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I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

FineGentleman wrote:I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

NYU is not prestigious for undergrad. If you definitely want law school, then stay put and rack up the GPA. However, Columbia could yield dividends if you pursue something other than law.

FineGentleman wrote:I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

If law school is your goal, just max out your GPA at your current school.

stillwater wrote:

FineGentleman wrote:I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

NYU is not prestigious for undergrad. If you definitely want law school, then stay put and rack up the GPA. However, Columbia could yield dividends if you pursue something other than law.

Thanks. So I guess GPA and LSAT is really the only things that matter. Wouldn't transferring to Columbia UG help in getting accepted into COlumbia Law School?

FineGentleman wrote:

stillwater wrote:

FineGentleman wrote:I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

NYU is not prestigious for undergrad. If you definitely want law school, then stay put and rack up the GPA. However, Columbia could yield dividends if you pursue something other than law.

Thanks. So I guess GPA and LSAT is really the only things that matter. Wouldn't transferring to Columbia UG help in getting accepted into COlumbia Law School?

Not really. A high LSAT is what will get you into Columbia Law School. If it ever came down to the situation where such a low-level factor such as undergrad prestige were being considered, it means you are soooo on the fence that you might as well just get 1 more point on the LSAT, since that would give you the bump and moot the issue entirely.

FineGentleman wrote:

stillwater wrote:

FineGentleman wrote:I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

NYU is not prestigious for undergrad. If you definitely want law school, then stay put and rack up the GPA. However, Columbia could yield dividends if you pursue something other than law.

Thanks. So I guess GPA and LSAT is really the only things that matter. Wouldn't transferring to Columbia UG help in getting accepted into COlumbia Law School?

Columbia is not known for preferring their own UG. That said, ivy UG kids enjoy a minor bump in representation sometimes very slightly over performing their numbers. That said, if you're going to get a 3.8 at the school you're at and a 3.5 at Columbia, you're better of staying if law school is the only thing you want. If you want to compete for McKinsey, Goldman, etc., transfer away.

FineGentleman wrote:

stillwater wrote:

FineGentleman wrote:I am currently enrolled in a city college in New York. Is it worth transferring to a more prestigious school like NYU or Columbia? Or should I just enjoy my free college and high GPA to get into their law schools?

NYU is not prestigious for undergrad. If you definitely want law school, then stay put and rack up the GPA. However, Columbia could yield dividends if you pursue something other than law.

Thanks. So I guess GPA and LSAT is really the only things that matter. Wouldn't transferring to Columbia UG help in getting accepted into COlumbia Law School?

Schools supposedly give some preferential treatment to their own, but by no means it's a sure deal. I do also think there's a bit of a bump for prestigious UG, but a few tenths of a point GPA will make much more of a difference.

I would do it if you can get good aid from top schools - depending on your family situation, they may end up being essentially free. May as well throw some apps out and see what you get. I would not pick up substantial debt for undergrad under the vast majority of circumstances - maybe HYP but even then it may not be worth it. The economy is in complete shambles and I know a ton of people from my highly-ranked UG who are really struggling to find anything.

If you're existentially unhappy at whichever CUNY, though, get out. Or even if you just think you'd be happier at a more intellectually challenging place. College can be super awesome and many of us regret not having made the most of it. It's easy to get into tunnel vision mode on law school or post-grad employment or whatever and forget that, in terms of happiness and life experience and all that intangible stuff, the next couple years are just as much an important part of your life as the ones that come after.

FineGentleman wrote:So I guess GPA and LSAT is really the only things that matter.

So are grammar.

I is kidding though.

Assuming costs won't be too big of an issue, what about the other benefits of attending an Ivy or prestigious UG (such as Columbia or NYU)?

i.) The networking and alumni help you could get would certainly be better than at a city college, right? I'm not talking about law school or the legal profession here, but just life and jobs in general. The prestigious of having a Columbia degree + meeting people at CU who will have more connections to "higher" places and "better" jobs would be something to consider. I think something like 65% of ALL jobs in the U.S. are obtained by networking with people.

Even better might be access to both your city college and CU networks (if you keep in touch with both sides).

ii.) Quality education. Presumably, you'd have more opportunities to work with world-class professors and intellectually blossom more than you would at a city college.

iii.) And what about the possibility/opportunity to get a HIGH GPA at a CU or NYU? ...This is hard to predict, but it may be possible to do just as well, if not better, at CU than your current city college - in which case you'd have an even stronger law school admissions package. But, of course, that is not certain.


Just a few thoughts I'm throwing at you. Feel free to disagree/debate them if you like.

But have you considered taking a few summer classes at CU or NYU just to see what they're like before deciding to do a transfer?

Undergrad prestige doesnt really matter.

If you think you can keep killing it at a better school, IMO, you may as well transfer up

Unless its going to put you in considerabley more debt compared to any additional prospects

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Doesn't matter at all for law school. May well matter a good bit for other things. Choose accordingly.