Accepted at Widener, Rejected at Temple- Anyone transfer to Temple from Widener?

[Harlow80]

Hey there- my numbers weren't great (152 LSAT - 2.74 GPA- it sucks, because when I went away when I was 18 I screwed around so much, but I graduated with a 3.5 from my degree-granting college)

Anyway, because of this, I plan on doing very well (top 20%) at Widener and transfer into Temple- This is what the Associate Dean for Students from Temple said:
"You should know that we do take transfer students every year, and we do take them from Widener.  We have not had a problem with late grading.  Transfers are only taken at the end of the entire first year, not the first semester.  We base the transfer decision primarily  on performance during the first year of Law School.  Applicants need to be in the top 20th percentile of their law school class."

Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks!

[JDubs]

First off, a disclaimer.  I, nor anyone I know, have ever attempted to transfer from Widener to Temple.  However, here are my thoughts...

Nothing personal but with your #'s I'd imagine you missed getting into Temple by a fairly wide margin.  I understand there are extenuating circumstances with your GPA but #'s are still #'s. 

Having said that, I'd imagine they would want to see you closer to the top 5-10% of your class in order to consider you as a solid transfer applicant.  Remember, there are going to be any # of other students looking to transfer as well, and many of those probably have LSAT/GPA #'s that were closer to their entry requirements.

And, if you are in the top 5-10% of your class, does it really make sense to transfer?  Sure, Temple has a better reputation than Widerner, but I know several people who have graduated from Widerner and are doing just fine.  And if you are in the top 5-10%, I would say you'd have just as good a chance at landing a good job as you would in the top 10% of any of the other Philly area schools (minus Penn).

Anyway, just my $0.02

[kilroy55]

First off, a disclaimer.  I, nor anyone I know, have ever attempted to transfer from Widener to Temple.  However, here are my thoughts...

Nothing personal but with your #'s I'd imagine you missed getting into Temple by a fairly wide margin.  I understand there are extenuating circumstances with your GPA but #'s are still #'s. 

Having said that, I'd imagine they would want to see you closer to the top 5-10% of your class in order to consider you as a solid transfer applicant.  Remember, there are going to be any # of other students looking to transfer as well, and many of those probably have LSAT/GPA #'s that were closer to their entry requirements.

And, if you are in the top 5-10% of your class, does it really make sense to transfer?  Sure, Temple has a better reputation than Widerner, but I know several people who have graduated from Widerner and are doing just fine.  And if you are in the top 5-10%, I would say you'd have just as good a chance at landing a good job as you would in the top 10% of any of the other Philly area schools (minus Penn).

Anyway, just my $0.02

No, you shouldn't worry too much.  Temple is not a T14 school.  Hell you can transfer from Dickinson to UVA and Georgetown if you are in the top 20% of your class.  I know, I had friends who transfered.  Granted, Dickinson isn't Widener, but then again Temple isn't UVA. 

Top 20% can get you a transfer to a lot of Tier 2 places.  However, getting into the top 20% or even the Top 10% is hard as hell, at any school.  I have managed to work my way into the top 10% at my school, and it takes an enormous amount of effort and a lot of luck.  You pretty much have to hope that most of your class works less than you, stressed themselves out more than you and can't perform on exam day.  I don't mean to sound like an ass, but one just doesn't say I am going to be in top 10% or 20% and it just happens.  Many people go to law schools with dreams like that, only to have them crushed.  Remember 90% of attorneys did not graduate in the Top 10% of their class. 

This page might help on transfering  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transferapps/

I wish you luck!  I hope you are able to pull it off.