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Situation as follows:

Rising 2L, ~3.75 (Top 8%) at T30
* Summer clerk in-house with a big corp + RA. Tried for regional biglaw SA 1L but got nothing despite similar grades first semester
* LR at current school very likely based on formula
* Scholarship at current school is effectively full tuition, but still loaning out $$ for living costs
* Accepted to GULC RD. Would get need-based aid at GULC. Have to reply to GULC next week
* Apps out to HCCNP. Interview with Penn set up, all quiet otherwise
* Clueless about Pre-OCI mass-mailing/CSO not a huge help here

Goals
* FedClerk into BigLaw. Preference for transactional but can show experience in both areas from current job and it wouldn't kill me either way

Questions
* Thoughts on transfers? Take GULC, hold out, or stay at current school?
* OCI Help: Advice on Mass-Mailing strategy? How to play it if I'm not sure whether the firms I'm applying to will be at OCI or not because I don't know
where I'm doing OCI..... More generally, how the hell do I mass mail given this situation?

How much need-based aid do you expect to get at GULC? If you'd be going from full-ride to paying something like 75% tuition or whatnot, I don't think transferring to GULC would be worth it as the T30 -> T20 prestige differential isn't that great.

Anonymous User wrote:* OCI Help: Advice on Mass-Mailing strategy? How to play it if I'm not sure whether the firms I'm applying to will be at OCI or not because I don't know
where I'm doing OCI..... More generally, how the hell do I mass mail given this situation?

"Mass mail" simply means applying directly to firms. Some firms may allow you to apply directly via your school's Symplicity - you can do that if applicable. Or you can simply apply through each firm's web portal (some firms have online forms that you fill out, others just have you email your materials in). Until and unless you accept a transfer offer, you simply list your current school, GPA and class rank and make no mention of your transfer apps or acceptances.

Target NYC as that is the largest BigLaw market. Also target any regional markets to which you have ties. Do not be discouraged by your lack of success in landing a 1L SA, as those are generally hard to get even for T13 students with great grades. 1L SAs are rare in general, and the positions that are available are mostly reserved for URMs (and sometimes women), for those with technical backgrounds who're interested in patent law, and at Texas firms for folks with Texas ties. I have T13 friends who secured terrific 2L SAs and ended up in very competitive clerkships (think CoA/SDNY/EDVA/NDCA) who struck out of the 1L SA game.

In addition to what Q said...

Anonymous User wrote:FedClerk into BigLaw. Preference for transactional

If your goal is transactional work, clerking doesn't help.