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I applied to Minnesota early because they offered me a conditional transfer acceptance. Then I paid the seat deposit after getting accepted. But now I realized that the acceptance letter says I need to withdraw all other law school applications and initiate no new ones. (I submitted the deposit after I received the email and before the official acceptance letter came, and I don't remember seeing this requirement online)

I am thinking about transferring to other schools like UCLA and WUSTL. Does anyone have any insight into binding deposits for transfers? I thought that it is only binding for early decisions. But I didn't apply early decision.

Early decision is whatever the school in question defines it to be-it's not contingent on the month that you applied. You need to read over what you agreed to in order to determine whether your acceptance was really binding.

If it was, I can't speak to the consequences of reneging a binding offer in this context.

Btw I checked out their website and I couldn't find anything about their transfer offers being binding. If you made a separate agreement with admissions, that could be different I suppose.

In the official acceptance letter, this is what it says on the seat deposit policy: "By submitting this form, you agree to withdraw all other law school applications and agree to initiate no new applications to other law schools."

I would prefer to keep my options open and apply to other schools. But this is the first time I see a seat deposit like this.

lixinempire wrote:In the official acceptance letter, this is what it says on the seat deposit policy: "By submitting this form, you agree to withdraw all other law school applications and agree to initiate no new applications to other law schools."

I would prefer to keep my options open and apply to other schools. But this is the first time I see a seat deposit like this.

What's your current LS rank and rough class ranking after 1st semester?

sandwhich wrote:

lixinempire wrote:In the official acceptance letter, this is what it says on the seat deposit policy: "By submitting this form, you agree to withdraw all other law school applications and agree to initiate no new applications to other law schools."

I would prefer to keep my options open and apply to other schools. But this is the first time I see a seat deposit like this.

What's your current LS rank and rough class ranking after 1st semester?

I am in the top 15-20% of for the first semester (my school doesn't rank for first semester, so this is an estimate). But I have aced all my midterms this semester, and I think I will do even better in the final. Honestly, if i have to yield to this seat deposit policy, then I wouldn't care about my grade this semester. And I would lack any motivation to study hard. So it matters to me a lot.

lixinempire wrote:

sandwhich wrote:

lixinempire wrote:In the official acceptance letter, this is what it says on the seat deposit policy: "By submitting this form, you agree to withdraw all other law school applications and agree to initiate no new applications to other law schools."

I would prefer to keep my options open and apply to other schools. But this is the first time I see a seat deposit like this.

What's your current LS rank and rough class ranking after 1st semester?

I am around the top 20% of for the first semester. But I have aced all my midterms this semester, and I think I will do even better in the final. Honestly, if i have to yield to this seat deposit policy, then I wouldn't care about my grade this semester. And I would lack any motivation to study hard. So it matters to me a lot.

T1? T2? TTT? It matters a lot if you're only in the top 20%

sandwhich wrote:

lixinempire wrote:

sandwhich wrote:

lixinempire wrote:In the official acceptance letter, this is what it says on the seat deposit policy: "By submitting this form, you agree to withdraw all other law school applications and agree to initiate no new applications to other law schools."

I would prefer to keep my options open and apply to other schools. But this is the first time I see a seat deposit like this.

What's your current LS rank and rough class ranking after 1st semester?

I am around the top 20% of for the first semester. But I have aced all my midterms this semester, and I think I will do even better in the final. Honestly, if i have to yield to this seat deposit policy, then I wouldn't care about my grade this semester. And I would lack any motivation to study hard. So it matters to me a lot.

T1? T2? TTT? It matters a lot if you're only in the top 20%

I am currently in a T2 school, middle of the pack

lixinempire wrote:I am around the top 20% of for the first semester. But I have aced all my midterms this semester, and I think I will do even better in the final. Honestly, if i have to yield to this seat deposit policy, then I wouldn't care about my grade this semester. And I would lack any motivation to study hard. So it matters to me a lot.

LOL OK. Not even 20 percent of UMn students get biglaw. You're going to pay sticker for two years. You need biglaw. You think you're going to have a fighting chance as someone without ties who couldn't even get top 20 percent at his 1L school that was presumably far less well regarded? Good luck with that.

Twin Cities isn't a bad option. You could get higher though, especially if this semester goes as well as you think. Maybe just wait untill you get this semester's grades back and see if you even have to cross that bridge. Otherwise, you're in a sticky situation, but if you apply to other schools I don't think Minnesota is going to call every other law school and tell them not to accept you. The real risk, I think, is that they'll pull your acceptance even if you've paid the seat deposit.

sandwhich wrote:Twin Cities isn't a bad option. You could get higher though, especially if this semester goes as well as you think. Maybe just wait untill you get this semester's grades back and see if you even have to cross that bridge. Otherwise, you're in a sticky situation, but if you apply to other schools I don't think Minnesota is going to call every other law school and tell them not to accept you. The real risk, I think, is that they'll pull your acceptance even if you've paid the seat deposit.

Yeah, thanks for the advice. I will do my best and see what my final ranking stands, then make a decision. Maybe I should ask Minnesota Law first and see how they respond to the seat policy? (after I get high grades for second semester of course)

Traynor Brah wrote:

lixinempire wrote:I am around the top 20% of for the first semester. But I have aced all my midterms this semester, and I think I will do even better in the final. Honestly, if i have to yield to this seat deposit policy, then I wouldn't care about my grade this semester. And I would lack any motivation to study hard. So it matters to me a lot.

LOL OK. Not even 20 percent of UMn students get biglaw. You're going to pay sticker for two years. You need biglaw. You think you're going to have a fighting chance as someone without ties who couldn't even get top 20 percent at his 1L school that was presumably far less well regarded? Good luck with that.

I think I was around top 15-20%, my school just doesn't rank for first semester. And I have got solid Ace for all midterms, so I think I have improved a lot and beginning to understand law schools now.

lixinempire wrote:

Traynor Brah wrote:

lixinempire wrote:I am around the top 20% of for the first semester. But I have aced all my midterms this semester, and I think I will do even better in the final. Honestly, if i have to yield to this seat deposit policy, then I wouldn't care about my grade this semester. And I would lack any motivation to study hard. So it matters to me a lot.

LOL OK. Not even 20 percent of UMn students get biglaw. You're going to pay sticker for two years. You need biglaw. You think you're going to have a fighting chance as someone without ties who couldn't even get top 20 percent at his 1L school that was presumably far less well regarded? Good luck with that.

I think I was around top 15-20%, my school just doesn't rank for first semester. And I have got solid Ace for all midterms, so I think I have improved a lot and beginning to understand law schools now.

So why wouldn't you finish it off as well as possible? For real dude, now is not the time to tone down the effort.

It's not binding. They don't do binding transfer admissions.