may think #2 is a bad idea. I'll leave this open for that. But there is no sense in having any plan that includes "get fabulous grades" in it.

Thank you all for your advice.

Exeter wrote:If its just nerves or whatnot- remind yourself why you made the decision in the first place. SUre a lot of people get cold feet fdor a bit ( i did as well), especially as the time gets closer. A little refresher into your decision making process helps soothe those feathes. IF after doing this, you still feel as though you made the wrong choice- or are still not 100% happy ( or close to it)- dont go. Only go to a school that you will be happy graduating at median from.

I don't think its nerves. I was unfortunately going through my decision making process out of the country and away from friends/family so I think that may have skewed it a bit. Thanks for the suggestions - I'll give it a few more days of mulling over and will try and act on things on Monday.

@vanwinkle - thank you, and sorry for posting semi-incorrectly! Wasn't quite sure where else this fit. You're definitely right about the grades bit and that's why I've gotten so worried over the situation - I know there is absolutely no guarantee that I'll do well enough to even qualify for a transfer. I'll probably contact them and see if they'll either re-open or defer me. Thanks again.

Call today, like right now.

Why would you take Berkley at sticker over a T20 with a ton of money (depending on how much a "ton" is. I'm assuming at least half)? Especially if it's UCLA or USC.

Call and ask to be let in. It could help if you had a reason. "Because of XXX I now know that Boalt is the right place for me". "I visited the campus and met some students and now I fully understand that Boalt is the right place". If you had the numbers to get in the first time around they might just let you in, rather than somebody on the waitlist.


ETA: you cannot bank on transferring. Grade outcomes are hard to predict. Plus, if you did well enough to transfer then transferring from UCLA to Boalt does not make a lot of sense.

vanwinkle wrote:

srilina wrote:Right now, I'm assuming my only option is to work my ass off, get fabulous grades and then try to transfer back to B.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=124519

To be helpful, there are other options you have:

1) Wait a year and reapply to Berkeley.

2) Contact Berkeley right now and explain that you regret your choice to withdraw, would gladly deposit and attend if given the opportunity, and ask if they'll reopen the offer to attend. They may just say no. They may also offer you a deferred acceptance (offer for the next class).

3) Go to your T20 and stop freaking out over whether you made the right choice or not.

Others may think #2 is a bad idea. I'll leave this open for that. But there is no sense in having any plan that includes "get fabulous grades" in it.

TITCR

RPK34 wrote:Why would you take Berkley at sticker over a T20 with a ton of money (depending on how much a "ton" is. I'm assuming at least half)? Especially if it's UCLA or USC.

For UCLA or USC yes, wouldn't make sense. But I'll be at WUSTL (in theory), which while a great school, I know doesn't carry the rep. that it could have and if I decide I want to work on the West coast that winds up being tough(er).

I think I have pretty decent reasons: change in finances (Boalt sticker was really daunting and a reason I ultimately chose WUSTL), visiting the bay area again - love it, and just general perspective that comes with being back home (I was in China which kind of threw me off).

Thanks again for the advice guys!

srilina wrote:

RPK34 wrote:Why would you take Berkley at sticker over a T20 with a ton of money (depending on how much a "ton" is. I'm assuming at least half)? Especially if it's UCLA or USC.

For UCLA or USC yes, wouldn't make sense. But I'll be at WUSTL (in theory), which while a great school, I know doesn't carry the rep. that it could have and if I decide I want to work on the West coast that winds up being tough(er).

I think I have pretty decent reasons: change in finances (Boalt sticker was really daunting and a reason I ultimately chose WUSTL), visiting the bay area again - love it, and just general perspective that comes with being back home (I was in China which kind of threw me off).

Thanks again for the advice guys!

If you want to be a serious contender for employment at any firms on the West Coast than you have to try to get into Berkeley. Chances are they will let you if you explain the situation to them. WUSTL, while definitely a good school, has its strongest ties in the Midwest. While it would not be impossible to land a decent job on the West Coast out of WUSTL, it would be an uphill battle and require excellent grades (which, as this thread has already indicated, are by no means a given).

Do what vaninkle said: Call them and call them now.

I was accepted to school A, turned it down to save money and went to school B (similarly ranked). Then I applied to transfer to the school A after 1L at school B,and I was accepted. Its risky though, as you cannot be certain that your 1L grades will be good enough to transfer.

Call. From second-hand anecdoctal experience, admissions officers are invested in the people they accept, and will work with them to further their interest and the school's. Call today--you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Thanks again everyone!

I called and unfortunately got an "out of luck, no deferrals left" stock message. So I guess my options are to go to WUSTL (maybe transfer), or to re-apply to a number of schools, including Berkeley. I've been looking around the forums to find any threads on re-applying but so far no luck, any advice as far as that's concerned? Unfortunately, I have absolutely nothing lined up or in the wings that would make a second year out of school interesting/compelling.

sorry about the wrong forum, didn't think this would morph into a re-application issue...

since you seem pretty dead set on going there next year apply early. Dont apply toWUSTL, and you should be able to send the same application to your dream school. I would, however, either apply ED or write an LOCI about why you love teh school ( make it brief, but maybe explain why and how you came to this decision) and send it in with the application.

Then when you get the acceptance letter back- withdraw all other submitted apps so you dont have the temptataion to put yourself through this again.


WHat you need to do is sell the fact to B that its your top choice.

Start saving your money now and living as frugally as possible. thats a decent way to prep this far out for 1L

That's a tough beat OP. I would go with reapplying; you clearly are not set on going to WUSTL and you shouldn't make a 3 year, 100K commitment you will be unhappy with. Here's something to think about regarding significant others and school choices: (1) if you aren't going to marry him, it's not worth giving up your dream school. (2) if you are going to marry him, you guys can make it work long distance. Either way you should go to your dream school. My friend and a guy she is probably marrying did long distance and it seemed to have worked out. You just really have to work hard (dinner over Skype, plane flights to cram in visits if you can afford it, vacations together over breaks, etc).

I really hope you get in to Boalt again next year. In the mean time, if you did well on the LSAT you can look into tutoring for it. Depending on your score and market, you can charge anything between $50-100 an hour.