DNCG (with small scholarship) to Chicago or CLS? Forum

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:39 pm

I'm currently top 15-20% at DNCG with a quarter-tuition scholarship. I'm assuming I will make law journal, but my current school hasn't let us know the results of the writing competition yet, and I'm not sure I can/should take for granted that I will make it. I've been accepted as a transfer to both Chicago and CLS and am trying to decide whether it's worth the move.

My immediate goal after graduation is biglaw. If I stay at my current school, I plan to bid heavily on NY and some on DC. I would prefer DC and assume I can land a job there. But I want to go to the best firm I can, and since I understand DC is much more competitive, I feel like I have a better shot at a V10 in NY. In the long run, I would love to pursue academia.

With those goals in mind, does a move to Chicago or CLS make sense? Would transferring to either school give me a better shot at DC or a better chance at a NY V10? I know Chicago and CLS generally have better biglaw placement than my current institution, but does anyone have hard data on transfer success at OCI?

Also, would going to Chicago give me a shot at Chicago biglaw? I have pretty weak ties and didn't summer in Chicago, but honestly would love to work there. If I transferred, could I play up my ties and say I transferred because I wanted to work in Chicago?

I know Chicago has an excellent history of producing graduates who excel in academia, but would my attending as a transfer student hurt me in this regard?

I know there are a lot of questions packed in here, so if anyone can help me with any of them, I would appreciate it!

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:42 pm

It might generate better responses if you specify whether you are currently attending Georgetown or Duke.

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:46 pm

chuckbass · Post by **chuckbass** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:49 pm

If you're just going to start in biglaw anyways I don't see how moving up would really be worth it.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:53 pm

Tough call--especially if placed on Duke's top law review/journal. (Does Duke still write the Alaska Law Review ?)
I know of several, actually many, transfers to Columbia who did very well with NYC biglaw placement at OCI. Chicago, in my opinion, is in a class with Yale & Stanford due to outstanding everything along with small graduating classes.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:57 pm

First, no wrong decision among your three options, in my opinion. Second, academia "requires" getting published so, therefore, law review membership should be considered as an important factor. The prestige factor of graduating from Chicago is significant, but relationships with profs can also make an impact upon employers & judges. Will you be sacrificing close relationships if you transfer ? = a factor to consider.

chuckbass · Post by **chuckbass** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 12:58 pm

CanadianWolf wrote:Tough call--especially if placed on Duke's top law review/journal. (Does Duke still write the Alaska Law Review ?)
I know of several, actually many, transfers to Columbia who did very well with NYC biglaw placement at OCI. Chicago, in my opinion, is in a class with Yale & Stanford due to outstanding everything along with small graduating classes.

Sure, but top 15-20% at Duke puts OP in play for any firm really, and OP will end up with the same job and more debt.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:02 pm

If you definitely want NYC biglaw, then Columbia is a reasonable choice (as are your other options, but the convenience factor & stellar NYC biglaw placement make Columbia attractive). For academia, depends upon your current relationships with professors, whether or not you can move up to the top 5% of your class by graduation & whether or not you get published.
I finished law school a long time ago, so you might get more detailed responses from current students at these schools, FWIW, the prestige factor of Chicago is significant in my experience.

BigZuck · Post by **BigZuck** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:03 pm

Passing on (potential I guess, not sure why the OP seems to think it'll happen) law review at Duke to spend significantly more money at Columbia/Chicago just to do the big law thing seems like a really bad idea to me.

I guess maybe really wanting to be in Chicago could change that, I dunno.

I'd probably just give up on the academia thing.

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:16 pm

I don't think I would have pursued the transfer route if I had a better scholarship. I understand that transferring will leave me with more debt after graduation, but given that I'm paying 75% of sticker at Duke, the difference would be something like $30K. If I had been presented with this choice when I was first applying to law school, I feel like I probably would have gone with one of the latter.

And again, I don't actually know whether I made law journal yet. If it turns out I didn't, my inclination is to leave. Would not making law journal change the answers of those who have advised staying?

06102016 · Post by **06102016** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:23 pm

BigZuck · Post by **BigZuck** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:39 pm

Yeah I think the cost would be at least like 50K+ and I'm not really seeing the benefit.

What is the benefit that you see, OP?

06102016 · Post by **06102016** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:53 pm

landshoes · Post by **landshoes** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 2:08 pm

Looking at Chicago vs Duke, I didn't find a huge difference in COL if (and I realize that this is a big if) you don't bring your car to Chicago. Housing seems really reasonable in Chicago.

Colombia obviously is off the charts expensive COL.

BigZuck · Post by **BigZuck** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 2:28 pm

slackademic wrote:
BigZuck wrote:Yeah I think the cost would be at least like 50K+ and I'm not really seeing the benefit.

What is the benefit that you see, OP?
I guess OP said something about going to the best firm possible. So maybe that's a benefit, and it's fair, but I don't know that those options are off the table at Duke with OP's current setup.

A lot of it hinges on the maybe sort of but I'm planning on it Law Review invite.

But transferring and paying a lot of money to marginally increase your chances at a V5 instead of having to settle for a lowly V10 seems like a bad move IMO. And if the OP gave up the hypothetical Law Review I wonder if the OP's chances would even improve at all.

I mean, you're right and I guess it's probably more legit than I give it credit for but I tend to

at the thought of a 1L trying to incrementally climb up the Vault ladder, cost to do so be damned.

Anonymous User · Post by **Anonymous User** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 2:51 pm

BigZuck wrote:Yeah I think the cost would be at least like 50K+ and I'm not really seeing the benefit.

What is the benefit that you see, OP?

Chicago would put me significantly closer to my significant other. I didn't mention that earlier because I wanted to get a feel for whether others thought it made sense professionally. So the benefits I see, particularly of Chicago, are...

1. Closer to SO
2. Historically better firm placement.
3. Significantly better academia placement. I understand that academia is very unlikely whether I stay/go, so please don't berate me for even entertaining the aspiration. And I understand that pursuing academia as a transfer student would require a lot of hustle on my part (i.e. doing very well in the fall so I could secure strong LORs for clerkship applications, which I would presumably submit in January).
4. Very drawn to Chicago faculty

chuckbass · Post by **chuckbass** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 4:21 pm

Ok well you want to go to Chicago clearly, so go to Chicago.

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