Top Law Schools

Currently a 1L in spring semester. Just got my grades back from first semester - 3.73 with an A- in my writing class. My school doesn't rank individually and I only know that I am the top 15%. I have about a 50% scholarship at my current school. I'm in a city that I could see myself practicing in but I have zero connections here other than law school. My goal is Big Law, potentially clerkship with no intentions of academia. I have no undergrad debt.

What are my transferring to HYS / is it even worth it? Do I need to provide more info? I hadn't really considered transferring until I got my grades and realized it might be a possibility.

I think you would need to advance into the top 5% for a chance at H/S and be the number 1 student for Yale to even be a possibility. Anecdotally several of the top students (top 5%) at a T20 where a friend of mine went did not get into Harvard or Stanford last year.

I appreciate the response, I figured it was probably a long shot without a 4.0.

To be clear, I could be in the top 5% (probably unlikely given my GPA), I just don't know at this point because my school only tells us if we are in the top 15%.

I was #1 in my class at a top 30 law school and transferred to Harvard. (I didn't get into Yale.) The year before me, someone who was #2-3 in the class didn't get into Harvard. My guess is that you're going to need something significantly higher than top 15%.

Continue to do well this semester, send a few applications to higher ranked schools and negotiate with your current school to get a more substantial scholarship. Then reassess your options. It may be better to stay at your current school, if you can end up with a full tuition scholarship.

The thing is, I'm not sure Y is even possible. My friend at a T20 was number one in his class and didn't get Y. Anecdata, to be sure, but transfers are usually heavily determined by grade/school rank so this seems to preclude that option.