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Need some honest advice because I'm torn as to what to do and if I should bite the bullet and take this gamble.
Currently at Southwestern Law School in LA and have a cumulative GPA of 3.444. Unfortunately I had family issues first semester & my grades weren't as good as they could have been. But they improved this semester. Last semester, I was ranked in the top 30% of my class, but my GPA was a 3.2. I'm looking to apply to transfer to USC, UCLA, and Loyola but won't know my rank until July. I have already talked to the schools and they are well aware that ranks take time to come out and assured me I would not be at a significant disadvantage over the other applicants.
Now, does anyone know what the typical top 20% GPA at SW is? The school will not disclose the information and it's not available online. I am not much of a gambler, so I don't know whether to bite the bullet and gamble not knowing for sure if I'm in the top 20% or 30% and give up being accepted to Law Review & Moot.
Any honest feedback is much appreciated.

I do t know what you are looking for, but if you can , why don't you just send out transfer application to the schools that you are considering going to transfer to and see how it plays out?

I guess I'm wondering if anyone on this board has transferred successfully out of SW to an LA school. If so, what their GPA/rank was so I have some baseline to go off of. The school doesn't have any info on what typical ranks have looked like in previous years so I'm nervous about just blindly applying.

Whatever you do, DO NOT GO TO LOYOLA

your answer to rank % is here: http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/

And also, you will need to be minimum top 10% to have even a shot at USC/UCLA. Top 20% will get you Loyola. Don't count on going anywhere with top third.

adonai wrote:your answer to rank % is here: http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/

And also, you will need to be minimum top 10% to have even a shot at USC/UCLA. Top 20% will get you Loyola. Don't count on going anywhere with top third.

Thank you very, very much. That was very informative. I appreciate it.

Updated information, please advise...

Top 10% at SW and have been offered close to a full ride to stay.
Thoughts? Stay and take the money? Or risk applying to UCLA/USC?

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

Top 10% at SW and have been offered close to a full ride to stay.
Thoughts? Stay and take the money? Or risk applying to UCLA/USC?

How is it risky to apply to UCLA/USC? Just apply.

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

Top 10% at SW and have been offered close to a full ride to stay.
Thoughts? Stay and take the money? Or risk applying to UCLA/USC?

How is it risky to apply to UCLA/USC? Just apply.

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

It's risky in the sense that once I apply, I lose my funding. I can get accepted, but if I don't, I pay sticker price for SW and no Law Review.
I'm not a gambler, worth the risk? Anyone else transferred out to UCLA/USC?

Anonymous User wrote:

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

Top 10% at SW and have been offered close to a full ride to stay.
Thoughts? Stay and take the money? Or risk applying to UCLA/USC?

How is it risky to apply to UCLA/USC? Just apply.

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

It's risky in the sense that once I apply, I lose my funding. I can get accepted, but if I don't, I pay sticker price for SW and no Law Review.
I'm not a gambler, worth the risk? Anyone else transferred out to UCLA/USC?

Have you clarified this with them?

.

jsb422 wrote:Whatever you do, DO NOT GO TO LOYOLA

Why?

Have you clarified this with them?

^This

That sounds insane. If that's truly their policy, it's awful.

brorepresentation1 wrote:

jsb422 wrote:Whatever you do, DO NOT GO TO LOYOLA

Why?

I'm guessing it's probably not worth it to give up your class rank to go to a school that is struggling to place it's students in jobs. At a school like Loyola, your 1L class rank is probably your most important asset. Without a Loyola ranking, you might not do well at OCI...

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

Top 10% at SW and have been offered close to a full ride to stay.
Thoughts? Stay and take the money? Or risk applying to UCLA/USC?

How is it risky to apply to UCLA/USC? Just apply.

scottidsntknow wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Updated information, please advise...

It's risky in the sense that once I apply, I lose my funding. I can get accepted, but if I don't, I pay sticker price for SW and no Law Review.
I'm not a gambler, worth the risk? Anyone else transferred out to UCLA/USC?

Have you clarified this with them?

Sorry for the delayed response. YES - I have clarified with the school & confirmed. There is no guarantee that spots will be left open for someone who is "unsure about their future since they have begun the transfer process." I have also spoken to other students who have attempted to transfer, not gotten in, and been rejected for Law Review (and were eligible based on ranking).

mandimeoutof10 wrote:

Have you clarified this with them?

^This

That sounds insane. If that's truly their policy, it's awful.

Right? Really thought most schools were like this. It's a pickle because being in the top 10% automatically places one on law review (as long as they wrote in the write on, which I did). But that will all be taken away as soon as I hit submit on apps and ask for my letters of rec and ranking.

I just wanted to say this.
Just apply and see how it goes. If money is an issue, email the school you want to go to and ask for an application fee waiver.

I am transferring to Emory this fall from TTTT. NO ONE believed I'd transfer, but I got accepted.

Just apply.