Is it worth it to transfer? Forum

[Lawstudent3030]

Hey guys,

I know it is early, but I was hoping I could get some advice anyway. I recently finished up my first semester at a T2 flyover, and finished in the top 15% of the class. I'm content where I am, and have a very generous scholarship; however, I am married and we are both from back west. My wife isn't too excited of possibly spending the rest of her life back here. We are open to the idea of an ASU, UCLA, or closely related school. If not, we have talked about getting into a high ranked school and use that as a means to end up where we want. Is it worth it to consider transferring? I know there is always the option to stay where I am, and to find a summer job back home. Any and all advice will be welcomed. (I am really hoping for some advice that I can use to calm my wife down and let her know we'll be fine, whether we stay or leave.)

Thanks in advance.

[sdancer89]

I'm a 2L who was in a somewhat similar situation last year, and I ended up transferring to Berkeley. I missed California more than I expected and about halfway through the year I knew I wanted to end up back there. I had already decided to work in CA for my 1L summer, but found the distance/number of California schools/my CDO's lack of knowledge about California to be an obstacle that made me nervous. Ultimately, for me it came down to figuring out whether I would ok not being able to get back to CA for awhile after graduation or whether I really did want to have that option open to me.

Since it's only halfway through the year and you only have 1 semester of grades, it's too early to "decide" for sure, but it's definitely something to be thinking about. Study hard, keep your grades up, and absolutely apply. The increased cost is definitely something to consider, but if you and your wife really decide you don't want to stay, it can be worth it to know you have other options. I'm happy to have transferred, and I would absolutely do it again. Feel free to pm me if you have more questions.

[SFSpartan]

Keep in mind that you only have 1 semester of grades. That said, B (possible with your current grades) and S (very unlikely) are both worth the transfer. UCLA likely is as well, but would want to know more about your goals, given an increased likelihood of striking out.

[Lawstudent3030]

Sfspartan,

I know it is early and don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm curious of the possibilities. Right now nothing is set in stone as far as "goals." But I'm worried that sticking it out at my current school will funnel me into no options but to remain here for the foreseeable future.
One thing we've (my wife and I) have talked about is to try and get into a high ranked school, such as Georgetown, and use that as a springboard into better options. However, I'm unsure if it is worth the increased debt, loosing out on journal, etc.

[SFSpartan]

Sfspartan,

I know it is early and don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm curious of the possibilities. Right now nothing is set in stone as far as "goals." But I'm worried that sticking it out at my current school will funnel me into no options but to remain here for the foreseeable future.
One thing we've (my wife and I) have talked about is to try and get into a high ranked school, such as Georgetown, and use that as a springboard into better options. However, I'm unsure if it is worth the increased debt, loosing out on journal, etc.

Got it. Friends of mine that transferred, or contemplated transferring, asked themselves "can I get biglaw from median?" when thinking about a transfer school. It's a good question to ask because, realistically, you need a biglaw job to pay for the extra loans you'll take out by transferring (transfers typically pay sticker). Broadly speaking, the closer a school's median students are to getting biglaw jobs, the more sense it makes to transfer there.