Top Law Schools

My stats:
Top 25% at Fordham (they don’t rank beyond top 10, 25, 33, 50 cutoffs and I’m not trying to guess where I am)
4 pre-oci callbacks (ranging from V10-V50)
No LR at Fordham, but on secondary journal aligned with my interests.
Legal writing TA

I was accepted to NYU. I’m really torn over whether or not I should attend. My biggest fear is burning bridges with my 1L professors. I connected really well with 3 or 4 of my professors from 1L. One approached me about TAing his class next year. This particular professor has a lot of sway with the clerkship committee. I know he’d advocate staunchly on my behalf, but I’m not sure that’s enough to overcome no law review.

On the other hand, Fordham transfers apparently do well with NYU write on and several have made law review. I wouldn’t know any professors though, I’d be starting at zero with my gpa, and my gut says I’d fare better at Fordham’s oci.

Long term goals are ideally a fed clerkship, big Law, and either big fed or ausa down the road. But I’m not closing myself off to going in house at some point or even trying to stay in big Law for partner track.

I just, I really think that I would be throwing away a lot of valuable relationships at Fordham if I transfer and I think those have the potential to even out the NYU brand name. At this point, I’d likely also piss a lot of people off due to commitments to various orgs and the writing TA position. The legal community is small and I really don’t want to burn bridges if I don’t have to.

Oh, also: have no debt coming out of fordham and will have no debt coming out of NYU.

Congrats!! What a great opportunity. You should go to NYU--most importantly because you won't incur any debt and you gain a lot.

I assume NYU will let you do OCI? If so, before you do it, let the four firms that selected you at Fordham know that "I am very interested in working at your firm, but I have accepted an offer to transfer to NYU, might you be attending NYU's OCI? If so, I would love for a chance to interview then." Beofre you do that, feel free to ask NYU if that's the proper thing to do--I'm sure they have good advice for transfers. They will all say yes. And at NYU, take BS classes and puff that GPA. You also have better clerking chances at NYU. Find the recommending professors there and take their classes.

Congrats again. That's a life changing opportunity.

You won't burn any bridges. No one cares that much, and no professors who liked you will stop liking you/it is easy to get another TA. If you have family paying your way no matter where you go, I'd transfer if they don't mind ponying up the extra cash for NYU. (Though I'd much rather them give me the difference, perhaps in a mutual fund and stay at Fordham, where your outcomes will likely be substantially similar to those at NYU.)

That’s rough... did you reach out to the prof you will be TAing for his/ her thoughts??

I would also see if you can manage to get/ increase a scholarship at Fordham. Sure you are not paying for school, but someone is...

B4L wrote:Congrats!! What a great opportunity. You should go to NYU--most importantly because you won't incur any debt and you gain a lot.

I assume NYU will let you do OCI? If so, before you do it, let the four firms that selected you at Fordham know that "I am very interested in working at your firm, but I have accepted an offer to transfer to NYU, might you be attending NYU's OCI? If so, I would love for a chance to interview then." Beofre you do that, feel free to ask NYU if that's the proper thing to do--I'm sure they have good advice for transfers. They will all say yes. And at NYU, take BS classes and puff that GPA. You also have better clerking chances at NYU. Find the recommending professors there and take their classes.

Congrats again. That's a life changing opportunity.

Thanks for the advice! Just to clarify the four firms I have pre-oci callbacks with are firms i have full callbacks with next week before oci. We actually get our Fordham oci schedules tomorrow.

My friends at NYU already got their OCI schedule so you would be treated differently as a transfer at NYU if you participate in OCI there (being accepted so late). Just something to think about. Congrats on the acceptance though!

kams18 wrote:My friends at NYU already got their OCI schedule so you would be treated differently as a transfer at NYU if you participate in OCI there (being accepted so late). Just something to think about. Congrats on the acceptance though!

Thanks! There is a separate lottery process for transfer students...according to CSO they generally get 20-25 interviews.