Transferring...what do I have to do?

[Jets]

Okay, so it's clear now that nothing will change in my cycle. I'll probably get dinged/WL from the rest of the schools pending with the exception (perhaps) of GW (PT) and Fordham. I'm fine with all of these schools, but I always wanted UPenn (for several reasons) and am not ready to give up on this dream. To transfer up to a T10 school from a school ranked 17-27 what do you need to do? Top 15%? Top 10%? What? Anyone have any experience with this? How competitive is it...? I had several great opportunities to transfer from UG and, at the time, my class rank wasn't nearly as great as it ended up being. Is it similar for LS?

I'm going to choose a school based on what feels right for me, and knowing full well that I might be unable to leave but I would still like some insight into how this process works, because I'll do whatever it takes to position myself best to fulfill my dream.

[katluva33]

I don't know specifics about each school, but I think the general rule is the lower ranked the school, the higher in the class you have to be.

From Deloggio:

http://www.deloggio.com/hearing/transfer.htm
http://www.deloggio.com/hearing/reject.htm

[Jets]

I don't know specifics about each school, but I think the general rule is the lower ranked the school, the higher in the class you have to be.

From Deloggio:

http://www.deloggio.com/hearing/transfer.htm
http://www.deloggio.com/hearing/reject.htm

Makes sense...anyone know how high you'd have to be for a school that's already ranked very well (such as BU/UNC/GW/etc.)?

[Jets]

Also -- I realize I may come off badly based on this. I want to clarify that my reasons for wanting Penn extend far beyond the rank. I'm by no means a prestige whore, and I realize I'm lucky to have the great options I already do.

[Jets]

There's a yahoo group all about transfering:

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

That's helpful, thanks. It seems, though, that most people there are looking to transfer from T4 up and the search function doesn't work so well. Anyone else have any ideas?

[Auelan]

I've heard anecdotally that it's difficult to transfer into the T14 no matter where you end up unless you're top 10-15%. It sounds like you already have a grip on what it takes; if you go to a 15-25 ranked school you can probably think about transferring around top 15% (maybe even top 20%), but if you end up at a lower T1 school you're probably more like top 5-10%. From what I've heard about law school exams, it's nearly impossible to determine where in the class you'll fall, so you're probably best off planning on graduating from where you enroll. If you get the GPA you need, treat the transfer idea like a gift, not like something you expect. I know you don't want to hear it (I've heard it plenty; Penn to you is Vandy to me), but if your heart is really set on Penn, you're best off taking the LSAT one more time in June and trying again next year.

[Jets]

I've heard anecdotally that it's difficult to transfer into the T14 no matter where you end up unless you're top 10-15%. It sounds like you already have a grip on what it takes; if you go to a 15-25 ranked school you can probably think about transferring around top 15% (maybe even top 20%), but if you end up at a lower T1 school you're probably more like top 5-10%. From what I've heard about law school exams, it's nearly impossible to determine where in the class you'll fall, so you're probably best off planning on graduating from where you enroll. If you get the GPA you need, treat the transfer idea like a gift, not like something you expect. I know you don't want to hear it (I've heard it plenty; Penn to you is Vandy to me), but if your heart is really set on Penn, you're best off taking the LSAT one more time in June and trying again next year.

Taking the LSAT again is not an option. I'll have to deal.

[RUMike]

It seems to me that if you rank in the top 10-15% at BU, UNC, GW, or Fordham, you would have similar options to coming out of Penn anyway- meaning very good chances at Biglaw in a firm in Boston, NYC, or DC.

[Jets]

It seems to me that if you rank in the top 10-15% at BU, UNC, GW, or Fordham, you would have similar options to coming out of Penn anyway- meaning very good chances at Biglaw in a firm in Boston, NYC, or DC.

Yeah, I know. This isn't so much about opportunity as it is location. I'd rather be in Philly, but I don't really like Nova/Temple. Oh well.

[Jets]

Let me guess. Girlfriend in Philly?

Anyway, in a Brooklyn LS thread, there's a 1L who talks about being in the top 5% and transfering to Columbia. So, if you were coming from a top 50 school, my guess is if you were in the top 15% you'd have a shot at tranfering, though you'd also probably have to have a good reason, like a program that they've got you're demonstrably interested in.

Where's Towlie when we need him?

Hehe...yep (although that's not the only reason).

I can come up with plenty of good reasons, and I'm assuming I got the WL this cycle as a courtesy due to my expressed interest. I'll just keep piling it on. I'm really going to bust my ass to do as well as I can...nothing bad can possibly come of it.