Top Law Schools

Hello, I am currently a 1l. I do not want to disclose my law school but it is T3 school. Besides the fact that I willingly went to a T3 school I now want to transfer to a DC law school where I feel I will be given better opportunities. I specifically have American University Washington College of Law, Georgetown, George Mason, and Howard Law in mind. I would specifically like to know if it would be a good idea to even transfer in the first place. Will I be closed off to OCI's being that I would be a transfer student? Will I be closed off to law review/moot court. I know that I would essentially have to start all over but will I be at a disadvantage to other 1L's even though all law school students take the same classes the first year? Any information will help. Thank you!

Transfer students are generally able to participate at their new school's OCI (that's most students' main reason for transferring), although of course confirm this with each of your schools. Ditto for LR/moot court.

At OCI employers would view you as if you were a rising 2L at your old school. The main advantage is that at higher-ranked schools, more employers attend OCI so you would have more chances to get your foot in the door. Many employers who don't bother to attend a T3's OCI may very well attend a T2's OCI.

All that said, be aware that the schools you mention (aside from Georgetown) do not have great placement. American University for example has a BigLaw placement rate of just under 13% so if BigLaw is what you're hoping for, American isn't going to be your golden ticket.

Also be aware that transfer students generally end up paying full freight at their new school, regardless of any scholarships they may have had at their 1L school.

I concur with the poster above. I transferred to Georgetown this past year.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.

torero14 wrote:I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value.

Law schools' "educational value" is meaningless after you graduate. I don't even know how you would measure it, but no employer will care.

cavalier1138 wrote:

torero14 wrote:I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value.

Law schools' "educational value" is meaningless after you graduate. I don't even know how you would measure it, but no employer will care.

Are you saying that ranking doesn’t matter then? The schools that I am transferring to all have a higher ranking than my current school. I though the higher ranked the school the better the quality of education.

I can say that I feel that because my school is ranked the way it is it might have something to do with the quality of education, which is in my opinion just bad.

Anonymous User wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:

torero14 wrote:I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value.

Law schools' "educational value" is meaningless after you graduate. I don't even know how you would measure it, but no employer will care.

Are you saying that ranking doesn’t matter then? The schools that I am transferring to all have a higher ranking than my current school. I though the higher ranked the school the better the quality of education.

I can say that I feel that because my school is ranked the way it is it might have something to do with the quality of education, which is in my opinion just bad.

Rankings matter as an indicator of school prestige, which in turn is an indicator of the school's ability to place its students into legal jobs. There is little to no correlation between ranking/prestige and quality of teaching (except maybe at the extreme end of the spectrum, e.g., non-ABA law schools and maybe T4 law schools). You can find many professors at the T13 who are legal masterminds and terrible instructors.

torero14 wrote:I concur with the poster above. I transferred to Georgetown this past year.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.

What was your GPA/do you think your previous school's ranking mattered in your admittance to Gtown

Thanks!

lolo24189 wrote:

torero14 wrote:I concur with the poster above. I transferred to Georgetown this past year.
I can tell you from experience that AUWCL is underrated in terms of educational value. However, rankings do matter and they usually determine the BigLaw firms that come to OCI.
Also, if you really want to work in DC, then yes, it would be better to transfer because it'll be much easier for you to network.

What was your GPA/do you think your previous school's ranking mattered in your admittance to Gtown

Thanks!

3.6
I'm not sure if you mean the ranking of my school or my ranking within my class at my old school.
Either way, yes. old School: Most transfers out go to Georgetown. Georgetown: Most transferring in come from old school
GPAs are relative, that's why class rankings matter.