Is transferring ever worth it? Forum

[mandrewsf]

My stats: 172, 3.4, T3 softs (3+ years fed gov't law-related experiences, 6+ years of total professional experience)

Since this cycle is shaping up to be one of most competitive on record and there's pretty significant LSAT inflation due to Flex, I don't feel very confident about getting into the schools I've applied to so far: NYU, UPenn, Northwestern, Virginia, Michigan, Duke, WUSTL, Vanderbilt (I got fee waivers for all of them except WUSTL which charges no application fee). At the same time, I'm also not interested in schools outside of the T20 given the lower employment rates and given my probably highly competitive cohort (I'm going to law school for the money). Since transferring is apparently a thing though, I am wondering if going to a lower ranked school now and then transferring to a better school after my first year will let me have the best of both worlds? Or is that rarely worth it?

[The Lsat Airbender]

Transferring is sometimes worthwhile, but going to a school with the plan of transferring thence is basically guaranteed to be a bad idea. All plans which assume you'll be near the top of your class share this flaw: what are you going to do if you're median?

If you wouldn't be happy graduating from any given school, don't matriculate.

[mandrewsf]

Transferring is sometimes worthwhile, but going to a school with the plan of transferring thence is basically guaranteed to be a bad idea. All plans which assume you'll be near the top of your class share this flaw: what are you going to do if you're median?

If you wouldn't be happy graduating from any given school, don't matriculate.

Indeed. I am with you on all the points. It sucks a little to think that law school may not work out after all the effort I've put into applying, but c'est la vie.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Transferring is sometimes worthwhile, but going to a school with the plan of transferring thence is basically guaranteed to be a bad idea. All plans which assume you'll be near the top of your class share this flaw: what are you going to do if you're median?

If you wouldn't be happy graduating from any given school, don't matriculate.

Indeed. I am with you on all the points. It sucks a little to think that law school may not work out after all the effort I've put into applying, but c'est la vie.

Don't give up yet! It's only January. You're still in a good spot to get at least one or some of the schools you've applied to.

[crazywafflez]

I'm quite confident you'll get into a T20, and get a decent package too to some of those T20s. Don't fret too much, you'll get into a couple of those, and possibly with decent packages as well. You've got a good LSAT, and while you're a splitter in some sense, you aren't a 3.2 174 or something, keep your hopes high!

[mandrewsf]

I'm quite confident you'll get into a T20, and get a decent package too to some of those T20s. Don't fret too much, you'll get into a couple of those, and possibly with decent packages as well. You've got a good LSAT, and while you're a splitter in some sense, you aren't a 3.2 174 or something, keep your hopes high!

Thanks! It's hard to feel hopeful during the wait (the legal field is a magnet for pessimistic types, it seems), but I suppose nothing good in life is guaranteed unless you're born into it. Appreciate the encouraging words.