Top Law Schools

Just wondering if its possible to transfer once, do well, and transfer higher if you do well enough. Of course you would re-do 2L and that would be terrible. Is this possible?

How would you transfer higher the second time? Schools evaluate transfers based on 1L grades. So even if you had great 2L grades at your new, higher ranked transfer school, you would be applying with the same 1L record from your original school.

This thread is the epitome of law student ambition.

No.

If you did well enough to transfer the first time why would you need to transfer again? This makes no sense.

Ludovico Technique wrote:If you did well enough to transfer the first time why would you need to transfer again? This makes no sense.

Presumably the idea would be T1->T14->HYS?

Anyway, magic 8 ball says not likely.

That sounds like a really awful idea. It can be difficult enough to explain transferring once. Imagine having to explain to employers and judges that you decided twice and were willing to redo an entire year of law school just so you could go to HYS or whatever.

dbt wrote:That sounds like a really awful idea. It can be difficult enough to explain transferring once. Imagine having to explain to employers and judges that you decided twice and were willing to redo an entire year of law school just so you could go to HYS or whatever.

Just ask them where they went to lawl school. If it's not YHS tell them they attended a non-peer school.

No, I believe that you have to be within a certain credit range to transfer, and once 2L is over, you can't do it again.

Apparently it used to be possible, at least. A former dean at Berkeley Law did it.

Q: I would now like to examine why students should choose to attend Boalt. Let us first begin with why you personally chose to transfer from Boalt to Harvard Law School and then back to Boalt.

A: Well, I had done my first-year at Boalt and then, for a mix of personal and academic reasons, I transferred to Harvard Law School for my second-year. I initially thought that Boalt was a tense and competitive environment. But then when I went to Harvard Law School, I realized that Boalt was a pleasant and relaxed environment in contrast to Harvard. I may hold a record as one of the few students to transfer out of Harvard Law School, but it was the right choice.

I'd imagine if you transfer from school Y to Z but then have a compelling reason to return to Y, you can do that. But introducing a school X is probably not possible after the first transfer per ABA rules.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/berring-interview.html

RodneyBoonfield wrote:Just wondering if its possible to transfer once, do well, and transfer higher if you do well enough. Of course you would re-do 2L and that would be terrible. Is this possible?

Guys in my high school did U Illinois -> U Chicago -> Harvard all the time little breh.

kaiser wrote:No, I believe that you have to be within a certain credit range to transfer, and once 2L is over, you can't do it again.

Not without having to do a 4L

Can transfer students visit at another school 3L? That would be the closest possible thing to a double transfer.

drmguy wrote:Can transfer students visit at another school 3L? That would be the closest possible thing to a double transfer.

Not usually. Most schools that I'm aware of require 2 years of residency at the transfer school so visiting isn't usually an option.

kaiser wrote:No, I believe that you have to be within a certain credit range to transfer, and once 2L is over, you can't do it again.

There are definitely credit ranges on transfers but I'm not sure they mean "you must be in this range of credits to transfer" or "if you're accepted as a transfer, you can only bring in an amount of credits in this range." Obviously the former would make more sense. If it was the latter I'd assume they would just set a credit limit and not a range.

Some schools specifically rule out the possibility of a double transfer though:

YLS wrote:Transfer applications will be considered only between the applicant’s first and second years of law school.

Oh wait, I know how you could. Cooley--->Nova--->Whittier

quiver wrote:

kaiser wrote:No, I believe that you have to be within a certain credit range to transfer, and once 2L is over, you can't do it again.

There are definitely credit ranges on transfers but I'm not sure they mean "you must be in this range of credits to transfer" or "if you're accepted as a transfer, you can only bring in an amount of credits in this range." Obviously the former would make more sense. If it was the latter I'd assume they would just set a credit limit and not a range.

Some schools specifically rule out the possibility of a double transfer though:

YLS wrote:Transfer applications will be considered only between the applicant’s first and second years of law school.

This is what I was talking about above -- it's theoretically possible to transfer after 2L and just sacrifice all of your 2L credits (although this is a questionable financial decision and I bet most T14s wouldn't allow it anyway). But, even if you did this, your application would presumably only be evaluated on 1L grades because (1) adcomms need to evaluate you fairly against other applicants and (2) none of your 2L credits are transferring over anyway. Since your 1L grades are from your original school, and were the basis of your original transfer application, you would seem to be in the exact same position when applying for your "second transfer" (thus conferring no advantage even if you somehow did this).

...I wasn't even aware schools considered 2L transfers.... seems like it would majorly screw with Summer work, networking, etc...

I've never heard of a 2L transfer here. I think others are right: If it is possible at some schools, you'd almost certainly have to repeat 2L year in order to satisfy minimum on-campus graduation credit requirements.

Oh, I have question, if OP doesn't mind a temporary hijack?


When you transfer, most obviously to a higher school, how do they gauge scholly money?

Is it based off 1L grades, LSAT, combo, or do they just basically say, "you're payin' sticker?"

Do they know the scholly money you currently have? Would they ask?

BarcaCrossesTheAlps wrote:Oh, I have question, if OP doesn't mind a temporary hijack?


When you transfer, most obviously to a higher school, how do they gauge scholly money?

Is it based off 1L grades, LSAT, combo, or do they just basically say, "you're payin' sticker?"

Do they know the scholly money you currently have? Would they ask?

No scholly if you transfer. That's one of the things you have to balance when deciding

How in the hell can anyone pay for that? With private loans? I mean, even taking out all the fed aid you can wouldn't cover most top schools....

BarcaCrossesTheAlps wrote:How in the hell can anyone pay for that? With private loans? I mean, even taking out all the fed aid you can wouldn't cover most top schools....

Grad-plus federal loans will allow you to borrow up to the school's cost of attendance so it all works.

Whoa...still...

If this is the case, I know I won't be transferring unless it's to a HYS. (Which won't happen anyway) I mean, that would put over 200K!!! Damn, law school is insane...

BarcaCrossesTheAlps wrote:Whoa...still...

If this is the case, I know I won't be transferring unless it's to a HYS. (Which won't happen anyway) I mean, that would put over 200K!!! Damn, law school is insane...

That's why transferring isn't an automatic decision. You should only transfer if the increase in job prospects is gonna be worth it. Personally I only would've transferred for HYS, but if I was coming from a TTT I definitely would've taken any T14 even if it meant two years at sticker.