Alternative opinions: 2L with biglaw regretting not transferring taking Q's. Forum

[FluidMosaic]

Whats up, a little bit of background. I'm a fulltime 2L at a T25 with around a 3.7. People with grade ranges similar to me transferred to CCN, Penn, Berkeley and others. Transferring would have cost me 75k or so versus being debt free due to working during school.

I figured I'd post this for people who were considering transferring since 1L grades are out now.

[lymenheimer]

Why do you regret not transferring? Seems like you have a legit outcome with no debt+biglaw.

[FluidMosaic]

Why do you regret not transferring? Seems like you have a legit outcome with no debt+biglaw.

I think TLS is overly risk averse and focuses too much on SOLELY debt load/biglaw as being a good outcome. 100k compounding while it sucks isn't that much (if I didn't work during school I would have roughly that). I believe that not transferring will have a dampening effect through my future career legal or non-legal.

For example if I were to want to lateral out of the legal field, I think I will have to go get an MBA versus if I went to Berkeley/Penn, there is automatic validation of the degree as a "good school". Going to ND or Minnesota or USC all have schools that may be ranked OK but don't have the same "killer grad school" reputation. Additionally different types of firms recruit there including non-legal roles (MBB/Bank recruiting/even government policy stuff).

I also think transfers get a boost in legal recruiting. Solely saying biglaw is misleading because for legal and non-legal opportunities there is a helluva alot of difference between a V10 and regional biglaw for those 4 years down the road. Most people in my grade range got shut out of NY for interview opportunities yet still got "biglaw". Transfers got many more NY screeners. Yeah maybe if you plug their salaries into a COL adjustment they make "more" but money isn't everything. I personally am going to the chambers dominant firm of a regional market yet I realize that in the future I'm limited to this market for immediate opportunities. Maybe you get paid the same on a COL basis, but for interesting exit options there is a damper.

[lymenheimer]

Why do you regret not transferring? Seems like you have a legit outcome with no debt+biglaw.

tl;d[id]r - exit options

That's what I figured. Thanks.

[jbagelboy]

I understand you are frustrated or feel remorse right now.

But no offense, as a 2L, you don't have enough distance to comment on this objectively, nor do you have the experience to actually speak with having been presented with the decision. If you'd struck out entirely, I would agree that you would have been better off transfering. Maybe if you actually had a CLS or Penn acceptance in hand and you turned it down for $75k, you could reflect with hindsight that transfering might have aided you in some career paths. But this feels like knee jerk prestige fishing, especially since it sounds like you didn't even apply and receive admission to these schools. The grass is not greener. You would not be more fulfilled attending an institution with more signaling power; you only feel like you might be if you could. When you're making the same money in lower COL and buying a nice house instead of shoveling shit to Great Lakes Borrowers, you can thank yourself for not sending in those applications.