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Hi,

I am currently a 1L at a T20 with a full scholarship. I am writing to gauge your opinion on whether applying to U Chicago ED as a transfer is a wise decision for someone in my position.

I finished my first semester with a 3.73, placing me in the top 20% of my class. I understand that I will be a "fringe" candidate for Chicago should I apply ED, but the reason I'm asking now is because ED is binding (as I'm sure you know).

The hardest part of this decision for me has been the added debt. I am on pace to graduate from law school with no debt should I remain at my current school, and transferring to Chicago would mean I would need to finance attendance with about ~110K in loans. I would be able to live with friends in the Chicago area for free and commute to school, which would slightly offset the cost of attendance.

My ultimate career goal is to land a federal clerkship after law school then big law in a large/moderate sized Midwestern market (i.e. Chicago, Minneapolis, KC, Des Moines, etc.).

Is the added debt worth the move here or would it be better to remain at my current school? I really appreciate any help you could provide in evaluating this situation.

Thank you!

Chicago could make your goals more attainable, so now it's just whether that uptick is worth the debt. Depends on how conservative you want to be, but I think you have a solid grasp of the pros and cons, and I don't know what others here could say that would help.

Assuming you can choose to stay at your school if accepted, I don't see much downside to applying ED here.

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wolfie_m. wrote:If you're at the school I think you are, you will probably need prior ties to Chicago to get that market if you stay.* (NU undergrad would help, e.g.)

Minneapolis and KC will both require ties, too, but if you have them already, then it's not worth it to transfer to UChi.

Unless you've gotta have Chicago or want the UChi prestige, I think you're better off with no debt. Just apply to NY, markets you have ties to, and the markets you want (prioritized in that order) in the fall and enjoy no debt after school. The difference between the schools for federal clerkships is not enough to justify $110k.

*A GPA boost to 3.9-4.0 would also help.

I really want Chicago. The prestige is less of a factor for me but I'm very concerned about my current school's ability to get me to Chicago. I don't have great ties to Chicago other than my SO's family, and I desperately do not want to return to my home market after law school (Des Moines). I don't have any other ties to any other markets, so basically it's Chicago or NYC or bust at this point for me.

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