Top Law Schools

OK so I have been searching for threads on this issue, but there is really nothing out there for me on this topic. I currently go to a T2 school in Chicago and really am not feeling the city or the school for that matter. The reason I chose the school in Chicago was because they gave me a hefty scholarship with no stipulations. I already have a feeling that I want to transfer back to the school in my hometown of San Antonio which is a T4, where I know a lot of people who attend the school and know several practicing attorneys. If I transfer I will end up paying about $8,000 more in tuition, but I won't have to pay for housing because I will be living back home. I just want to get a feel of what people think. Is it a stupid idea? Is it worth the increase in tuition? Also where do you think that I need to rank to transfer in? Thanks in advance you guys!

Most T4s will take you as a transfer as long as you're capable of paying the bills.

If you don't want to practice in Chicago, it's obviously not a great idea to stay there. Isn't there a better school than the T4 within a reasonable distance of where you'd like to practice?

I mean the better school would be UT, however, I am not holding my breath on that one, since I hear that it is a very hard school to transfer into. I just want to minimize my debt at this point, while being in a better geographic place.

Minimizing debt is an admirable goal, but have you really looked at the employment statistics for St. Mary's? They are horrific. It's fine to say you "know" a few praticing attorneys, but unless one of them has offered you a 100% guaranteed job upon graduation, I wouldn't go there for free.

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Law school just started. Any chance of dropping out and retaking the LSAT to try to get into UT? This assumes that you have better than a 3.5, their fairly non-porous grade cutoff.

Well I think its somewhat of a ridiculous argument that someone would have to offer me a 100% guaranteed job in order to make the transfer reasonable. I do know that St. Mary's does have less than stellar employment statistics, and I know it would be naive to think that I would fall outside of that statistic, but does it make any more sense to stay in a city where I have no intention to practice? I do know several recent graduates all who have jobs in the legal field. And by several attorney's I used to intern at the DA's office and know several attorneys in private practice. Hopefully through my networking I will be able to find a job, and if not at least I can bum off my parents until I do. As far as dropping out goes, I think it is too late for that. Isn't it pretty much once you attend a law school and drop out you have to wait 5 years to reapply?

I would not go to St. Mary's. There's just way too much downside. It's an bad law school with awful placement numbers. I'd drop out and pursue something else before I'd go home and pay for a JD from St. Mary's.

You'd be better off transferring to someplace like SMU and taking on more debt IMO.

This is a classic TLS thread in some ways. OP has idea in mind and wants validation. Other posters give harsh but honest feedback. OP usually rejects and goes forward with plan anyway.

If you stay in school in Chicago, I'd work my ass off and try to transfer to UT or SMU. Seriously, I'd foreclose social activities and just make the next 8 months all about being a gunner and getting back home in a good situation.

In no way did I mean for my responses to be harsh and in no way is this a typical TLS thread in terms of me rejecting the advice of other posters. I should have stated from the beginning that my goal is to try to get into UT it's just that I want to be realistic in the fact that the odds are not that great for me transferring there and wanted to get feedback on a possible transfer down the rankings. Any other schools people think I should take a look at?

Anyone?

I would think about dropping out. You already made one mistake by going to a T2 in a city you don't even like, don't make another mistake by taking on more debt and worse job prospects.

midwestls wrote:You'd be better off transferring to someplace like SMU and taking on more debt IMO.

Have you considered SMU, Houston, or Baylor? I don't understand why the only Texas schools being discussed are the best one, UT, and (arguably) the worst one, St Mary's.

Kilpatrick wrote:I would think about dropping out. You already made one mistake by going to a T2 in a city you don't even like, don't make another mistake by taking on more debt and worse job prospects.

Harsh, but true. I'm not sure how dropping out during the first month of law school, then reapplying the next year would look, though.

The best case scenario is clearly succeeding and then transferring, just not to a T4. With that said, it's never advisable to go to a law school to plan to transfer, as it's not something you can legitimately consider until you've earned your basket of A's.

Hopefully it's early enough in the semester to withdraw without serious impact on your finances or academic standing. If you can withdraw completely then you'll have no prior academic record to worry about and can reapply next year as a 0L, and you should be able to return your student loans and hopefully get your tuition recredited back.

Yeah I didn't go here on with the plan to transfer to another school. I really thought I wanted to practice in Chicago. I guess I will apply broadly to Texas schools when it is that time.