Starting 1L with the transfer mentality Forum

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone does this? If so, did you succeed? I don't know if these are unrealistic expectations and I am setting myself up for disappoint, but it is my current plan. In case it matters, attending a T14 but hoping to transfer to HY.

Thank you all in advance.

[stillwater]

RESPECT THE RULEz

[brotherdarkness]

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[kaiser]

Has anyone does this? If so, did you succeed? I don't know if these are unrealistic expectations and I am setting myself up for disappoint, but it is my current plan. In case it matters, attending a T14 but hoping to transfer to HY.

Thank you all in advance.

You NEVER attend a school with the intention of transferring. You can hope and pray and wish all you want, and that is fine. But never go to a school from which you wouldn't be 100% comfortable graduating, since it is almost certain that you will be graduating from the school you initially attend.

If you are indeed 100% comfortable graduating from your school, you will have no need for a "transfer mentality", and if you aren't 100% comfortable graduating from the school, you shouldn't be attending anyway. So no, never is that mentality and approach acceptable. If you want a better school, open up the LSAT books and get yourself into a better school. You have much more control on the LSAT than you will over your law school grades.

[Danger Zone]

First off, get out.

Second, absolutely I went in with that mentality from day one. I'm attending a local TT that I would be happy graduating from, but I always knew that, if I had the opportunity, I would transfer in a heartbeat. It sorta made me a gunner.

However, as noted above, you can't predict how well you're going to do. The odds are stacked heavily against you. So, yes, transferring is a great option, but for most people, it's no option at all.

Okay, now get out.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the responses in spite of my obvious rule breaking. I will see myself out.

[transferhopes2013]

This is the best mentality to have. Of course, the statistics are always stacked against you in Law School. However, for me, I knew that any shot of H or S would require me to be at the very top of my class. Guess what? I ended up at the very top of my class. Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not. My classmates were happy with finishing top 25%. They didn't even know transferring was possible. My goals were on another level.

GL

[stillwater]

This is the best mentality to have. Of course, the statistics are always stacked against you in Law School. However, for me, I knew that any shot of H or S would require me to be at the very top of my class. Guess what? I ended up at the very top of my class. Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not. My classmates were happy with finishing top 25%. They didn't even know transferring was possible. My goals were on another level.

GL

this post really cracked me up

[Nammertat]

This is the best mentality to have. Of course, the statistics are always stacked against you in Law School. However, for me, I knew that any shot of H or S would require me to be at the very top of my class. Guess what? I ended up at the very top of my class. Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not. My classmates were happy with finishing top 25%. They didn't even know transferring was possible. My goals were on another level.

GL

this post really cracked me up

lol exactly.... because people try hard enough to be top quarter, and don't REALLY want to be #1....

[transferhopes2013]

This is the best mentality to have. Of course, the statistics are always stacked against you in Law School. However, for me, I knew that any shot of H or S would require me to be at the very top of my class. Guess what? I ended up at the very top of my class. Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not. My classmates were happy with finishing top 25%. They didn't even know transferring was possible. My goals were on another level.

GL

this post really cracked me up

lol exactly.... because people try hard enough to be top quarter, and don't REALLY want to be #1....

Glad I could help.

[7ED]

Well, if you are going ONLY because you want to transfer out, then that is a terrible idea. However, if you are going with the intention of transferring out, but will be comfortable where you are at if you don't have the chance, then I don't see how that could hurt you - might certainly drive u to work harder.

[Volake]

You need to make your decision on where to go as if transferring to a school you want is not going to be in the cards after your 1L year. However, after that decision based on said premise is made, the prospect of transfer can be part of the fuel for you to work hard and effectively to gain the grades that give you the option.

[stillwater]

yea bro, then your ambition is on another level.

[NinerFan]

My advice is to not write a blog about it.

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/08/confessi ... r-student/

[Danger Zone]

Just wanted to clarify, because there seems to be a lot of retarded answers floating around: you can't work your way to an "A" in law school. You are either good at taking law school exams or not. You can, of course, practice that skill, but if you are hitting the Civ Pro textbook 24/7, it's more likely than not that you're just wasting time.

Everyone knows the law. It's the application that separates the A's and the B's. Even then, there's only a hairline difference between the exams.

[Volake]

I don't know whose posts you are criticizing, Danger Zone, but you certainly can work hard to improve your chances at a better grade. No one would contend that hard work can guarantee you an A. If you're suggesting that exam- taking ability can't be improved, though, you are mistaken.

[Jsa725]

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[stillwater]

I don't know whose posts you are criticizing, Danger Zone, but you certainly can work hard to improve your chances at a better grade. No one would contend that hard work can guarantee you an A. If you're suggesting that exam- taking ability can't be improved, though, you are mistaken.

ya DZ youre so mean!!!!!

im sure you can improve incrementally but so can the lawgod next to you thats been crushing you since day 1

[Danger Zone]

I don't know whose posts you are criticizing, Danger Zone, but you certainly can work hard to improve your chances at a better grade. No one would contend that hard work can guarantee you an A. If you're suggesting that exam- taking ability can't be improved, though, you are mistaken.

First, I'm never mistaken. Second,

You are either good at taking law school exams or not. You can, of course, practice that skill

So I obviously don't disagree with your assertion that "exam-taking ability" can be improved. What I'm assailing is this idea (which was very prevalent in the 1L CSWS thread) that spending 14 hours a day with your casebook will get you better grades. Hell, even spending 14 hours a day with practice exams wouldn't provide any guarantee of good grades. Raw exam-taking ability requires genetic superiority, which cannot be practiced.

That last line was only partially trolling.

[pedroia]

Has anyone does this? If so, did you succeed? I don't know if these are unrealistic expectations and I am setting myself up for disappoint, but it is my current plan. In case it matters, attending a T14 but hoping to transfer to HY.

Thank you all in advance.

You NEVER attend a school with the intention of transferring. You can hope and pray and wish all you want, and that is fine. But never go to a school from which you wouldn't be 100% comfortable graduating, since it is almost certain that you will be graduating from the school you initially attend.

If you are indeed 100% comfortable graduating from your school, you will have no need for a "transfer mentality", and if you aren't 100% comfortable graduating from the school, you shouldn't be attending anyway. So no, never is that mentality and approach acceptable. If you want a better school, open up the LSAT books and get yourself into a better school. You have much more control on the LSAT than you will over your law school grades.

IMO the above is exactly right, word for word, and everything else in this thread can be ignored. Not that some of it might not be right, but it's beside the point. The above is both dead on right, and dead on relevant.

BTW I went into 1L hoping to possibly be able to transfer. It was definitely in the back of my mind. As it turned out I'm in the top less than 1% at my T1 school. But it could have easily not ended up that way, and I would have been very happy to graduate from the school I'm at.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thank you for the response above. To be clear, I love the school I'll be headed to and would be very glad to graduate from it. I think it will set me up for some excellent job opportunities. The reason why I have my sights set on H/Y is primarily geographical, but obviously there is a secondary prestige/quality/future prospect appeal.