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I recently was accepted to GULC as a transfer. My current school is ranked in the 30s. I’m in the Top 11% of my class, which unfortunately is just outside the range for an automatic Law Review spot. Not that it matters much, but I have no real attachment to my current school. I don’t really care either way if I stay or go from that perspective. I want to do BigLaw in DC. Obviously, GULC sounds like the better choice, but that DEBT.

I’m very debt adverse, so I’m really torn. At my current school, I’m looking at ~85k in debt after graduation. With GULC, it would be ~220k. I just can’t decide if it’s worth it. My current school is in the Southeast, within 5 hours of DC, but although they place several students in DC, they don’t place a lot in BigLaw. The cost of living at GULC is also a significant factor for me, as my current school has a very reasonable cost of living.

I’m still waiting to hear back from UVA (VA resident, so I at least have a chance), but I only have until Wednesday to give GULC an answer if I want to be able to do OCI. Any advice would be much appreciated!

DC biglaw is going to be a reach for you, regardless. It sounds like you'll be well-positioned for NYC biglaw, and you can target firms that have a DC presence. But I don't think the transfer would increase your chances enough to be worth an extra $140k in debt.

cavalier1138 wrote:DC biglaw is going to be a reach for you, regardless. It sounds like you'll be well-positioned for NYC biglaw, and you can target firms that have a DC presence. But I don't think the transfer would increase your chances enough to be worth an extra $140k in debt.

Thanks for the advice! Out of curiosity, if I were to get accepted to UVA (long-shot, I know), do you think it would be worth the extra $100k? And would it give me a better chance at DC? I would rather work in a smaller city in the SE than in NYC if DC is out of the question, if that helps.

Hey OP, I don't think we're in super dissimilar situations right now. Feel free to PM me if you need a sounding board.

Anonymous User wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:DC biglaw is going to be a reach for you, regardless. It sounds like you'll be well-positioned for NYC biglaw, and you can target firms that have a DC presence. But I don't think the transfer would increase your chances enough to be worth an extra $140k in debt.

Thanks for the advice! Out of curiosity, if I were to get accepted to UVA (long-shot, I know), do you think it would be worth the extra $100k? And would it give me a better chance at DC? I would rather work in a smaller city in the SE than in NYC if DC is out of the question, if that helps.

Maybe? I'd ask UVA transfers whether they got better-than-expected results for DC based on their pre-transfer school/grades.