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I have been accepted as an early action transfer at GULC. Before anyone claims that this is impossible given such an early date, I will provide some brief background.

I was accepted in April/May 2014 while a 1L at my current school. I was unable to attend in Fall 2014 because I was in the hospital for the better part of a year fighting for my life. In April, I was hospitalized which meant that I had to take a leave of absence. GULC has been gracious enough to keep my seat open during this entire ordeal. I am now physically able to resume classes and will transfer to GULC once I complete my second semester at my current school. My agreement with GULC is unconditional and in writing. We are both bound, and I do not intend to transfer to any other school. Even if my second semester grades qualified me for a spot at HYS, I would still attend GULC. This may sound crazy, but if you knew my reasons, you would understand completely. My reasons have to do with health, family, and insurance coverage whereby treatment can continue in D.C. for free due to my veteran's benefits. Also, GULC has proven to be a great school and really worked with me through this; plus, I gave them my word.

So here are my questions:

1. Since I am accepted at GULC and do not wish to transfer elsewhere, should I care about my second semester grades or can I somewhat relax this semester?
1.a. Do all your grades really become P's on your GULC transcript?
1.b. Do your grades ever come back to haunt/help you (especially at OCI)?

2. GULC claims to have slots for transfers on their journals. In your opinion do I realistically have a shot at law review if I do the write on?

3. As a transfer, is there a stigma against me during OCI? I would like to practice corporate law at a Big Firm.

Thank you in advance for your answers and I look forward to seeing you Fall 2015.

For future students who are getting grades back this month and are curious about my stats and their chances at EA to GULC:
Class Rank: Unknown; current school does not rank students until after the first year (which I technically never completed)
GPA: 3.8
Current School: T1; fluctuates within 30-40
Other: I am a veteran with a better than average resume; I only asked for 1 LOR which came from a professor
Other applications: None.
How long did it take for an answer? I applied before their deadline in March and was accepted in April/May. The exact date is unknown since I was hospitalized at the time.

Yes, your grades will matter since that will be the only way for employers to asses your performance at OCI. They probably won't matter for your being able to transfer though, since you said GULC is bound. Sorry for your health troubles and I hope you return to full health! Right now, it seems like you are in a pretty good situation as you are on your way to a t14 and, as long as you do well this semester, I would imagine that your job prospects should be good.

Joeant, thank you for the quick response and the encouragement. I am told from other transfers that OCI at the school they transferred to did not look at their 1L grades. UCLA for example just listed transfer students as having "passed" 1L and the employers acted like transfer students were in the top 1/3. If that's the case, then I really don't see any incentive to try hard this semester. Especially if all my A's turn into P's.

Did you transfer and give prospective employers transcripts from your old school? I'm unclear how this part works.

Glad you're alive dude. Keep your head down and try to do your best this semester. You'll want the grades to be good regardless of your career trajectory.

Cerberaus wrote:plus, I gave them my word.

You're an honorable fellow.

..

I was in between transferring to Duke or staying at my regional. But, since my regional school does a good job of placing their top 10% in the market I want to practice in (at least better than Duke might have), I decided to stay put. However, both my cousin (who transferred into GULC) and a several biglaw partners I spoke with before making my decision, told me that employers would evaluate my performance based on my 1L grades. I think you might be talking about the OCI selection at GULC, which may not list your 1L grades. But at OCI interviews and the callback interviews you will be asked to--or probably should--bring your transcripts.

So, don't start lacking motivation now! The worst thing you could do is add on an incredible amount of more debt to attend GULC and ultimately strike out at OCI. After speaking with my cousin and doing my hw on how transfers perform at GULC and at other lower t14s, striking out is a real possibility. Keep the grades up and you should be fine, however. Also, i know you want to "keep your word" and that is admirable. But Georgetown will be fine either way. If you kill it this semester and have an opportunity to attend another school, then I suggest considering it. As you probably realize better than most of us, we only get one shot at this. So do what is best for you and do not worry about "your word" to a university. Keep in mind that GULC accepts nearly 100 transfers per year and asks them to pay sticker for a strained job market and a semi-prestigious degree. Only for some will that be a worthwhile investment... Make sure yours is!

To Joeant and sublime: you are both correct. I was confusing OCI and the actual interview/application process. I also spoke to a buddy of mine who transferred into a top 10 school. Thanks to everyone's information, I understand the process a bit better and realize that this semester's grades do count.

Joeant, you are correct that it is possible to strike out at GULC. One thing is for sure, if I go to GULC, I cannot slack off. Nonetheless, you have a good point and you aren't the first person to say that I shouldn't worry about what agreement we may or may not have. I will say that after viewing a list of GULC's transfers, I saw some T3/T4 schools on the list. That kind of cheapens the whole experience.

At any rate, I start school again this week and one thing is sure: I must focus on my grades. Right now, I do not want to cloud my mind with the possibility of going elsewhere. Also, there are medical considerations that must be heavily weighed. But you are right in that I only have one chance at this.