GW, Transferring and Scholarships Forum

[Anonymous User]

Have a high 3.8x at GW. I'm not sure where I am in the class (top 5% perhaps?). Does anyone know which schools I might be competitive for. And whether GW will give out scholarships for those with transfer acceptances. Any general advice whether GW-related or not is welcome!

[Nightclub_Dwight]

I transferred out of GW last year and can provide some help with more information. What are your ambitions? Are you trying to clerk, do you want biglaw, etc? Do you currently have a scholarship?

Anecdotally, I've heard GW will not increase scholarships- but again, I've only heard anecdotes.

[Anonymous User]

I have a ~10k/year scholarship. My dream is to do a federal clerkship (preferably on the East Coast, near DC and preferably COA). I'd like to do appellate work at a DC biglaw firm--- perhaps lateral to government later. I know what I'd like to do is super difficult to actually accomplish. I'm willing to pay more tuition if it means putting me in a better place career-wise.

[nosleepatnight]

I was in relatively your same situation with same goals. Decided not to transfer due to relationships I've built with professors here who are willing to help me with the clerkship application process and that my big law prospects are pretty okay (my gpa is a little higher and I have an SA this summer). However, spoke to financial aid office several times and was told repeatedly that they wouldn't increase the amount of aid given - this *might* change if you have an acceptance letter in hand and I can't speak to that. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk more.

[Nightclub_Dwight]

If you want to clerk, I would only transfer if you get into HYS. I transferred to a CCN over HYS for personal reasons, and while I am doing fine re: getting clerkship interviews, I am convinced I would have been better off if I had transferred to HYS or stayed. Staying gives you the advantage of being on Law Review, which is a key credential for clerking. You also can get better recommendations from professors, and you won't have to wait a semester to apply. This is crucial after the death of the hiring plan, which means COA judges are hiring earlier and earlier.

That said, LR matters less at HYS than it does at CCN. I think that, for clerking, it goes HYS > staying at GW and being on LR > CCN.

Also, you should be competitive for H, at the very least. Anecdotally, at least one 3.7x from GW got in last year.

[Anonymous User]

If you want to clerk, I would only transfer if you get into HYS. I transferred to a CCN over HYS for personal reasons, and while I am doing fine re: getting clerkship interviews, I am convinced I would have been better off if I had transferred to HYS or stayed. Staying gives you the advantage of being on Law Review, which is a key credential for clerking. You also can get better recommendations from professors, and you won't have to wait a semester to apply. This is crucial after the death of the hiring plan, which means COA judges are hiring earlier and earlier.

That said, LR matters less at HYS than it does at CCN. I think that, for clerking, it goes HYS > staying at GW and being on LR > CCN.

Also, you should be competitive for H, at the very least. Anecdotally, at least one 3.7x from GW got in last year.

How did you perform at your new school's OCI? I'm not sure if I would transfer to CCN, but I do have family close by at one of the three. Would it be weird to transfer away from GW to HYSCCN but then bid DC biglaw firms?

[Nebby]

If you're a VA resident then I'd throw an application to UVA. They have decent FedClerk numbers. Here's the master list for 2013 employment numbers (BigLaw + FedClerk).

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=226198

[Nightclub_Dwight]

If you want to clerk, I would only transfer if you get into HYS. I transferred to a CCN over HYS for personal reasons, and while I am doing fine re: getting clerkship interviews, I am convinced I would have been better off if I had transferred to HYS or stayed. Staying gives you the advantage of being on Law Review, which is a key credential for clerking. You also can get better recommendations from professors, and you won't have to wait a semester to apply. This is crucial after the death of the hiring plan, which means COA judges are hiring earlier and earlier.

That said, LR matters less at HYS than it does at CCN. I think that, for clerking, it goes HYS > staying at GW and being on LR > CCN.

Also, you should be competitive for H, at the very least. Anecdotally, at least one 3.7x from GW got in last year.

How did you perform at your new school's OCI? I'm not sure if I would transfer to CCN, but I do have family close by at one of the three. Would it be weird to transfer away from GW to HYSCCN but then bid DC biglaw firms?

I, and the overwhelming majority of other transfers I know, killed it at OCI. You will almost definitely do the same at GW that you will at CCN- your grades will not be a barrier to 99% of big law firms, and it will just be a matter of how well you interview. It would not be weird to bid DC biglaw, just have a clear explanation for why you transferred. Anecdotally, one GW to CCN transfer I know ended up at a top DC firm. The vast majority of interviewers understand why people transfer.