Transferring from a T2 to a T4 (yes you read that correctly) Forum

[Michigander]

I want to transfer from Michigan State to cooley law school because I have NO INTEREST AT ALL in big law or anything like that. I want to be a small town lawyer who works to live, not lives to work.

I also don't want to be paying off debt for the rest of my life.



I have a guaranteed job at my dad's law practice in my hometown.





I'm paying full tuition, no scholarship, currently at MSU. I'm a middle of the pack guy in terms of first semester grades (Bs,Cs). I was accepted into Cooley with a substantial scholarship offer.


Basically, with my goals (small town where no one gives a f.uck where you got your JD), is paying out the a.ss at Michigan State worth it? Or should I transfer to Cooley?

[ILoveYou]

I want to transfer from Michigan State to Cooley law school because I have NO INTEREST AT ALL in big law or anything like that. I want to be a small town lawyer who works to live, not lives to work.

I also don't want to be paying off debt for the rest of my life.



I have a guaranteed job at my dad's law practice in my hometown.





I'm paying full tuition, no scholarship, currently at MSU. I'm a middle of the pack guy in terms of first semester grades (Bs,Cs). I was accepted into Cooley with a substantial scholarship offer.


Basically, with my goals (small town where no one gives a f.uck where you got your JD), is paying out the a.ss at Michigan State worth it? Or should I transfer to Cooley?

Guaranteed job and no desire for biglaw? Debt minimization is all that matters. Transfer.

[tealeaves12]

.

[Michigander]

Guaranteed job and no desire for biglaw? Debt minimization is all that matters. Transfer.

Is there any benefit to staying at MSU? Connections, quality of education, potential jobs if I decide to branch out instead of stay put at my dad's, etc.?

Basically, in the bleak job market, would a degree from MSU + a few years of experience at my dad's be better than a degree from Cooley + a few years experience at my dad's?


I'm very interested in transferring but I suppose I'm looking for an argument to be made as to why I should remain at MSU.

[ILoveYou]

Guaranteed job and no desire for biglaw? Debt minimization is all that matters. Transfer.

Is there any benefit to staying at MSU? Connections, quality of education, potential jobs if I decide to branch out instead of stay put at my dad's, etc.?

Basically, in the bleak job market, would a degree from MSU + a few years of experience at my dad's be better than a degree from Cooley + a few years experience at my dad's?


I'm very interested in transferring but I suppose I'm looking for an argument to be made as to why I should remain at MSU.

Not really. MSU's employment prospects are likely a bit better (I didn't look them up), but since your first gig won't be school-dependent, I can't imagine MSU giving you any sort of prestige bump over Cooley a few years out. By that point, the experience will be more important than the slight difference in reputation between 2 schools that aren't particularly widely respected.

[butlerraider1]

Guaranteed job and no desire for biglaw? Debt minimization is all that matters. Transfer.

Is there any benefit to staying at MSU? Connections, quality of education, potential jobs if I decide to branch out instead of stay put at my dad's, etc.?

Basically, in the bleak job market, would a degree from MSU + a few years of experience at my dad's be better than a degree from Cooley + a few years experience at my dad's?


I'm very interested in transferring but I suppose I'm looking for an argument to be made as to why I should remain at MSU.

Not really. MSU's employment prospects are likely a bit better (I didn't look them up), but since your first gig won't be school-dependent, I can't imagine MSU giving you any sort of prestige bump over Cooley a few years out. By that point, the experience will be more important than the slight difference in reputation between 2 schools that aren't particularly widely respected.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/msu/2013/

FYI

[Michigander]

What do those charts mean? Employment is bleak for MSU grads?

[Michigander]

Basically what I'm getting is that in my situation and circumstances I might as well transfer?


Is there any argument for remaining at MSU?

[ILoveYou]

What do those charts mean? Employment is bleak for MSU grads?

Employment is bleak for MSU grads, and bleaker for Cooley grads. But that doesn't matter for you, and Cooley offered money, so no, there is no argument for MSU.

[Young Marino]

Basically what I'm getting is that in my situation and circumstances I might as well transfer?


Is there any argument for remaining at MSU?

Guaranteed job= Take the $$$$$$. Go to Cooley (can't believe I just said that lol)

[romothesavior]

What do those charts mean? Employment is bleak for MSU grads?

Wow, sounds like you really did your homework before investing in this law school thing.

I agree with the others. Transfer to minimize debt if you have a guaranteed job.

[MarkfromWI]

What do those charts mean? Employment is bleak for MSU grads?

Wow, sounds like you really did your homework before investing in this law school thing.

I agree with the others. Transfer to minimize debt if you have a guaranteed job.

He probably didn't have to knowing that he had a job waiting for him no matter where the diploma came from.

But to OP- yes, transfer. Minimize your debt and go to work at your dad's place. The name on the degree isn't going to matter if you're only going to be doing small town, small practice stuff; it's the experience that's important. Since you've got a job lined up, save your money.

[TheSpanishMain]

I'd say transfer too.

Btw i know everyone on here hates on Cooley and I also know that anecdotes should be taken with a grain of salt (if even giving THAT much credit) but i'm a paralegal in dc area for a Cooley grad... she never struggled that hard to find a job and now 15 years out or so (and i don't know where cooley ranked back then so maybe that matters) she's got her own practice, bills over 400 an hour and is generally happy and fulfilled where she ended up. she also got into GULC for tax LLM a few years after Cooley so i'm sure that helped prospects but even so. again, i know its just an anecdote but i'm an 0L so i am not gonna be too helpful anyway.

you know what your goals are and what will make you happy - if you ask me thats awesome that you figured out now and not post 3 years of sticker price debt.

The fact that she graduated fifteen years ago probably has something to do with it

[Michigander]

What do those charts mean? Employment is bleak for MSU grads?

Wow, sounds like you really did your homework before investing in this law school thing.

I agree with the others. Transfer to minimize debt if you have a guaranteed job.

Eh, I picked MSU because I went to a really small undergrad and wanted the big university party school vibe. Needless to say that doesn't exist in law school and if anything all I've learned is I'm too old for that s.hit.

I also picked MSU because I thought maybe I'd walk my own path but more and more I realize just how much of a no-lifer you need to be to be at the top in this profession of pessimists, social ineptitude and drunks.


As a wise lady once said, "ain't nobody got time fo dat."

Thanks everyone, I'm going to begin seriously looking into transferring. Best of luck to you all

[BigZuck]

Who is paying for all this? You? Or your dad?

[Aeon]

I was accepted into Cooley with a substantial scholarship offer.

What are the terms of the offer? Are there circumstances under which you could lose the scholarship?

[Marjorie Morningstar]

I'm an MSU alumni.....undergrad and grad school. I guess if MSU had been as generous with the scholarships, plus offered the flexibility of scheduling that I get from Cooley, I would probably have picked MSU. But I've been at Cooley for a year now andI have only good things to say about it. I enjoy my classes; my profs range from good to great. The faculty is accessible and sincere. There are a lot of volunteer options; I started a volunteer internship at Elderlaw of Michigan, and it's been a perfect fit.

The only way you lose your scholarship is to be sanctioned under the Honor Code.

If you're thinking about the Lansing campus, it consists of one building plus the library. Pretty different from MSU, that's for sure. Parking downtown is a pain. You have a choice of hunting for a metered space or paying the big bucks and parking in the ramp. But parking at MSU is no picnic either.

And for what it's worth, which is probably nothing, your diploma will actually come from Western Michigan University now; the affiliation is complete.

I'll be interested to see what you decide.

[romothesavior]

I'm an MSU alumni.....undergrad and grad school. I guess if MSU had been as generous with the scholarships, plus offered the flexibility of scheduling that I get from Cooley, I would probably have picked MSU. But I've been at Cooley for a year now andI have only good things to say about it. I enjoy my classes; my profs range from good to great. The faculty is accessible and sincere. There are a lot of volunteer options; I started a volunteer internship at Elderlaw of Michigan, and it's been a perfect fit.

The only way you lose your scholarship is to be sanctioned under the Honor Code.

If you're thinking about the Lansing campus, it consists of one building plus the library. Pretty different from MSU, that's for sure. Parking downtown is a pain. You have a choice of hunting for a metered space or paying the big bucks and parking in the ramp. But parking at MSU is no picnic either.

And for what it's worth, which is probably nothing, your diploma will actually come from Western Michigan University now; the affiliation is complete.

I'll be interested to see what you decide.

I'll be interested to see what you have to say when well over half of your class can't find meaningful legal jobs.

Cooley makes sense for OP since he can go for cheaper and has a guaranteed job lined up, but that doesn't mean it's not a festering cesspool with a well-deserved reputation for being the worst accredited law school in the country.