Transferring from Hastings to Boalt Forum

[thompson]

Hi all.

I'm a Hastings 1L, rocked it first semester and ended with a 4.0... I'm hoping to keep it up this semester.

I wanted to get a feeling for what people thought about my chances for transferring to Boalt... but more importantly, what the benefits / risks of transferring are? I'm hoping for a biglaw-type job after graduation, so OCI obviously plays a role here.

All opinions welcome, thanks in advance!

[Arrow]

Obviously if you're number 1 in the class...(congrats), you will be fine. In fact, top 5% is generally okay for Boalt. Feel free to toss an app for Stanford while you're at it too.

Do note that for big law, you'll probably be making the same amount of money (well they all pay 160,000 though bonuses may differ). Boalt obviously has better national reputation firm wise, and will probably get you a firm with greater prestige. Thus, if you're not interested in staying in Cali and care about prestige, a Boalt transfer would be good. Overall though, your employment prospects will be fairly similar (they're still looking at the same grades for OCI so...).

[thompson]

Obviously if you're number 1 in the class...(congrats), you will be fine. In fact, top 5% is generally okay for Boalt. Feel free to toss an app for Stanford while you're at it too.

Do note that for big law, you'll probably be making the same amount of money (well they all pay 160,000 though bonuses may differ). Boalt obviously has better national reputation firm wise, and will probably get you a firm with greater prestige. Thus, if you're not interested in staying in Cali and care about prestige, a Boalt transfer would be good. Overall though, your employment prospects will be fairly similar (they're still looking at the same grades for OCI so...).

Yeah, I guess my concern is more about OCI prospects this fall... with the state of the economy and such, my fear is that firms are going to cut back on their hiring more at a school like Hastings than at Boalt. Not sure how realistic of a concern that is.

If I do transfer, I'd obviously have access to a slightly more prestigious / wider OCI pool at Boalt. On the other hand, I worry that my status as a transfer would negatively affect employer's perceptions.

Ah the tough choices

[General Tso]

You would definitely get a big law job out of Hastings with grades like that. However, like you said, Boalt has a much bigger name and you would have big law+mobility. Hastings grads are stuck in Cali (not nec. a bad thing) whereas I would assume Boalt grads have access to any legal market in the nation, and some abroad.

[jumpropeck]

I am an incoming 1L at WUSTL. I ultimately want to practice law and live in San Francisco. I know that it's difficult to get to the west coast from Wash U so there is a chance that I would attempt a transfer after my 1L year.

I would not settle for attending any other school in northern California other than Boalt or Stanford. What percentage of the class would I have to place in at WUSTL in order to transfer to either of these schools? Would my URM status matter at all?

[sjk]

@jumpropek: URM doesn't really factor into transfer decisions. Boalt will need top 10% and a really good story.

as for the hastings thing, your job opportunities at Boalt won't increase much from Hastings. Nearly everyone who interviews at Boalt interviews at Hastings as well. At least at Hastings you'll have the 4.0 to fall back on, which will make you an excellent candidate.

[jumpropeck]

Thanks for the reply. Top 10% it is!

[patrickd139]

Thanks for the reply. Top 10% it is!

Fully appreciating the ambiguity of your statement, you're delusional if you think you're top-10%-bound at WUSTL. Good luck!

[Kiersten1985]

Congrats! For what it's worth, an associate I work with now transferred from Hastings to Stanford. Hope you keep us posted!

[solidsnake]

Nice grades. I've got mad respect for anyone who has 4 pointed a semester of 1L.

[annapavlova]

Obviously if you're number 1 in the class...(congrats), you will be fine. In fact, top 5% is generally okay for Boalt. Feel free to toss an app for Stanford while you're at it too.

Do note that for big law, you'll probably be making the same amount of money (well they all pay 160,000 though bonuses may differ). Boalt obviously has better national reputation firm wise, and will probably get you a firm with greater prestige. Thus, if you're not interested in staying in Cali and care about prestige, a Boalt transfer would be good. Overall though, your employment prospects will be fairly similar (they're still looking at the same grades for OCI so...).

Yeah, I guess my concern is more about OCI prospects this fall... with the state of the economy and such, my fear is that firms are going to cut back on their hiring more at a school like Hastings than at Boalt. Not sure how realistic of a concern that is.

If I do transfer, I'd obviously have access to a slightly more prestigious / wider OCI pool at Boalt. On the other hand, I worry that my status as a transfer would negatively affect employer's perceptions.

Ah the tough choices

I attend a T2. The top 10% of the class here always gets 2L summer jobs (yes, even for this summer). There is no doubt in my mind you will be perfectly fine in OCI. That is, unless, you are a complete weird introvert who puts people off and has nothing interesting to say. Well...I suppose that 4.0 might still be enough...

What are you paying at Hastings? If not much, you should just stay. If you are paying what you'd pay at Berk, no reason not to get the hell over there.

[General Tso]

You guys realize this thread is 14 months old right.

[patrickd139]

You guys realize this thread is 14 months old right.

I was just responding to jumpropek.

[annapavlova]

You guys realize this thread is 14 months old right.

Lulz. No I did not.

I wonder what OP did...?

[General Tso]

You guys realize this thread is 14 months old right.

I was just responding to jumpropek.

I know I was just responding to anna pavlova and others who were giving OP advice.