Another UChi ED Thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

Just outside top 10% at T20 (which is a school I actually really like). Currently on a sizable, though not full, scholarship, so debt would be around 100k more if I transferred (50k vs 150k), maybe less since SO would be working full time and could help offset COL.

I guess my question is whether transferring is too much of a risk. The reasons I like the idea of transferring are the greater shot at Biglaw (only want that for the exit-options, if we're being totally honest), better portability if I ever want to relocate, and SO and I really would prefer to be in Chicago. No burning desire for H, which is what leads me toward Chicago ED. My main concern, though, is about what I could expect for Biglaw prospects as a transfer, since I know that can sometimes be an issue. I'd have no problem focusing most of my efforts on Chicago/Midwest firms at OCI. I'm a reasonably normal person and interview about as well as anyone, but I worry about the effect of the transfer status on 2L OCI. I could almost certainly snag Biglaw from my current school if I maintain my GPA, but of course there's only so much I can do to ensure that.

Any input helps. Thanks!

Also, what's the deal with ED and staying at your current school? I've seen conflicting reports on this. Thanks again.

[Gunner19]

I may be wrong, but seems like you're only interested in transferring to Chicago at this point? If thats the case, theres no reason not to throw an app. I'm pretty certain Chi's ED is only binding with regards to transferring to other places, meaning you can just stay at your current school if you decide not to transfer even if admitted. Being admitted would also allow you to try to leverage some more scholly money at your current school. Anecdotally, I've heard transfers ranked high enough to transfer to top schools fair quite nicely at OCI (but can't personally confirm).

[Anonymous User]

OP Here. Yeah, mostly just looking at UChi since I'm not sure I'd land HYS and don't think they'd really be that much better for my goals than UChi. I've browsed around these forums a bit and have seen different takes on how transfers fare in general at OCI, but not a ton on Chicago specifically. I'd like to think the whole T6 thing carries some weight, but I've also seen that employers can look skeptically on transfers (probably varies firm to firm).

[yyyuppp]

Isn't the Chicago ED binding in that you have to go no matter what and even can't stay at your old school if admitted?

[Anonymous User]

^ Yeah that's what it seems like on their website but I've seen people say otherwise. I'll probably call them to figure out which it is if I end up wanting to pull the trigger on an app.

[CheddarArachnid]

To the original question of OCI's at UChicago. Transfers generally enjoy great success, but that is always a mix of 1) bidding strategy, 2) ties to whichever market you bid on and 3) wherever the rest of the class targets. There are several folks who did not receive offers because they exclusively targeted Chicago/Midwest. So it can happen... but I am sure other CCN transfer's would echo this by transferring you get access to lots of firms you otherwise would not have access to.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the reply! I'm encouraged to hear that, on the whole, transfers have solid opportunities. As for bidding strategy, I take what you're saying to mean one shouldn't totally commit to any one region? I'd be fine with bidding NYC/DC/etc, but if I have Midwest ties would bidding mostly on Chicago, then NYC/DC/Boston, and then sending a few out to Indy, Milwaukee, STL and other midwest markets hedge my bets?

Note: I get that OCI strategy is a case-by-case sort of thing, so if my question is too broad, if someone could point me in the direction of good threads breaking all of this down that would be greatly appreciated.

[CheddarArachnid]

Thanks for the reply! I'm encouraged to hear that, on the whole, transfers have solid opportunities. As for bidding strategy, I take what you're saying to mean one shouldn't totally commit to any one region? I'd be fine with bidding NYC/DC/etc, but if I have Midwest ties would bidding mostly on Chicago, then NYC/DC/Boston, and then sending a few out to Indy, Milwaukee, STL and other midwest markets hedge my bets?

Note: I get that OCI strategy is a case-by-case sort of thing, so if my question is too broad, if someone could point me in the direction of good threads breaking all of this down that would be greatly appreciated.

If you search legal employment there is a thread every year. The downside with transferring is debt, which is a lot. If you can get the same opportunity with less debt than why transfer?

[lavarman84]

Isn't the Chicago ED binding in that you have to go no matter what and even can't stay at your old school if admitted?

They can say that, but what can they really do if you decide to stay at your old school?

[yyyuppp]

Isn't the Chicago ED binding in that you have to go no matter what and even can't stay at your old school if admitted?

They can say that, but what can they really do if you decide to stay at your old school?

Right but that's the expectation. Does ED for 1l admissions have a way of enforcing their students' commitments?

[Anonymous User]

All helpful responses. Many thanks! Goals are certainly attainable from my current school, but they would be dependent on me staying in roughly the same position that I'm currently in, so the whole debt/opportunity calculation is a little fuzzy. That's why I was curious about what the actual meaning of "binding" is for their ED; I figured it'd be a good way to hedge my bets just in case Spring grades don't come back as strong as Fall for whatever reason.

[lavarman84]

Isn't the Chicago ED binding in that you have to go no matter what and even can't stay at your old school if admitted?

They can say that, but what can they really do if you decide to stay at your old school?

Right but that's the expectation. Does ED for 1l admissions have a way of enforcing their students' commitments?

To some degree, yes. There's the possibility that they'll call up other law schools and tank your chances for backing out on them.(but that's unlikely to happen)

In this scenario, they can't do anything if you stay at your old school.

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to revive this thread. Just wanted to get some input given new information. Thanks to generous family members, and some of my own savings, it looks like I'd only need to take out between 70-80k total for the two years at UChi if I transferred there. I have no UG debt, and would owe just under 50k in loans from family members (no interest, pay when I can, you know the drill).

That said, if I stick at the T20, I'd just owe the family loans. I'll put up a poll but any responses people have are welcomed, too.

(Note: I realize this is premature, as I haven't even applied to UChi, but I think my stats give me at least a decent ED shot.)

[Bartolomeus]

What's the feeling of people in this thread of whether someone ought to wait and try to transfer to HYS or just take a whirl at Chicago's ED?

[Anonymous User]

What's the feeling of people in this thread of whether someone ought to wait and try to transfer to HYS or just take a whirl at Chicago's ED?

Bro, you're hijacking the thread.

[foregetaboutdre]

I'd say if you want to clerk I'd go.

Being at a T20.... if you want Biglaw its kind of up in the air. If you're at Chi I would say you would have a larger range of Biglaw firms to pick from, but you'd most likely get biglaw as 10% from a top20.

[CheddarArachnid]

Clerking can be tough as generally transferring burns bridges with 1l professors back home... it also requires replicating 1l performance after you have secured a summer SA. Just know what you are getting into!

[Anonymous User]

Thanks, guys. Clerking would certainly be an awesome opportunity, but it doesn't really fuel my interest in transferring. My main reason is really just better Biglaw prospects, and equally important is probably the geographic flexibility.

[Joscellin]

Just outside top 10% at T20 (which is a school I actually really like). Currently on a sizable, though not full, scholarship, so debt would be around 100k more if I transferred (50k vs 150k), maybe less since SO would be working full time and could help offset COL.

I guess my question is whether transferring is too much of a risk. The reasons I like the idea of transferring are the greater shot at Biglaw (only want that for the exit-options, if we're being totally honest), better portability if I ever want to relocate, and SO and I really would prefer to be in Chicago. No burning desire for H, which is what leads me toward Chicago ED. My main concern, though, is about what I could expect for Biglaw prospects as a transfer, since I know that can sometimes be an issue. I'd have no problem focusing most of my efforts on Chicago/Midwest firms at OCI. I'm a reasonably normal person and interview about as well as anyone, but I worry about the effect of the transfer status on 2L OCI. I could almost certainly snag Biglaw from my current school if I maintain my GPA, but of course there's only so much I can do to ensure that.

Any input helps. Thanks!

Also, what's the deal with ED and staying at your current school? I've seen conflicting reports on this. Thanks again.

I can't speak to UChi transfers specifically, but my experience at H was that transfers did very well at OCI. It certainly didn't seem to actively hurt anyone. That said, I don't know that the transfer improved my chances by that much because, as you mention, I agree that top 10% at a T20 is relatively biglaw secure. I will place one caveat - there may be the occasional interviewer that will dismiss you as a transfer - but I had one of these out of 20+.

I will echo your concerns about later-in-life portability - this was a big part of my decision to transfer. It was less about the first job out of school and more about the job 20 years down the line, in who-knows-what market. For better or worse (mostly worse), Law is one of those professions where your school never really stops playing a role.

Especially if you're focused on going to Chicago, I see very little downside to transferring in your case. The debt isn't insubstantial, but this isn't a case where you're giving up a fully. If you want to be sure, though, I'd see if you can find any posters who transferred to Chicago in the last few years and reach out to see gauge OCI success.

[Anonymous User]

Just outside top 10% at T20 (which is a school I actually really like). Currently on a sizable, though not full, scholarship, so debt would be around 100k more if I transferred (50k vs 150k), maybe less since SO would be working full time and could help offset COL.

I guess my question is whether transferring is too much of a risk. The reasons I like the idea of transferring are the greater shot at Biglaw (only want that for the exit-options, if we're being totally honest), better portability if I ever want to relocate, and SO and I really would prefer to be in Chicago. No burning desire for H, which is what leads me toward Chicago ED. My main concern, though, is about what I could expect for Biglaw prospects as a transfer, since I know that can sometimes be an issue. I'd have no problem focusing most of my efforts on Chicago/Midwest firms at OCI. I'm a reasonably normal person and interview about as well as anyone, but I worry about the effect of the transfer status on 2L OCI. I could almost certainly snag Biglaw from my current school if I maintain my GPA, but of course there's only so much I can do to ensure that.

Any input helps. Thanks!

Also, what's the deal with ED and staying at your current school? I've seen conflicting reports on this. Thanks again.

I can't speak to UChi transfers specifically, but my experience at H was that transfers did very well at OCI. It certainly didn't seem to actively hurt anyone. That said, I don't know that the transfer improved my chances by that much because, as you mention, I agree that top 10% at a T20 is relatively biglaw secure. I will place one caveat - there may be the occasional interviewer that will dismiss you as a transfer - but I had one of these out of 20+.

I will echo your concerns about later-in-life portability - this was a big part of my decision to transfer. It was less about the first job out of school and more about the job 20 years down the line, in who-knows-what market. For better or worse (mostly worse), Law is one of those professions where your school never really stops playing a role.

Especially if you're focused on going to Chicago, I see very little downside to transferring in your case. The debt isn't insubstantial, but this isn't a case where you're giving up a fully. If you want to be sure, though, I'd see if you can find any posters who transferred to Chicago in the last few years and reach out to see gauge OCI success.

This is encouraging to hear. Like I said, I like my current school and I think biglaw is certainly within reach. It'd just be nice to know I've got more flexibility. I'm a fairly debt-averse person (scratch "fairly" and replace "very"), so the prospect of taking on 75k in gov loans is a little daunting. That said, from what I've read that is not an absurd price for a UChi degree.

[Joscellin]

Just outside top 10% at T20 (which is a school I actually really like). Currently on a sizable, though not full, scholarship, so debt would be around 100k more if I transferred (50k vs 150k), maybe less since SO would be working full time and could help offset COL.

I guess my question is whether transferring is too much of a risk. The reasons I like the idea of transferring are the greater shot at Biglaw (only want that for the exit-options, if we're being totally honest), better portability if I ever want to relocate, and SO and I really would prefer to be in Chicago. No burning desire for H, which is what leads me toward Chicago ED. My main concern, though, is about what I could expect for Biglaw prospects as a transfer, since I know that can sometimes be an issue. I'd have no problem focusing most of my efforts on Chicago/Midwest firms at OCI. I'm a reasonably normal person and interview about as well as anyone, but I worry about the effect of the transfer status on 2L OCI. I could almost certainly snag Biglaw from my current school if I maintain my GPA, but of course there's only so much I can do to ensure that.

Any input helps. Thanks!

Also, what's the deal with ED and staying at your current school? I've seen conflicting reports on this. Thanks again.

I can't speak to UChi transfers specifically, but my experience at H was that transfers did very well at OCI. It certainly didn't seem to actively hurt anyone. That said, I don't know that the transfer improved my chances by that much because, as you mention, I agree that top 10% at a T20 is relatively biglaw secure. I will place one caveat - there may be the occasional interviewer that will dismiss you as a transfer - but I had one of these out of 20+.

I will echo your concerns about later-in-life portability - this was a big part of my decision to transfer. It was less about the first job out of school and more about the job 20 years down the line, in who-knows-what market. For better or worse (mostly worse), Law is one of those professions where your school never really stops playing a role.

Especially if you're focused on going to Chicago, I see very little downside to transferring in your case. The debt isn't insubstantial, but this isn't a case where you're giving up a fully. If you want to be sure, though, I'd see if you can find any posters who transferred to Chicago in the last few years and reach out to see gauge OCI success.

This is encouraging to hear. Like I said, I like my current school and I think biglaw is certainly within reach. It'd just be nice to know I've got more flexibility. I'm a fairly debt-averse person (scratch "fairly" and replace "very"), so the prospect of taking on 75k in gov loans is a little daunting. That said, from what I've read that is not an absurd price for a UChi degree.

I know this isn't the soundest reasoning ever, but I knew that ex-ante I would have paid sticker to go to CCN (and HYS), but wound up on scholarship at a t20 instead. So I figured that transferring was basically me getting in at the school I wanted on a 1/3rd scholarship, which I would have leapt at.

I'm not particularly debt averse, though, and this type of decision is an intensely personal one.