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I was wondering if anyone here transferred out of Cardozo after starting in their non-fall start.

What I am wondering is if I start in spring '13 I will essentially have grades from two semesters to apply with as a transfer and if so, would that be an adventege vs. those most transfers who will apply just with their fall grades.

Thanks.

No 0Ls in the transfer forum. Retake the LSAT.

Going to law school with the intention to transfer is a bad move

Bildungsroman wrote:No 0Ls in the transfer forum. Retake the LSAT.

I cannot retake the LSAT. Thanks

Nova wrote:Going to law school with the intention to transfer is a bad move

Why? I cannot retake and do not want to wait a whole year in the off chance I'll score higher on the LSAT (the next LSAT I can take is dec '13)

Lear22 wrote:

Nova wrote:Going to law school with the intention to transfer is a bad move

Why? I cannot retake and do not want to wait a whole year in the off chance I'll score higher on the LSAT (the next LSAT I can take is dec '13)

Because you don't fully understand how law school works. NEVER go to a school planning to transfer because the odds are stacked way against you. And yes, everyone else thinks "ill be the exception and ace everything!" but mathematically 99% of the class thinking they will be in the top 1% don't get to be.

If you go to Cardozo, keep in mind that you will not transfer. Do you still want to go to Cardozo?

Br3v wrote:

Lear22 wrote:

Nova wrote:Going to law school with the intention to transfer is a bad move

Why? I cannot retake and do not want to wait a whole year in the off chance I'll score higher on the LSAT (the next LSAT I can take is dec '13)

Because you don't fully understand how law school works. NEVER go to a school planning to transfer because the odds are stacked way against you. And yes, everyone else thinks "ill be the exception and ace everything!" but mathematically 99% of the class thinking they will be in the top 1% don't get to be.

I don't doubt that. But I am set to start school this fall. I am not going to wait another year (as I did now) I'm not 23 and have no interest to attempt to get a higher LSAT score by studying for a year, since I really don't think the odds are in my favor. I will be okay staying in Cardozo if I won't be accepted as a transfer in any school I apply for, but nevertheless I am still wondering if having two semester grades will help me vs. other transfers with only one.

Thank you

cinephile wrote:If you go to Cardozo, keep in mind that you will not transfer. Do you still want to go to Cardozo?

Yes, I will be okay with it. I want to stay in NYC, Cardozo's alum network are right in my alley (I am originally from Israel, and Jewish) and overall I'll be content.

Lear22 wrote: but nevertheless I am still wondering if having two semester grades will help me vs. other transfers with only one.

You realize that transfers actually have two semesters of grades, though. You apply to transfer after getting your spring grades back (unless you get into Chicago or Georgetown's ED programs). So unlike most transfers, you'd actually have three semesters of grades. But you'd still have to complete two years residency at your new school, so that's like a wasted semester in terms of both time and tuition.

cinephile wrote:

Lear22 wrote: but nevertheless I am still wondering if having two semester grades will help me vs. other transfers with only one.

You realize that transfers actually have two semesters of grades, though. You apply to transfer after getting your spring grades back (unless you get into Chicago or Georgetown's ED programs). So unlike most transfers, you'd actually have three semesters of grades. But you'd still have to complete two years residency at your new school, so that's like a wasted semester in terms of both time and tuition.

I did not know that. Thank you for this. I understand about the two year minimum stay, but still wondering if the extra semester will give me an advantage.

I don't think it will make any appreciable difference. The class rank/school you're coming from is all that will likely matter. See Arrow's stickied thread in this forum. But I doubt anyone here can tell you definitively one way or another.

Re your weird situation more generally: I think you should gauge your grades after your first semester and see if you have a shot at actually transferring. If you do, then you should do 2 semesters, then take a leave of absence. It's a total waste of money to do a 3rd semester at Cardozo if you end up transferring. Like, you would literally be pissing away $25k. Even if you do nothing for 4 months, that's better than this. As others have said, you have to do 2 years at your transfer school.

If you don't have good enough grades to transfer after your first semester, then you can just keep going to Cardozo and act like that was your plan all along.

Also: just to echo, don't go to a school with the intention of transferring. I'd do some soul searching and researching to make sure you really would OK with graduating from Cardozo.

shock259 wrote:I don't think it will make any appreciable difference. The class rank/school you're coming from is all that will likely matter. See Arrow's stickied thread in this forum. But I doubt anyone here can tell you definitively one way or another.

Re your weird situation more generally: I think you should gauge your grades after your first semester and see if you have a shot at actually transferring. If you do, then you should do 2 semesters, then take a leave of absence. It's a total waste of money to do a 3rd semester at Cardozo if you end up transferring. Like, you would literally be pissing away $25k. Even if you do nothing for 4 months, that's better than this. As others have said, you have to do 2 years at your transfer school.

If you don't have good enough grades to transfer after your first semester, then you can just keep going to Cardozo and act like that was your plan all along.

Also: just to echo, don't go to a school with the intention of transferring. I'd do some soul searching and researching to make sure you really would OK with graduating from Cardozo.

Thank you for this. Great info and exactly what I was looking to know.
Much appreciated.

Having more than a full year of law school under your belt might actually preclude you from transferring. Many law schools will not take more than a certain number of credits or accept students with more than a certain number of credits. Check with the law schools that you're interested in applying to as a transfer.

Lear22 wrote:I did not know that. Thank you for this. I understand about the two year minimum stay, but still wondering if the extra semester will give me an advantage.

No, it won't. They care about your GPA, not how many courses you've taken. Besides that, schools typically won't transfer credits from your old school except for the core 1L classes, and they don't factor your old GPA into your GPA at the new school. The extra semester you've taken won't count for anything at all.

More generally, you should never go to any law school with the intention of transferring. The odds of it being possible are so slim that it shouldn't be a factor. If you'd be happy going to Cardozo, then go to Cardozo. If you want transferring to be a possibility, then you should start in the fall, but keep in mind that there's a 95% chance you won't be able to transfer.

98% of the people who think they will be in the top 2% and transfer are wrong. You are one of them. If the thought of transferring has even crossed your mind before you even start, don't go to that school.

Your chances of getting a higher score on a retake vastly outweigh the chances that you will be in a position to transfer.