Transfering Down? Forum

[rayiner]

You sound like a wet blanket.

[kurama20]

Why don't you try to transfer to Penn or NYU? It seems like your problem was that you don't like small cities and Philly or New York might be more enjoyable to you. I'm not sure how high in the class you'd have to be but if you're around the median (even slightly below), it's worth applying. For NYU, I've known people who were around top 1/3 get in and it'd probably be worth applying if you have a 3.3 or above.

This is a good idea. You could probably transfer to NYU or Penn with just above median grades. Lateral transfers aren't usually that difficult from what people have told me, and NYU has a huge transfer class. Oh and of course there's Columbia too, which has a huge transfer class as well. Sounds like you just need to be in a city.

[Kiersten1985]

One of the attorneys I work with at a T5 NYC firm transferred from UVA to BU actually because she got married and her husband was at Harvard for his MBA. Obviously, everything worked out and she's making bank now.

I think people underestimate BU's national placement.

[Pearalegal]

One of the attorneys I work with at a T5 NYC firm transferred from UVA to BU actually because she got married and her husband was at Harvard for his MBA. Obviously, everything worked out and she's making bank now.

I think people underestimate BU's national placement.

I agree.

I also had to repress a lot of my urges to question why she moved for him when there was only a relatively short time apart.

[Kiersten1985]

One of the attorneys I work with at a T5 NYC firm transferred from UVA to BU actually because she got married and her husband was at Harvard for his MBA. Obviously, everything worked out and she's making bank now.

I think people underestimate BU's national placement.

I agree.

I also had to repress a lot of my urges to question why she moved for him when there was only a relatively short time apart.

haha, yeah well she also has realized that she hates BigLaw and wishes she could quit so I think a lot of this was...um...not thought through.

[Blindmelon]

Depending on how bad your grades actually are, I wouldn't bank on transferring to BU. It isn't a slam drunk, BU takes a very small transfer class, and the ones I met were usually top 1% at TTT schools. I don't know how they would look upon below median at a better school. Also, outside of the T5 and within the T14, I hear more about UVA than any other school in Boston.

I would stick it out. BU is a great school, but OCI with bad grades then a transfer is not going to serve you well. Also, don't bank on doing better at BU than UVA. Our medians are pretty high (166/3.7) so its going to still be pretty stiff competition.

[XxSpyKEx]

Just to add to what others have said- 1) OCI may not be blind at BU (meaning you might not get any interviews with bad grades) 2) even if OCI is blind and you have interviews, keep in mind that you will be asked why you transferred to that school and firms are going to expect good, coherent reasons for transferring, and being homesick is not a good one. Firms will probably look at that as "well what if this guy gets sick of working at this firm and leaves right away." The only truly good reason you might be able to articulate for transferring down to a lower school might be something like "my mom has cancer" but nothing like that seems to be true here.

[Bankhead]

Why don't you try to transfer to Penn or NYU? It seems like your problem was that you don't like small cities and Philly or New York might be more enjoyable to you. I'm not sure how high in the class you'd have to be but if you're around the median (even slightly below), it's worth applying. For NYU, I've known people who were around top 1/3 get in and it'd probably be worth applying if you have a 3.3 or above.

This is a good idea. You could probably transfer to NYU or Penn with just above median grades. Lateral transfers aren't usually that difficult from what people have told me, and NYU has a huge transfer class. Oh and of course there's Columbia too, which has a huge transfer class as well. Sounds like you just need to be in a city.

I'm not certain that this is how it works. From what I've heard (from more than 1 adcomm), if you aren't top third then you really can't transfer anywhere from anywhere.

After all, even a Tier 3 school doesn't really GAIN anything from taking a median T14 transfer.

[vanwinkle]

After all, even a Tier 3 school doesn't really GAIN anything from taking a median T14 transfer.

Actually it gains two things: Another student paying sticker (since transfers almost never get scholarship $$) and someone who's almost guaranteed to pass the bar, boosting their bar passage rates (anyone with the numbers to get in a T14 and the ability to make median there is going to pass the bar).

Since those are the two things a school wants when it takes transfers, I bet it'd work at least some places.

[superserial]

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Ok, this is probably completely unnecessary, but as you're thinking about leaving a great school...I'm just going to say it.

These are terrible reasons to be miserable somewhere. You're homesick. Congrats, every 10 year old that went to camp has felt the same way. Most people don't know anyone when they move to a new place. Thankfully, you're in an environment that is basically engineering to help you make friends. Everyone can find a niche anywhere, though some need to work on it more than others. Make new friends, try new things.

Charlottesville has plenty to do, though of course not as much as a big city. I know you realized this going into UVA.

Put on your big kid underpants, and even if you decide to apply to transfer, work you ass off next semester both socially and academically. Honestly, it just sounds like you're homesick and got the academic shit kicked out of you. Man, sympathies. But don't run away.

Agree 100% with Pearalegal...

I didn't go to law school to make friends and have fun. The fact that I did both is nice, but I wouldn't have considered transferring because of my social life.

[Helmholtz]

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Ok, this is probably completely unnecessary, but as you're thinking about leaving a great school...I'm just going to say it.

These are terrible reasons to be miserable somewhere. You're homesick. Congrats, every 10 year old that went to camp has felt the same way. Most people don't know anyone when they move to a new place. Thankfully, you're in an environment that is basically engineering to help you make friends. Everyone can find a niche anywhere, though some need to work on it more than others. Make new friends, try new things.

Charlottesville has plenty to do, though of course not as much as a big city. I know you realized this going into UVA.

Put on your big kid underpants, and even if you decide to apply to transfer, work you ass off next semester both socially and academically. Honestly, it just sounds like you're homesick and got the academic shit kicked out of you. Man, sympathies. But don't run away.

Agree 100% with Pearalegal...

I didn't go to law school to make friends and have fun. The fact that I did both is nice, but I wouldn't have considered transferring because of my social life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w536Alnon24

[superserial]

.

I actually really like the people here.

[vamedic03]

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[lordvader]

>Charlottesville has plenty to do, though of course not as much as a big city. I know you realized this going into UVA.

Are you on crack? Charlottesville is a complete shit hole. The only way to survive in that shit town is by getting absurdly inebriated every god dam night. I was offered a 115k+ job as a software dev lead at VGT and turned it down because the city was complete utter shit. Even the taxi cab driver was telling me the city was complete shit. Apparently they can't even fill the position because nobody sticks around for very long. I Recently spoke with a recruiter and he told me the same. Nobody wants to stay in that hell hole and the positions are still open on their website.

Just Pathetic. Kill self now if you attend UVA, esp in this economy.


The hills are nice though

Just suck it up for a bit (alcohol helps a lot here..)

[MarkTwain]

Depending on how bad your grades actually are, I wouldn't bank on transferring to BU.

This is true, but OP's grades would have to be VERY bad for OP to not get in to BU. Grades required to transfer law schools goes down dramatically the higher-ranked school the student transfers from. The transfer class this year at Stanford is a total of 16 and 10 of those 16 transferred from T10 schools. Some of the students were as low as top 25% (though most were higher). Students who transferred from lower ranked schools (T35 or so) all had stellar grades (probably #1 in their class). I also know a student who transferred from UVA to NYU with around a 3.4 (slightly above median), and one who transferred down (to a T25) with terrible grades.

[Rsrcht]

Transfer up if that is an option. Don't transfer down. Why?

-1L sucks anywhere you go. 2L & 3L are different because you can take classes you have an interest in.
-In this economy, OCI follows the prestige with good grades first and foremost. That is not a guarantee, but it is certain.
-You can probably find summer work in Boston if you want to practice there.

Coping mechanisms for staying in VA:

-Bourbon or single malt scotch
-Porn/the real thing
-TLS/Internet
-Find people with similar interests in your area

[MrGradgrind]

Law school is not about making friends, its about getting the best grades so that you can hopefully get a Biglaw job. If you get homesick, chat online with your friends from Boston. Every student in your class that you befriend is still an enemy at the end of the day since they also want to get good grades. You're in a T14 school, so only transfer up, unless you know you can marry someone rich.

[badfish]

dood, you have 2.5 years left and most of that time will be spent studying anyways. just suck it up.

[stayingclassy]

If you still hate UVA after 2nd semester and are sure you'd prefer Boston, then do your best to make it through 2L at UVA and spend 3L as a visiting student at BU, BC or some other Boston law school. I assume that this would be much easier than transferring, and you'd still get to hang a UVA diploma on your wall once you've finished law school. I know that this means that you'd have to spend 1 more year in Charlottesville than you'd like, but you can do almost anything for a year, and I think that the end result is preferable to transferring to a lower ranked school.

[vamedic03]

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[Blindmelon]

>Charlottesville has plenty to do, though of course not as much as a big city. I know you realized this going into UVA.

Are you on crack? Charlottesville is a complete shit hole. The only way to survive in that shit town is by getting absurdly inebriated every god dam night. I was offered a 115k+ job as a software dev lead at VGT and turned it down because the city was complete utter shit. Even the taxi cab driver was telling me the city was complete shit. Apparently they can't even fill the position because nobody sticks around for very long. I Recently spoke with a recruiter and he told me the same. Nobody wants to stay in that hell hole and the positions are still open on their website.

Just Pathetic. Kill self now if you attend UVA, esp in this economy.


The hills are nice though

Just suck it up for a bit (alcohol helps a lot here..)

Maybe if you're a fucking worthless 21 yo douche bag . . . If you think Charlottesville is a shit hole then stay the fuck away

I think you just proved the OP's point. I'm starting to lean towards advising the transfer.

[vamedic03]

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[Blindmelon]

Meh. The both of you seem pretty stellar. I now actually just read his post. That was pretty douchey, I stand corrected. Please continue.

[vamedic03]

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