4.0 Northwestern transfer to Columbia? Forum

[MarkSanchez]

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[mighttransfer]

What is your class rank? Assuming that you're rank top 5% or higher (and that you can maintain your grades this semester), you're a lock for Columbia. But I'm not sure that transferring to Columbia would be worth it long-term. I realize that you want to be with your girlfriend, but staying at Northwestern may maximize your employment opportunities during 2L OCI. You'll likely have your pick firms with top grades from Northwestern. So it may be worth it to stay, get on law review, build relationships with profs, etc.

[MarkSanchez]

Thanks for your reply! Northwestern doesn't rank so I'm not really sure how I compare to everyone else. I'm honestly not sure I even will do OCI as I have an offer for 2L summer at a firm I would love to work at post-graduation.

Does law review matter much down the road?

Do you know how transfers do grade-wise for 2L and 3L?

Thanks again-

[Ded Precedent]

Thanks for your reply! Northwestern doesn't rank so I'm not really sure how I compare to everyone else.

The grade estimator should give you a rough estimate. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=157992

GOOD LUCK!

[imchuckbass58]

You're pretty much going to get into CLS unless you write a horribly offensive personal statement or get trashed by one of your recommenders.

As for the idea that transferring to Columbia may not be worth it, I'd disagree. Not to say it will enhance your opportunities, but it certainly won't hurt them unless you have very specific interests. With a 4.0 from Northwestern, your grades/paper credentials (such as LR) are not going to be what's holding you back from pretty much any NYC firm (to the degree you don't have your pick of firms, it'll be a personality/fit issue). It's not like Northwestern is some podunk school that nobody's ever heard of. Pretty much every firm that hires from CLS hires from Northwestern, so they know that a 4.0 is impressive.

Sure, you probably won't get on LR (transfers can only write on, and there are 10 spots for write-ons total, for both people who start at CLS and transfers), and it might be harder to form relationships with profs (though not really if you put some effort in). But this only really matters if you're gunning for something where those things matters (i.e., clerkships or academia), and it sounds like that's not what you're interested in. So that shouldn't really be a consideration.

I guess this whole analysis could change if your grades drop second semester, but I don't see the harm in applying and then you can make the call if/when you get in.

[MarkSanchez]

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[keg411]

If I were you, I'd apply to Yale if you keep the 4.0. New Haven is only about 2 hours outside the city anyway. But if you just want to be in NYC, I can't see you not getting into CLS.

How do you already have a 2L SA lined up? Do you mean that you have a 1L SA and are confident of getting an offer to come back?

[quiver]

If I were you, I'd apply to Yale if you keep the 4.0. New Haven is only about 2 hours outside the city anyway. But if you just want to be in NYC, I can't see you not getting into CLS.

Yeah I agree with this. A 4.0 at a T14 is certainly YSH material; you're almost certainly a lock at CLS.

How do you already have a 2L SA lined up? Do you mean that you have a 1L SA and are confident of getting an offer to come back?

I'm curious about this as well. Clarification would be helpful.

As for whether it's worth the transfer, it will depend on your career goals. My first thought: the fact that you're already paying sticker at Northwestern weighs in favor of transferring (although the cost of living in NYC is pretty ridiculous). It is probably a better discussion to have once you find out your spring semester grades.

And congrats!

[wiscohopeful]

Just in case people don't know, NU has a 4.33 grading scale. I'd say try to transfer and go to C. You already have the 2L SA lined up and unless you care about being on LR, I'd say transfer and be close to your gf.

[CanadianWolf]

Apply to Harvard, Columbia & NYU.

[005618502]

Just in case people don't know, NU has a 4.33 grading scale. I'd say try to transfer and go to C. You already have the 2L SA lined up and unless you care about being on LR, I'd say transfer and be close to your gf.

Which schools do not have a 4.33 grading scale? an A+ is worth 4.3, isnt this similar everywhere (whether 4.33 or 4.3)

[cojonelso]

Congrats on the excellent first semester. I was in a similar situation last year (4.03 at Iowa) and made the transfer to Columbia. Columbia has cut their transfer size in half this past year, due to complaints from "native" students, however your chances of admission are very strong. You can afford to slip some your second semester and should still have a good chance at not only Columbia, but Harvard as well. Yale is always a black box, but it will certainly be worth the application fee to apply. The schools you are looking at do not offer scholarships to transfer students, so don't expect any aid beyond loans.

If you remain at Northwestern and maintain your position you should be able to land a coveted "biglaw" job in New York.

If you transfer to Columbia, you will be virtually guaranteed a New York "biglaw" job, barring a complete lack of interpersonal skills.

It may be worth trying to negotiate scholarship money from Northwestern. In the event you are offered a full ride, it may be worth staying, from a financial point of view.

Obviously there is value in spending the remaining two years of your legal education with your girlfriend, but only you can value that relative to the other pros/cons of transferring.

Harvard and Columbia will have significantly stronger alumni networks in New York, so if you are seriously considering settling down there, this should come into the calculation.

If you are planning on staying in New York, transferring to Columbia (and I would imagine Harvard too) will help you start creating your social circle in New York.

Transferring is often a social challenge, in that you go from having a large number of close friends to a new place with next to no friends. Some transfer students struggle with this. I would not make this a driving consideration, but on the margins it is worth thinking about.

Having done that well at NW, you should be able to do well at H/C. Many of the transfers at C did very well their first semester here (top quarter +)

I would recommend transferring, because I find the value of a C/H/Y degree, combined with the alumni network, to outweigh the additional costs when spread over one's lifetime, especially given your desire to wind up in NY.

One further consideration: Get your applications in early. Find your letters of rec, your dean's certifications, etc. early and get those in. I only applied to Harvard and Columbia, and Iowa messed up my dean's cert, causing me to miss Harvard's deadline by about 10 days.

Best of luck with the decision! Regardless of what you choose, you really can't go wrong.

[MarkSanchez]

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[rayiner]

4.0 after 1L is top 5 people. Typically 1-2 per section.

Transferring to be with your girl is fine, as long as you don't want to work in Chicago. It won't hurt you at OCI, as long as you explain why. It won't help you either.

Losing law review will hurt for clerkships and academia, if you want that.

[BigLawer]

I dont know if OP was still around, but would love to hear what ended up happening. I am considering kind of the same thing (grades not even close to as good as OP though).

[patrickd139]

I dont know if OP was still around, but would love to hear what ended up happening. I am considering kind of the same thing (grades not even close to as good as OP though).

If you haven't done so already, the surest way to get a hold of OP is to send him/her a private message. I believe the default setting on TLS is to send the user an email notification of each PM.

GL!