Top Law Schools

The title says it all. Looking at both of the EA/ED's. Chances?

Career goals are DC or NYC big law. Connections to both areas, not that they matter.

Because of that would Georgetown be worth it (if I didn't get Chicago)?--No money at my current school

Very good shot at GULC EA and Chicago ED in my opinion. I would throw an EA app to GULC: you have a really good shot, it's not binding, you want DC anyway, and it'll force you to get recs and other transfer stuff together so you're ready for RD. Be advised that, if accepted, you'll have to decide whether you want to pay the (expensive) deposits; they're due long before the semester ends. It's up to you whether you want to gamble by applying Chicago ED or not. If you can improve your rank a bit you'll have a real shot at YHS (mostly H).

And congrats on the grades.

Thank you for the response! Do you think GULC would be worth it, seeing that I want DC?

Anyone else want to weigh in?

sjm5656 wrote:Thank you for the response! Do you think GULC would be worth it, seeing that I want DC?

Depends. How well does your current school place in DC? Are you on scholarship right now? Is biglaw your only goal or would you maybe want to clerk down the road?

quiver wrote:It's up to you whether you want to gamble by applying Chicago ED or not. If you can improve your rank a bit you'll have a real shot at YHS (mostly H).

I just wanted to clarify what I said here. I didn't mean that Chicago was a gamble in the sense that you only have a small chance at getting in. I meant that you have a very good chance at getting in and the gamble would be not to apply, try to improve your grades, and apply to YHS (the gamble being that your grades may drop).

sjm5656 wrote:Thank you for the response! Do you think GULC would be worth it, seeing that I want DC?

Anyone else want to weigh in?

i was in almost the identical situation as you after 1L year (top 5-7% grades, T23 school). fwiw, i would not have left for georgetown. i don't think it's worth it given their massive class size, the uber-competitive DC market, and the unpredictability of how transfers perform during OCI. still, it might be worth it to try sending an EA app just to hedge your bets in case your grades fall in your second semester.

Also, i disagree with the above poster about you standing a good shot at UChicago ED. Your numbers are good, but Chicago is really competitive for transfer purposes and you'd stand only a marginal chance as a RD applicant, let alone as an ED applicant. not worth the app fee, IMO.

We place alright in DC (Mid-West school though). No Scholarship. Big law is the goal right now, but I also am thinking about clerking (the money aspect of big law is kind of pulling me away from this and the fact that I am mainly thinking about transactional work). I DC/NYC big law is my main goal by far.

That is how I took it. I'm def. going to apply to U of C I've decided. I just want to not gamble with trying to repeat my performance. Do you think that included info about family in the area (esp. one's that I need to take care of) would help my chances?

sjm5656 wrote:We place alright in DC (Mid-West school though). No Scholarship. Big law is the goal right now, but I also am thinking about clerking (the money aspect of big law is kind of pulling me away from this and the fact that I am mainly thinking about transactional work). I DC/NYC big law is my main goal by far.

That is how I took it. I'm def. going to apply to U of C I've decided. I just want to not gamble with trying to repeat my performance. Do you think that included info about family in the area (esp. one's that I need to take care of) would help my chances?

it may help your chances a little, but only if you're on the fence. if you're a "strong deny" then probably not. just keep in mind that uchicago's ED is binding, so you have to go there if you ultimately decide to transfer. also note that if they do offer you admission as an ED applicant, it's contingent on you maintaining similar or superior performance in your second semester.

crazyblink653 wrote:also note that if they do offer you admission as an ED applicant, it's contingent on you maintaining similar or superior performance in your second semester.

I didn't know that but that's a total dick move by Chicago. Basically you make you commit into a binding agreement to attend but they reserve the right to revoke the offer after you accepted it? That's BS. If it's binding on you, it should be binding on them

crazyblink653 wrote:Also, i disagree with the above poster about you standing a good shot at UChicago ED. Your numbers are good, but Chicago is really competitive for transfer purposes and you'd stand only a marginal chance as a RD applicant, let alone as an ED applicant. not worth the app fee, IMO.

I'll certainly defer to others who have more knowledge on the topic, but from everything I've heard (and been through myself), top 10% at a high T1 is competitive for ED admission. I'm not saying s/he is a lock or anything, but definitely worth the app fee if you're dead set on going there. Also, Transferthrowaway has said that most of last years transfer class was filled through ED, not RD.

Gonna tag this because I'm in the exact same position and, while not committed to the idea of transferring, still feel I'm doing myself a disservice to not think about it. Looking into Chicago (ED maybe), Columbia, NYU, maybe Penn. And, of course, I'll be trying like hell this semester to jump 3 of the students ahead of me to get into the top 5%.

Congratulations on doing so well.

If you have faculty at your current school ranked #23 in the midwest that places well in DC and NY who like you, you should consider that. One school which are ranked #23 in the Midwest has very tight and extensive alumni networks in NY and DC and very accomplished faculty who could really help you out. You are very likely to get a scholarship for 2L and 3L there and you will probably do quite well at OCI (perhaps better than you would competing for spots at a transfer destination).

Also, since you are also considering non-Chicago schools, I would not mention the family member. In fact, I think doing so for strategic advantage could be highly unethical.

sjm5656 wrote:We place alright in DC (Mid-West school though). No Scholarship. Big law is the goal right now, but I also am thinking about clerking (the money aspect of big law is kind of pulling me away from this and the fact that I am mainly thinking about transactional work). I DC/NYC big law is my main goal by far.

That is how I took it. I'm def. going to apply to U of C I've decided. I just want to not gamble with trying to repeat my performance. Do you think that included info about family in the area (esp. one's that I need to take care of) would help my chances?

Damn. No love for IUB and UIUC this year in the transfer forum.

crazyblink653 wrote:

sjm5656 wrote:We place alright in DC (Mid-West school though). No Scholarship. Big law is the goal right now, but I also am thinking about clerking (the money aspect of big law is kind of pulling me away from this and the fact that I am mainly thinking about transactional work). I DC/NYC big law is my main goal by far.

That is how I took it. I'm def. going to apply to U of C I've decided. I just want to not gamble with trying to repeat my performance. Do you think that included info about family in the area (esp. one's that I need to take care of) would help my chances?

it may help your chances a little, but only if you're on the fence. if you're a "strong deny" then probably not. just keep in mind that uchicago's ED is binding, so you have to go there if you ultimately decide to transfer. also note that if they do offer you admission as an ED applicant, it's contingent on you maintaining similar or superior performance in your second semester.

The "binding" thing at UChicago is really much ado about nothing. Search far and wide and you won't ever find anyone that had their offer taken away.

downstream wrote:

crazyblink653 wrote:

sjm5656 wrote:We place alright in DC (Mid-West school though). No Scholarship. Big law is the goal right now, but I also am thinking about clerking (the money aspect of big law is kind of pulling me away from this and the fact that I am mainly thinking about transactional work). I DC/NYC big law is my main goal by far.

That is how I took it. I'm def. going to apply to U of C I've decided. I just want to not gamble with trying to repeat my performance. Do you think that included info about family in the area (esp. one's that I need to take care of) would help my chances?

it may help your chances a little, but only if you're on the fence. if you're a "strong deny" then probably not. just keep in mind that uchicago's ED is binding, so you have to go there if you ultimately decide to transfer. also note that if they do offer you admission as an ED applicant, it's contingent on you maintaining similar or superior performance in your second semester.

The "binding" thing at UChicago is really much ado about nothing. Search far and wide and you won't ever find anyone that had their offer taken away.

Er, the problem with the "binding" requirement is that it strips out HYS as options is you improve second semester, not the "contingent" part.

Is T23 a thing now?

maf70 wrote:Is T23 a thing now?

It's anon code for IU, lolz.

JoeFish wrote:Gonna tag this because I'm in the exact same position and, while not committed to the idea of transferring, still feel I'm doing myself a disservice to not think about it. Looking into Chicago (ED maybe), Columbia, NYU, maybe Penn. And, of course, I'll be trying like hell this semester to jump 3 of the students ahead of me to get into the top 5%.

would be funny if they told you the names of the people ahead of you. I can imagine how intense it would be to actually know who they were. though, some people have questionable ethics and more harm than fun might be had if they released the names of the students, assuming they didnt.

dreakol wrote:would be funny if they told you the names of the people ahead of you. I can imagine how intense it would be to actually know who they were. though, some people have questionable ethics and more harm than fun might be had if they released the names of the students, assuming they didnt.

Haha yeah, no, they didn't release any names... not planning on taking anyone out or anything

Obviously, there's going to be little comparative love for UIUC and IUB, what with the former's scandals and the latter's job prospects lagging behind their peer schools'. That being said, there is some love. I'm... almost certain I'm staying. I'll keep talking to people and think about it, but I really do love it here.