Top Law Schools

Hey everyone,

I'm a 1L at a top 30 flagship in my home state, which is the region I originally wanted to live in post graduation. I'm on a full-ride and would have been content to stay, but my grades from the first semester have me rethinking my plan. I Cali'd (scored a 100) in all of my doctrinal classes and received an A in my Legal Writing/Research course, giving me a 4.0. My school doesn't rank the top 10% until the end of the spring semester, but I would assume I'm number 1 in my class after the Fall.

If I transfer, I would do so to get a BigLaw job or a Federal Gov job if possible. I also like the idea of a prestigious clerkship/academia, but I never considered those a real possibility until now. Also if I keep my grades up at my current school, the students in the top of the class have been able to name their jobs (aside from Academia) as long as they put some effort into the process.

Is it worth giving up my full ride scholarship, in-state connections, and likely journal spot to go to either Yale, Harvard or Chicago? I have little interest in living in NYC as a full-pay student, and really like my current institution. I also have no desire to work on the West Coast, or even live there for two years. I don't have significant undergrad debt and my family isn't hurting for money (although two years of full pay law school would still be rough).

I'd appreciate any feedback/advice you guys have on my chances of being accepted, if this is a good move, and what the pros/cons would be. I know that my spring grades are a huge factor, but I don't want to make a rushed decision at the end of the semester about applying/asking for rec letters.

Thanks!

Anonymous User wrote:Hey everyone,

I'm a 1L at a top 30 flagship in my home state, which is the region I originally wanted to live in post graduation. I'm on a full-ride and would have been content to stay, but my grades from the first semester have me rethinking my plan. I Cali'd (scored a 100) in all of my doctrinal classes and received an A in my Legal Writing/Research course, giving me a 4.0. My school doesn't rank the top 10% until the end of the spring semester, but I would assume I'm number 1 in my class after the Fall.

If I transfer, I would do so to get a BigLaw job or a Federal Gov job if possible. I also like the idea of a prestigious clerkship/academia, but I never considered those a real possibility until now. Also if I keep my grades up at my current school, the students in the top of the class have been able to name their jobs (aside from Academia) as long as they put some effort into the process.

Is it worth giving up my full ride scholarship, in-state connections, and likely journal spot to go to either Yale, Harvard or Chicago? I have little interest in living in NYC as a full-pay student, and really like my current institution. I also have no desire to work on the West Coast, or even live there for two years. I don't have significant undergrad debt and my family isn't hurting for money (although two years of full pay law school would still be rough).

I'd appreciate any feedback/advice you guys have on my chances of being accepted, if this is a good move, and what the pros/cons would be. I know that my spring grades are a huge factor, but I don't want to make a rushed decision at the end of the semester about applying/asking for rec letters.

Thanks!

I think it really depends on what flagship school you are at. UCLA or Texas - definitely stay. Arizona State, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota (others i may be missing) - changes the calculus big time.

You are a shoe in for U of C early decision and if you maintain grades you will get in Harvard. That said, the financial decision is a tough one.

Good luck on semester 2 - that is most important at this moment.

ETA: Your full ride helps you here. You have had to take no or just COL debt this year. Therefore, even at sticker, your debt level will be manageable (Still, like 180k+ )

Don't do it, You or your family would be paying $130K for little or no benefit. You can get a job with a top firm or a federal clerkship by staying on the path you're on. Your first semester grades are so high that the odds of a significant drop from where you are now are slim. Plus there's no way to know whether you would even like a new school. Since you're happy where you are, that's a big factor.

You've won the law school game: You took a full at a good but not elite school and did well enough to get elite school results. Paying full tuition for your last two seasons would essentially be throwing away the gains from the gamble you took and won.

Anonymous User wrote:Hey everyone,

I'm a 1L at a top 30 flagship in my home state, which is the region I originally wanted to live in post graduation. I'm on a full-ride and would have been content to stay, but my grades from the first semester have me rethinking my plan. I Cali'd (scored a 100) in all of my doctrinal classes and received an A in my Legal Writing/Research course, giving me a 4.0. My school doesn't rank the top 10% until the end of the spring semester, but I would assume I'm number 1 in my class after the Fall.

If I transfer, I would do so to get a BigLaw job or a Federal Gov job if possible. I also like the idea of a prestigious clerkship/academia, but I never considered those a real possibility until now. Also if I keep my grades up at my current school, the students in the top of the class have been able to name their jobs (aside from Academia) as long as they put some effort into the process.

Is it worth giving up my full ride scholarship, in-state connections, and likely journal spot to go to either Yale, Harvard or Chicago? I have little interest in living in NYC as a full-pay student, and really like my current institution. I also have no desire to work on the West Coast, or even live there for two years. I don't have significant undergrad debt and my family isn't hurting for money (although two years of full pay law school would still be rough).

I'd appreciate any feedback/advice you guys have on my chances of being accepted, if this is a good move, and what the pros/cons would be. I know that my spring grades are a huge factor, but I don't want to make a rushed decision at the end of the semester about applying/asking for rec letters.

Thanks!

IMO this really depends on the school you're at now and your longterm goals. If you are serious about being interested in academia, then a HYS transfer makes a lot of sense. Similar with things like impact litigation PI and such. There are some down-the-road benefits of an HYS level degree versus a T30, but that alone won't necessarily justify the cost. Top of the class at your school is almost certainly secure for BigLaw generally, so you're really looking at other benefits. This is a pretty personal decision.

I will note that Yale isn't likely, even as #1 in your class. They rarely dip out of the T14 for people and are a bit of a black box, but an app can't hurt (they took someone from Pepperdine this year!). If your grades maintain, you're quite likely in at H. Obviously you're a shoe-in for ED Chicago if you'd prefer that route.

The debt is a big deal, though I will note that, especially if you're 29+ (and thus age-out consideration of parental contributions), need based aid from HYS can be *very* significant even for transfers.