transfer by tier

[northerngirl]

Hi all. I have been reading a lot about transferring and I was wondering if anyone who has had experience with transferring could tell give me some input:
1. If you are at a Tier 2, are you completely out of the running for a top 20 school like GULC if you are in the top top 9%. I had read some posts stating that Tier 2 and up should be in the top 5%, and I had originally thought top 10% was the goal.

2. Do you think having another person from your current school who is ranked higher than you and who is applying to the same schools affect you? Or do you think some schools look at the whole package separately? I am unsure if they have only a certain number they'll take from a certain school.

Thanks!

[elo]

1. It's definitely possible to transfer from a second tier law school to GULC, and something worth considering if you have the chance. Schools tend to have a set number of transfers they want to take in a particular year, but no strict formula for where those students should rank in their particular schools. Thus, depending on their recruiting goals for the year and on the number and quality of their transfer applicants, they could dip further down than 10% or they could reject students in the top 5%. You simply won't know until you try.

2. It's not uncommon for a school to accept more than one transfer student from the same law school. It's to their benefit to get the best group of students they can, not to create artificial quotas for themselves. That said, higher numbers are always better.

Two other things to keep in mind:

1. Most of the numerical factors affecting transfer admission do not affect the schools' rankings. That gives admissions officers free reign to indulge their own preferences. Give them a good reason to want you over other students.

2. The top schools (and possibly others) internally rank and evaluate other law schools (formally or informally) based on factors that matter to them. Thus, your school might be second-tier in the eyes of USNWR, but first tier (or thir tier) in the eyes of the target law school. That's yet another reason why posts suggesting a particular percentage cutoff are misinformed. Top 5-10% might be a good average, but many other factors come into play.

3. GULC is a good target (as they take *lots* of transfers), but I would suggest applying to many (if not all) of the top schools if you want to improve your odds. if you're in the top 9% and your school is respected then you have a very strong chance of getting in one of them.

[northerngirl]

Hey Elo,

Thanks for the feedback. Would you mind if I ask how you became so informed on transferring i.e. schools ranking other schools. I agree with you that the benefit for transferring is that schools no longer have the rigid constraints of USNWR to impress. Schools are getting tons of applications from people at the top of their classes and there has to be something to differentiate them aside from numbers. You're right that you basically just have to give them a reason to choose you. I did apply EA to Gtown and I am hoping that my application stands out because my reasons for wanting to transfer there go beyond wanting to attend a prestigious school. They have one of the best programs in the country for that on which I want to focus (my current school does not), and I made it very clear in my statement some of their specific clinics, classes, etc. in this area have attracted me to the school. We shall see what happens. Are you applying to transfer this year as well?

[dft]

If I go to Suffolk and place in the top 10% of my class in 1L, do I have a shot at a top 30 school like BC?  Suffolk's Tier 4 but it has a good rep in Boston, and it's highly competitive.  I'm assuming I could transfer up to a good school in Boston, but it would be less likely for a school outside of Boston.

[kdj116]

BAFF

Sounds like you are in a similar situation to me.  I was accepted to Suffolk with $ and waitlisted at Northeastern.  I'm not sure which school to go to (not yet a 1L)..  Regardless of the school, I'm thinking I want to transfer due to the fact that my interest is in corporate law and I think a school like BU or BC would be a better springboard for a career in this area...  Any reason why you want to transfer???  Are you at Suffolk??  Is it easy??  What is your opinion of Northeastern??

[Brisco]

Good luck getting to the top 5-10% with the rest of your classmates working their asses off so they can do the same.

[dft]

Any reason why you want to transfer??? Are you at Suffolk?? Is it easy??

I am in a similar situation to you.  My numbers are 3.82/155:
http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com/display.php?cycle=0405&user=BAFF213

I was kind of shocked that I got rejected at Northeastern, especially considering I was wait listed at UConn and William and Mary.

I'm not at Suffolk, I'm at UMass Amherst, though I recently put my deposit down at Suffolk.

I guess the reason for my desire to go to a top school is the same as everyone elses (prestige, job opportunities, $, etc.). I also am pretty disappointed with my LSAT score and I know I could have done better.  I want to retake the LSAT and reapply next year but I also want to go straight in, so I will probably just go straight in and hope to transfer.

Is it easy??

As I said, I'm not at Suffolk, but I doubt it's easy.  It was recently ranked as one of the top 10 most competitive law schools in the country (#4):
http://www.princetonreview.com/law/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?TopicID=4

What is your opinion of Northeastern??

Northeastern seems good.  I probably would have put my seat deposit down there rather than Suffolk if I had gotten in - mostly just based on ranking though.  However, I plan on working in Boston and I really don't think there is much of a difference in the repututation of the two schools, at least in the Boston area.

Also, check out these two threads that I started on Suffolk:

http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/prelaw/index.php/topic,31504.0.html

http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/prelaw/index.php/topic,32187.0.html

[shambala]

BAFF are you not yet in law school? You've been around for a long time, by now ..

[dft]

Yea - I'm in at three schools.  I put my seat deposit down at Suffolk (in Boston).

I'm on the waitlist at UConn (Tier 1), so if I get in I'll probably go there.  Otherwise, I'll go to Suffolk.

By the way - I'm retaking the LSAT on June 6th.  I haven't really been studying much at all, but I figure it really can't hurt.  If I score much better (which is unlikely) then I may take reapply for next year and take a year off.

[dujour]

Yea - I'm in at three schools.  I put my seat deposit down at Suffolk (in Boston).

I'm on the waitlist at UConn (Tier 1), so if I get in I'll probably go there.  Otherwise, I'll go to Suffolk.

By the way - I'm retaking the LSAT on June 6th.  I haven't really been studying much at all, but I figure it really can't hurt.  If I score much better (which is unlikely) then I may take reapply for next year and take a year off.

Go to the best law school you can. The easiest way to do it is to go to that particular school from the very first year; that's to say, try to get a decent LSAT and get accepted there, instead of hoping to transfer in there after your first year at some other school ..