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Heya,
I’ve gotten some good advice in the past so I thought I’d ask now regarding a potential transfer situation:

I’m considering transferring out from Cardozo with full ride to one of several schools, but primarily (and with seemingly the highest chances of getting in with a top%5-%10 ranking) NYU. I am singularly interested in Public Interest (and with a particular focus as well but I would like not to disclose). However, I am also interested in pursuing research and teaching in the future, particularly around those issues that I wish to actually practice in. I have a masters degree. I am wondering if people have any suggestions as to whether transferring makes any sense. I am only interested in the prestige factor in so far as it helps me in a career sense. There are other reasons I would love to transfer namely all of the resources and course offerings that wealthier/better situated schools provide. I AM very happy with my experiences at my school and have made some amazing friends both radical and conservative, and found great professors. If you have any super good insight on that then feel free to share but I think that’s more of a personal thing that I can figure out myself. I’m really mostly looking for pointers on transferring in the academic/career sense as it relates specifically to public interest work. Things I know are important here are full ride scholarship vs probably full sticker price yet with good lrap. I am definitely applying (about to turn in apps in fact) so I already think it’s a good enough idea for that.I can totally answer questions if I’m not giving enough info for y’all to help.

Thanks a bunch in advance!!

If you transfer to CLS, their LRAP will pay for all of your incurred-debt while studying there, if you pursue public interest post-grad. I specifically told them in my personal statement that their LRAP was the main reason why I was applying. Worked for me.

CLS also has public interest career counseling as its own separate entity called Social Justice Iniatitives (SJI). It is divorced from private sector career services. I really liked that, because career services at a lot of schools are really bad with regard to public interest stuff. SJI has people on staff that counsel in specific areas: government, public interest, direct service public interest, and international human rights. They also have about 20 alumni who work in different PI/Gov't fields that will further assist you with informational interviews, advice, and help with regard to their specific PI specialties.

CLS also has a seminar called Advocacy in Theory and Practice, which is a 3 credit seminar that also has an optional field work component that allows you expansive flexibility in externing (fieldwork) at a public interest organization and getting credit for it. (Up to 3 credit hours for 15/hrs a week). I participated in the seminar/field work at worked at an impact litigation nonprofit, which provided an increased network of established Public Interest folks with nationwide contacts; so it's good for both experience and networking.

CLS also has a lot of clinics, which are crucial for public interest employment. It's also relatively easy for transfers to get onto CLS secondary journals, which are particularly important if you want to do PI litigation. But don't do a journal unless you understand that it is actual work and the note-writing part of it sucks (but you could also get it published so worth it if you're looking to do litigation). They're really not worth it if you're not interested in PI lit, and clinics will serve you better than a journal in that case.

CLS also has a student organization specifically for public interest folks, and there will be other CLS transfers that are going into PI. There were at least 6 of us that transferred in for PI.

Thanks a lot Nebby. Going to PM you.
Good to hear there is good PI at CLS. I know there is definitely a substantial amount of awesome scholarship being done by faculty but I couldn't tell what the actual community is with respect to students.

Apply to Harvard, Columbia & NYU. At present you have no options for next year beyond returning to your current school. Apply & see what develops.

Anymore ideas bout this from you PI folk? Thanks

Anonymous User wrote:Anymore ideas bout this from you PI folk? Thanks

There aren't a lot of us on these fora.

The sense that I have got is that some fields in PI are more prestige-heavy than others, but most opportunities that arise will do so because of your fit with that particular job. Your WE, background as a volunteer, expressed interests, and those other things we might recognize as intangibles seem more important than the school next to your name. Keep in mind that this is just one take. I wouldn't underestimate the value of your full ride and existing accomplishments, though.