Top Law Schools

I’m wondering what’s the highest realistic rank I should be looking at? At what rank (T40? T25?) would the application process become a waste of time and money?

Quick facts: TTTT was my only option after a very weak undergrad performance and subpar LSAT. Tuition is less of a factor for me than most. I have a job lined up at a family firm if stronger (preferable) options do not amount. Biglaw is not a goal mainly because it does not seem realistic. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

why are you a future homeless guy if you have a job lined up?

pre-med person wrote:why are you a future homeless guy if you have a job lined up?

It was a bad attempt at humor.

Wouldn't location and geographical placement be more important considerations than pure rank?

6th out of?

future homeless guy wrote:I’m wondering what’s the highest realistic rank I should be looking at? At what rank (T40? T25?) would the application process become a waste of time and money?

Quick facts: TTTT was my only option after a very weak undergrad performance and subpar LSAT. Tuition is less of a factor for me than most. I have a job lined up at a family firm if stronger (preferable) options do not amount. Biglaw is not a goal mainly because it does not seem realistic. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

hmm. so you have a job lined up, but you would like "stronger" options, but not biglaw? first off, you should know that big law is far from unrealistic, so if you want to go into big law then it should be a legit factor in your decision to transfer (and where to go). i mean what kind of options are looking for?

as far as chances, TTTTs are tough to predict. if you are in top 1-3% (and stay there, obv) it's realistic that you could get an admit to CCN, but you could rejections from plenty of T1s. the lesson here is that you are going to have to cast a wide net if you are dead set on transferring. a big question is what region to you want to practice in? if its the region your school is currently in, then i would probably stay put and try negotiating for some scholarship money and hustling with mass mailings for OCI. if you want to be in a major market and your current school isn't already there then i would try to transfer to the highest ranked school(s) in the market you want to work in (Columbia/NYU for NYC, UChi/NU for Chicago, etc.).

+ 1 for casting a wide net. Make it really wide, and spend the time and money on the applications. Your acceptances and denials will probably be less predictable than you think. Make sure you apply to at least 6, 7, or even 8 solid private schools, as those'll likely be your best bets for getting bites. I would venture a guess that you will get into a few schools in the 10-30 range, so I would probably focus most heavily there, but also CCN as reaches.

With those grades, you're likely to get into some good schools. Good luck, and please keep us posted.

Congratulations, you are one of the lucky few at a TTTT who will probably have some options (plus you have a job lined up so you are looking good!). You have a shot at big law (not a great one, but not too bad either). Keep up your ranking or rise up in your ranking and you will have good options at OCI or for transferring.


Rank 6 probably places you in the top 3-5% of your class. You should be able to transfer to a T1 school, possibly a T14 school (GULC would be your best bet among the T14). If you raise your ranking a bit you will have a higher chance of getting into a T14 school, possibly even the better ones. If your class ranking falls you will probably be limited to T1 schools (T20, T25, or T30). Just bear in mind that a transfer does not always make sense (to a non-T14 school).


Good luck.

Apply to (1) lower T14 and/or (2) schools that feed the market where you want to live. Not rocket science. Congrats on grades.

if top 3-5%, t14 is very possible - especially if it is in the same state as the TTTT school.

Lawl,
You say "very possible" but I received mixed info about this. Some say TTTT to T14 is decidedly unrealistic even falling within top 5%. Others told me it's a crap shoot. The consistent advice I received is apply wide (which I plan) and forget about HYS (which I never entertained). I also hear that GTown may be more receptive than most T14's.

I would love to go T14 but would also be very happy with a T50. Geographically I'm looking at the northeast. I plan on applying to the strongest schools within my family firm's region. But as I said earlier, I would really like to see if I can earn a better position elsewhere. The position with my family firm will remain open and available for some time. It all depends on how well I perform and practicality.

Georgetown has an early action transfer, which only requires one semester worth of grades thats due March 15th. Its also non-binding.

People are being to nice about transfer options. You have close to zero shot at EA Georgetown. The only people that got in last year from TTT and TTTT were ranked #1 in their classes. You MIGHT have a shot if you have a compelling reason for transferring to one of the lower T14 via regular decision. T20 is most realistic and you should be a shoe-in at least a couple of them. Good luck.

future homeless guy wrote:Lawl,
You say "very possible" but I received mixed info about this. Some say TTTT to T14 is decidedly unrealistic even falling within top 5%. Others told me it's a crap shoot. The consistent advice I received is apply wide (which I plan) and forget about HYS (which I never entertained). I also hear that GTown may be more receptive than most T14's.

I would love to go T14 but would also be very happy with a T50. Geographically I'm looking at the northeast. I plan on applying to the strongest schools within my family firm's region. But as I said earlier, I would really like to see if I can earn a better position elsewhere. The position with my family firm will remain open and available for some time. It all depends on how well I perform and practicality.

Read my old posts and/or PM me. I was at a TTTT and transfered to a t10.