from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions Forum

A forum for those current students who are or may be transferring from one school to another. Post any questions, advice, or other transfer related comments here.
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amarie2013

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from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Fri Mar 09, 2012 1:49 pm

hey all, I transferred from a T4 school (Western State University College of Law) to Berkeley (Boalt), and am happy to take questions. I encourage everyone at a T4 to get the ef out!!!

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InnocuousDiatribe

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by InnocuousDiatribe » Fri Mar 09, 2012 2:43 pm

Stats? Any softs that you think helped?

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jess
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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by jess » Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:04 pm

.
Last edited by jess on Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Rkl88

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by Rkl88 » Fri Mar 09, 2012 5:59 pm

Was your PS targeted specifically to Boalt? Any comments on whether or not this even matters? And everything stated by Jessuf above...

jarofsoup

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by jarofsoup » Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:11 pm

I am at a CA T2 wanting to do this move.....where do you think I need to be at?

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MakeItHappen3

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by MakeItHappen3 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:57 pm

amarie2013, what was your GPA/Class Rank (if you don't mind me asking)? Also, what - if any - softs did you have? Thanks!

amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:13 pm

InnocuousDiatribe wrote:Stats? Any softs that you think helped?
Top 3% in 1L class, 160 LSAT, graduated summa cum laude in undergrad (WWU- small but well respected liberal arts school in WA)

I think my research experience as an undergraduate and 1L really helped earn me points- Berkeley loves research!

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:23 pm

Jessuf wrote:Do they prefer students from California area schools?
How many other T3/T4 transfers in your class?
How did you fare at OCI?
Are you happy with your current rank at Boalt?

Prefer CA schools? I've heard this rumor, and I honestly don't know how true it is. Sorry.

We had two others in the top 3-5% of our 1L class that transferred, one to American and one to Loyola (CA). We had a few lateral transfers as well. As far as T3/T4 transfers in my class at Berkeley, we have 6 from USF which I think is ranked around 90 or 100...I'm not sure. But other than that, most come from 50's or better.

OCI- I'm public interest, so I only did a few interviews for practice. I got offers from Seattle firms, but turned them down for my current work in the non-profit sector. Other transfers did well from what I know. Transfers usually do well because the transfer process shows a lot of initiative and ingenuity. Some snobby firms look down on transfers and see us as less intelligent for going to a shitty school first. I say ef that, because of transferring, I only have to pay for 2 years of my Berkeley degree, not 3 like everyone else who started at Berk to begin with :)

Boalt doesn't rank; shocking I know. We care more about a balanced life with ample opportunity to network and grow together. The lack of grades and a ranking system virtually eliminates the normal competitive angst among law students.
Last edited by amarie2013 on Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:26 pm

Rkl88 wrote:Was your PS targeted specifically to Boalt? Any comments on whether or not this even matters? And everything stated by Jessuf above...

Yes, my PS was allllll Boalt. This does matter. Berkeley is extremely holistic in their approach to accepting transfers. My transfer class was the smallest transfer class (and most competitive transfer cycle) since Boalt began accepting transfers, so a personal and specific interest/commitment to the Boalt community is key. We had 16 transfers, several hundred apps.

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amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:28 pm

jarofsoup wrote:I am at a CA T2 wanting to do this move.....where do you think I need to be at?


What T2? Low or high? are we talking in the 50's or in the 90's? Shoot for top 3%, but Dean Tom swears he considers more, like top 5-8% of your class. Also, an impressive undergrad school could help.

amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:31 pm

MakeItHappen3 wrote:amarie2013, what was your GPA/Class Rank (if you don't mind me asking)? Also, what - if any - softs did you have? Thanks!

I would have to dig out my transcript, I don't even remember what my GPA was... our school had weird GPA's, I was around a 3.6 I think, and that was top 3%.

Softs: Research experience, commitment to non-profit/public interest law, specific interest in Boalt's EBCLC clinical program, and I visited Dean Tom in person last March to let him know who I was, why I was applying to transfer, etc.

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Mce252

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by Mce252 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:53 pm

Thanks for your insight. Did you apply to any other schools as a transfer? Acceptances/WL/Denials?

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by jarofsoup » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:02 pm

60's......

Undergrad UC.
amarie2013 wrote:
jarofsoup wrote:I am at a CA T2 wanting to do this move.....where do you think I need to be at?


What T2? Low or high? are we talking in the 50's or in the 90's? Shoot for top 3%, but Dean Tom swears he considers more, like top 5-8% of your class. Also, an impressive undergrad school could help.

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amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:28 pm

Mce252 wrote:Thanks for your insight. Did you apply to any other schools as a transfer? Acceptances/WL/Denials?

NYU- accepted
Emory- accepted

other schools I did not hear back from before accepting Berkeley's offer: Georgia State University, University of Georgia, Tulane

amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:31 pm

If you're in the 60's and a Californian, your chances should be pretty good, so long as you can stay in the top 8% of your class.

A few other things to note: Check the USNews Law School rankings when they come out on March 15, if Berkeley drops at all, this probably means they will take fewer transfers this year. Berkeley is decreasing the size of the incoming 1L class by I think about 20 spaces next year. The rumor as to why my transfer cycle was so small (and why the incoming class will be smaller)- the economy still sucks and Berkeley wants to make sure everyone gets a job, so if that means accepting less students, that's what they are going to go.

jarofsoup wrote:60's......

Undergrad UC.
amarie2013 wrote:
jarofsoup wrote:I am at a CA T2 wanting to do this move.....where do you think I need to be at?


What T2? Low or high? are we talking in the 50's or in the 90's? Shoot for top 3%, but Dean Tom swears he considers more, like top 5-8% of your class. Also, an impressive undergrad school could help.

jarofsoup

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by jarofsoup » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:43 pm

Thank you for the insight... if my school rises(it is rumored that it may) will that give me a boost also?

amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:23 pm

jarofsoup wrote:Thank you for the insight... if my school rises(it is rumored that it may) will that give me a boost also?

Well it can't hurt, but exactly how much this could help...I'm not sure. I would think that if your school's rank improves because of an improvement in bar pass rates or the quality/qualifications of your professors, this would probably be the biggest help. The admissions people I spoke with at NYU and Emory both asked what my school's bar pass rate was, and admissions at Berkeley made several remarks about the professors as Western State (my old school- we actually had some very well known individuals teaching at WSU)

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Rkl88

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by Rkl88 » Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:15 am

I was very fortunate to have done very well my first semester at a TTTT (straight A's, #1/300). Any advise on how to stay focused on doing just as well the second semester as opposed to staying obsessed with transfering. When did you really start to get your applications going?

amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:46 am

Rkl88 wrote:I was very fortunate to have done very well my first semester at a TTTT (straight A's, #1/300). Any advise on how to stay focused on doing just as well the second semester as opposed to staying obsessed with transfering. When did you really start to get your applications going?

good job! are you in CA? Being obsessed with transferring IS what kept me focused second semester. Last March, I went to visit the dean of admissions at Berkeley. At the end of our meeting me gave me his business card. I kept it in my glasses case so that every single day when I busted out my reading glasses I saw that card. It was a constant reminder of what I wanted/where I wanted to be/why I was about to spend the next 8 hours in the library.

I wrote my personal statement for Berkeley (what I thought was the most important part of my application) over Christmas break, and kept revising it throughout the semester. I applied the very first day applications became available for Berkeley. (Berkeley is HUGE about applying early)

I sent out the rest of my apps as early as I could- I didn't want them to interfere with studying for finals. But be careful- if your school is a T4, they probably won't want to hear that you are about to jump ship.....Check with the schools you are applying to and see when you have to have them added to your FAFSA by. Your school will be able to see when you add other schools, so you might want to be prepared for that.... I got hammered one day when I walked into my old FinAid office!

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by dreakol » Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:45 pm

only 16 transfers? any reason for the cut?

iirc, they usually accept around 50-60 transfers

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Lasers

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by Lasers » Tue Mar 13, 2012 5:20 pm

amarie2013 wrote: I wrote my personal statement for Berkeley (what I thought was the most important part of my application) over Christmas break, and kept revising it throughout the semester. I applied the very first day applications became available for Berkeley. (Berkeley is HUGE about applying early)
if you don't mind me asking, what did you write your personal statement about for berkley?

also, i was under the assumption they don't make decisions until they receive spring grades; i don't see why they would care when they got your application if they had to wait for springs grades anyway.

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amarie2013

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:45 pm

Lasers wrote:
amarie2013 wrote: I wrote my personal statement for Berkeley (what I thought was the most important part of my application) over Christmas break, and kept revising it throughout the semester. I applied the very first day applications became available for Berkeley. (Berkeley is HUGE about applying early)
if you don't mind me asking, what did you write your personal statement about for berkley?



also, i was under the assumption they don't make decisions until they receive spring grades; i don't see why they would care when they got your application if they had to wait for springs grades anyway.
I wrote about my passion for racial justice and commitment to working for The Southern Poverty Law Center. And I made sure I spelled Berkeley right ;)

Perhaps you should take a look at some of dean Tom's interviews....He mentions it every single time....

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Lasers

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by Lasers » Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:52 pm

amarie2013 wrote:
Lasers wrote:
amarie2013 wrote: I wrote my personal statement for Berkeley (what I thought was the most important part of my application) over Christmas break, and kept revising it throughout the semester. I applied the very first day applications became available for Berkeley. (Berkeley is HUGE about applying early)
if you don't mind me asking, what did you write your personal statement about for berkley?



also, i was under the assumption they don't make decisions until they receive spring grades; i don't see why they would care when they got your application if they had to wait for springs grades anyway.
I wrote about my passion for racial justice and commitment to working for the Southern Poverty Law Center. And I made sure I spelled Berkeley right ;)

Perhaps you should take a look at some of dean Tom's interviews....He mentions it every single time....
thanks for the tip(s). :)

edit: i can't find the interview where he mentions to apply early for transfers.

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Lawl Shcool

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by Lawl Shcool » Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:43 pm

Stop looking for the interview, just know Berkeley loves early apps and do everything you can to apply early. The school is VERY open about their policy of preferring early applicants, it isn't up for debate, it's a fact.

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Re: from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions

Post by amarie2013 » Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:30 pm

dreakol wrote:only 16 transfers? any reason for the cut?

iirc, they usually accept around 50-60 transfers

I think 19 or 20 were actually accepted, but a few dipped out to go to Harvard instead. I only know of rumors as to why the cut in numbers. What I have heard revolves around jobs. Berkeley wants to stay up in the rankings, and Berkeley wants to make sure ALL of their students get jobs. So, less jobs makes accepting less students sound like a good idea. There has been talk about decreasing the incoming 1L class (presumably for this reason as well)

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