Top 5% at DePaul...

[PotKettleBlack]

...which was sort of the plan.  With one grade left to go I'm sitting on a 3.833.  If so, this should be more than enough to keep me in the top 5% assuming I didn't do miserably on my Civ Pro exam, which I felt pretty good about.

So here's the dilemna.  Do I stay here and graduate as a big fish in a small pond?  Am I in a position to attempt a transfer to NW or UChi?

Thanks for any ideas.  I have to say my experience there so far has been really good.  But are my future employment options better graduating in the top 5% of DePaul or the top half of a T14?  And given my low undergraduate GPA will this semester be enough to convince them to take me?

[mschuell]

Just a friendly piece of advice- Don't just assume your last grade will be an A and keep you in the top 5%.  Trust me, I know.

[CoxlessPair]

As a native Chicagoan, I'd say if you are content practicing in Chicago, any law review level rank at DePaul will leave you in great shape. So even if you don't get that last A, you will be in fine standing. You may even be able to bargin some serious scholarship money out of them.


Their enormously successful DePaul alums in all ranks of Chicago law.
In that it is T3, if you are gunning for BigLaw (Sidley Austin, Kirkland Ellis, Seyfarth Shaw, etc) DePaul may be an impediment.

I'd say if you have national inspirations or big law hoop dreams, a NW or UC degree will carry much farther.

I think if you hang around a 3.8 you will have your pick of excellent schools (I'd consider Notre Dame, U of I, Wash U too. All top 25-ish and with huge Chicago draws).

Congrats on an excellent semester.

[PotKettleBlack]

Good points all around. 

Does anyone know of any good sites that address transfers that might be worth a look?  Specifically, are there any resources out there that help you calculate the likelihood of being able to transfer into a given institution?

Thanks again.

[nate]

Good points all around. 

Does anyone know of any good sites that address transfers that might be worth a look?  Specifically, are there any resources out there that help you calculate the likelihood of being able to transfer into a given institution?

Thanks again.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transferapps/

you need a yahoo account to access it. once you do, check the 2005 database. you can see where others from schools within your tier transferred last year, and what kind of grades they had.

if you can get in to a top 14, especially uchicago, i would say go there. any top 14 is going to put you in a better position for career flexibility than depaul, where you always runk the risk of dropping out of the top, though i admit it's unlikely. also, considering you finished so high, it's very likely that you "get" law school and law school exams, so doing well at a higher ranked school probably won't be that difficult for you.

others have suggested notre dame, but i would strongly caution against transferring to anything outside of the T14. imo, you'd be taking a risk, because only about 1/3 has a chance at biglaw (or whatever choice career your might prefer) at schools like that, whereas it's probably 3/4 at even the lowest T14. i think with the way you did, you can count on staying in the top 3/4 at your new school, but counting on being in the top 1/3 is a tad riskier. in that case it might be better just to stay at depaul, in the very top, on law review, etc.

i don't know if anyone else said this, but apply gulc and columbia early action ASAP. you at least want to have some choices before next semester.

[jd2b06]

I would definitely transfer.  Better job opportunities.  Although transferring sucks and its a huge hassle.  I think you'll find it will pay off in the end.

[ae]

But are my future employment options better graduating in the top 5% of DePaul or the top half of a T14?

Why do you think you'd necessarily not make it to the top of the class at a T14 as well? Just curious ..

[PotKettleBlack]

I don't know that I assume I wouldn't be at the top of my class at a T14.  I'm just trying to be realistic.  I know that the competition is much more fierce at a T14, so I'm not assuming I'll repeat my performance.  That said I think I'd probably do better than just top 50%, but it's best to scrap optimism when you're making long term plans like this.

For the record, I want to say that my experience at DePaul has been fabulous.  Some top-notch faculty.  The facilities leave something to be desired, but all my first year professors were great except one we had visiting from Cornell.  If they'd throw some cash my way I'd probably be inclined to stay.  At this point my main concern is that I'm going to graduate with so much debt that I'll have no choice but to work a job I hate for a decade.  If I'm going to mortgage myself, I'd better get the best value for my buck, and UoC and NW are both better "buys."  If I could swing a much bigger scholarship (I'm getting 8K a year now) I'd probably stay, because DePaul for next to nothing is a better buy than UoC for 36k plus living expenses.

Any thoughts on wringing more financial aid from my school?  If I go to them with acceptance letters and ask them to help me stay will they laugh in my face?  How motivated will the school be to keep a student at the top of the class?

[CoxlessPair]

*

[qui tam]

exactly