Transfering after first year?

[js11287]

As some of you may know, I'm applying for Fall 2010 and have been looking almost exclusively in DC and NY. My fiance received a job offer unexpectedly in the DC area and will probably be moving there in the next month, so I'm pretty much tied to that city no matter what. I have about a 3.7 LSDAS gpa (but almost a 4.0 at my degree granting school, where I have been for 7 semesters) and have only taken one diagnostic, but I'm in the high 160s...I'm hoping for a 172 on the real LSAT, which my tutor thinks is possible. In DC, I'm applying to Georgetown and GW, and American even though I really don't want to go there. How easy is it to get into Georgetown as a transfer, and are there any reasons why transferring might be a terrible idea/the best idea ever?

Thanks

[violaboy]

I would say to not count on transferring.  It's never a guarantee.  If you can break 170 on the real thing, you can get into Georgetown.  If mid-upper 160s, GW.  Look on lawschoolnumbers to see how others with your numbers have fared.

[oscar1]

I just transferred from a T25 public university to a T5. Transferring is not easy. That said, transferring to Georgetown is not as hard as other t14 schools. They take 100 or so per year. From what I understand, you need to be in the top 15% or so to be in the running, but likely much more competitive if you try from GW or American. That said, firms know GU takes 100+ transfers per year, so you (1) are not that special, (2) and may actually not be as attractive as a job candidate relative to other transfers. if you are competitive enough to transfer from GW or AU to GU, it might frankly be worth it to stay there if you get Law Rev or something like that.

[js11287]

Thanks for the advice.
Just to clarify: I most likely would only want to transfer if I only got into American. If I got into GW, I'd probably stay there. Georgetown and GW were both on my original "list," whereas American got added really only because of its location-I visited there for undergrad and didn't like it. And if I did end up going to American for 1L, I'd probably apply to both GW and Georgetown for transfer-I am assuming it would obviously be easier to transfer from American to GW than American to Georgetown?