Top Law Schools

I'm at one of MVP, and after 1st semester am about top 40%. My spouse works in New York, and the distance between my school and her career is tough.

I'm interested in transferring to Columbia, NYU, or Yale, to get closer to New York.

I have made good connections with professors, who I think would write me very strong recommendations. But I know my GPA isn't terribly impressive.

Can anyone comment on my chances? If they aren't good, how good would this semester need to be for me to have a good shot?

I would say no shot at Y unless you get completely A+/As all around or something. I guess do very well?

And why not Penn? 2 hours isn't too far, esp if you were considering New Haven.

thelawyler wrote:I would say no shot at Y unless you get completely A+/As all around or something. I guess do very well?

And why not Penn? 2 hours isn't too far, esp if you were considering New Haven.

Yeah, Y seems a long shot for sure. How about C/N? That would be more of a "lateral" transfer, right? Is there much TLS wisdom on this sort of transfer, or is it just too rare?

Transferring significantly up the rankings is a black box. Peer transfers at lower ranked schools (usually for geographical reasons) are even more uncertain. Any non-admissions counselor at a T10 who tells you, for sure, one way or another about a T10 peer transfer likely has no clue what they're talking about.

OP: I agree that Yale is likely out of reach. Apply anyway, making your personal reasons (and being separated from your wife is certainly a compelling reason) known. Definitely apply to NYU and Columbia, as well. I'd think long and hard about actually pulling the trigger on that transfer, though.

Most importantly: gun like crazy this semester to increase your class ranking.

OP here. Thanks for the replies.

Patrickd, why do you say you would think long and hard about transferring to NYU or Columbia? Is there a disadvantage at OCI for transfers?

Anonymous User wrote:Patrickd, why do you say you would think long and hard about transferring to NYU or Columbia? Is there a disadvantage at OCI for transfers?

One assumption I'm making is that you do not want to sacrifice long-term full-time career prospects in New York just to spend the next two years closer to your wife. If this isn't correct, then ignore the following and transfer away if you've got the opportunity to do so.

Also worth noting: None of this would matter if you get into Yale due to their all-around awesomeness and generous LRAP.

It's mostly about what you're possibly giving up. Most importantly, if you have a scholarship at MVP, you're going to lose it. That could be huge in the long-run.

There are also possible long-term career aspects. For instance, Penn appears to place fairly well in New York biglaw, so it may be that top 30-40% (or especially more so if higher ranking) would be a better position to be than as a transfer student to Columbia or NYU with no Columbia/NYU grades to show employers during OCI. It won't make nearly the difference as it would coming from a non-peer school like a T2 or TTT. This might not be the same for, say UVa or Michigan, if that's where you're currently at.

Another thing you're giving up is potential clerkship opportunities. There are several posts in the clerkship forum on clerking as a transfer, so check them out if you're into this route. If not, then disregard this and count it as one more reason you should transfer, if possible. The gist is that the abandonment of The Plan directly impacts transfer students because some judges hire well into the second year of law school. Since professor recommendations (both letters and direct contact with judges) form such a huge part of clerkship applications, it's becoming much, much more difficult to form substantive relationships with professors at your new school as a transfer in time for the hiring cycle.

Finally, assuming you're able to bump your grades significantly and/or write on at MVP, you're likely giving up law review or a secondary journal. Again, this may or may not be an issue depending on your career goals, but it's definitely something I considered in my transfer cycle a few years ago.