Advice on transferring

[cd10]

I'm currently in my second semester at Cooley.  Yes, I know the reputation they have.  I currently have a 3.88 at Cooley, undergrad GPA of 3.91, and terrible LSAT of 147.  I'm looking to transfer after this semester, and really looking at Northeastern.  Any thoughts from somebody that goes there or transferred in the past?  Also considering Penn State, Hofstra, and St. John's.  What are the chances of getting in at these schools and anybody know what the financial aid situation is for transfers?  Thanks.

[cd10]

Thanks for your input.  After doing a little more research, I am also considering Franklin Pierce and Quinnipiac University.  Anybody have any thoughts on these schools and which school has the better reputation or provides greater opportunities to practice in New England?  Thanks.

[bigs5068]

If you did that well at Cooley I would request a scholarship and stay. Any of those schools you mentioned are not going to open that many doors than Cooley will, unless there is a certain location you want to live in.  If you are dying to live in New Hampshire then definitely transfer to FP, but otherwise it's not really going to make that much difference, which T2, T3, or T4 you go to. I go to a tier 4 myself GGU and I know 3 students that transferred to USF and Santa Clara after their first year and lost out on 70 or 80k in scholarship money. The reality is Santa Clara or USF don't open that many more doors than GGU does. Certainly not 80,000 at 8% interest more.  I imagine if you are doing that well at Cooley they would offer you some kind of scholarship, if they don't then f' them and transfer, but if they do I would think it would be better to stick it out. At the least that is the consensus I have heard from the few people I know that transferred from T-4 to T-2. Granted if you hate Michigan then that is another reason to leave, but if you are doing it based solely on rankings it might not be the best decision.

As you can see from the Hofstra students post he is not all that thrilled about his tier 2 school either, law school is law school and unless you are going to an elite school the opportunities will pretty much be the same no matter where you go and you might as well get a lot of scholarship money if you can.

I only know 3 people to have done what you are considering, but none of them are satisfied with their transfer from a tier 4 to a tier 2. It might have been a good decision except for the loss in scholarship money, but it really is not worth 70 or 80k to transfer from the 162nd best school to the 113th. At least that is what people who have done it have told me, but I have only talked to 3 people in that boat so I am speaking on limited experience.

[Thane Messinger]

I'm currently in my second semester at Cooley.  Yes, I know the reputation they have.  I currently have a 3.88 at Cooley, undergrad GPA of 3.91, and terrible LSAT of 147.  I'm looking to transfer after this semester, and really looking at Northeastern.  Any thoughts from somebody that goes there or transferred in the past?  Also considering Penn State, Hofstra, and St. John's.  What are the chances of getting in at these schools and anybody know what the financial aid situation is for transfers?  Thanks.

If you're interested, there's a book out, Art of the Law School Transfer.  Also, if you are serious about transferring the deadlines are fast approaching.

Your law school GPA will help, but your other conditions will be especially important given the LSAT; while less important, it's still part of the picture.  Thus, the many other pieces (statement, LORs) will be crucial.  Good luck!

Thane.

[Floyd77803]

If I were you I'd aim a little higher.  With a 3.88 GPA you must be in the top 1% at Cooley.  I'd throw some apps out to Georgetown, GW, BU, BC, etc.  I transferred out of Cooley in 2007 to a school ranked in the 40's (I was top 12% of class).  I hear that Georgetown is particularly transfer friendly, though I'm not sure if this has been affected by the job market.  Good luck! 

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

You might as well send an app to WUSTL.  Georgetown is less likely, but worth a shot.  Rather than just aiming as high as you can on the rankings, you might also want to consider transferring to a good regional school in the location where you want to practice.  I don't think transfers are typically offered any financial aid, but you should check that out on your own.