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Ann K. Levine, Esq. 805-683-2837 -or- |
More on Transferring Law SchoolsLaw schools are finding creative ways to make it hard on students who hope to transfer after the first year of law schools. See this post on Blackbook Legal. 21 Responses to “ More on Transferring Law Schools ”Leave a Reply
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Ann K. Levine, Esq., former director of law school admissions for two ABA law schools, is a law school admission consultant and owner of Law School Expert,
Hi Ann,
I was wondering what the process looked like in transferring to a lower-ranked law school than the one I’m at. I’m currently at USC in Los Angeles, and if I wanted to transfer to a school ranked in the 20s and maybe even 30s, would I need to be at the top of my class? What does the competition look like there? I guess I’m wondering what incentives law schools have to accept transfers to see if I would be a more valuable asset to them or not.
Thanks,
Anna L.
I think most people would think you are crazy, Anna. The reason is that a school isn’t likely to offer you a scholarship so why would you leave a top 20 school? You’re at a great school and I don’t want you to get freaked out – you deserve to be there if you are there. Make the most of the opportunity!
Ann
Ann,
Is there anything wrong with re-submitting the same personal statement that you used in your application as a pre-1L to the same school as a transfer applicant, or is that taboo? (I feel that my essay was very strong and represents me well; I’m confident that my LSAT score is what kept me from gaining admission to the school in question).
Thanks in advance.
ooooh! Bad form Scott- you need to at least update it and show more depth/growth/focus than you did before you had a clue about law school… Plus, they’ll have the previous year’s application – usually in the same file.
Ann
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your feedback. Another question – could you help me think through the pros/cons of transferring from USC to UCLA? I know it’s only one spot up, but it would also be cheaper. The only other factors I’ve been thinking about are qualitative (area of town, etc.) and I would really appreciate your insight.
Thanks,
Anna L.
Anna, In your case it’s not about ranking but about quality of life. Why not apply to transfer and then see if you have a decision to make?
Wishing you the best of luck with this, knowing you’ll be in great shape whether you transfer or stay where you are.
Hi Ann,
I’m a 1L at Temple, am somewhere in the top 10%-15% of my class, and am interested in transferring.
At what level in the rankings should I shoot for? Should I be thinking about schools like Penn, Georgetown, or BU? Or more in the low 20s/mid 30s?
Many thanks for your incredible expertise,
Matt
Hi Matt, You can try any school – it’s very hard to predict as a transfer since there aren’t published statistics for transfers. However, remember that people at schools ranked higher than Temple are also thinking about transferring up. That being said, I’ve helped clients from Golden Gate to William and Mary and from Loyola Los Angeles to Georgetown, and from NYU to Stanford (for example). Apply to any school you would choose over Temple and see what happens. Good luck!
Ann
Hello-
I will not be done with my undergraduate classes till the end of this summer. Most of the Law schools I have looked at begin before the end of my semester. Therefore, I would not be able to start Law school until September of 2011. I do not really want to wait that long and was considering applying to schools that have January starting dates. Can you please give me an updated list or a link to an updated list of schools with this option. The lists I keep finding are out of date. Also, I would only want to go there for my first semester and then transfer to a different law school for that fall. Can you please give me your thoughts on this plan of action? Thank you!
Rubina
Rubina,
Only a handful of schools have January starts. And it is nearly impossible to transfer after only one semester – and because you would be completely off schedule from the rest of the 1L class, you’d have a hard time transferring after your first year from a January start program.
I know it’s hard to wait, but I think if you do your research you’ll see it’s necessary in order to give yourself the best long term options. Call a school that has a January start and ask about these issues and I think you’ll be able to come up with a good plan for timing your admission cycle.
Ann
Dear Anne-
Thank you very much for your advice. However would it be possible for you to still provide me with a list or an updated link with a list of schools that currently accept January admittance. I only ask so that I can show the list of schools to my parents. Once they see that none of the schools are what I am looking for, they might ease up on me from trying to rush me to find a school that starts in January. Thank you very much!
Rubina
Rubina,
I think the more effective thing for you to do is show them the ABA LSAC Official Guide to US Law Schools and let them see for themselves. You will see clearly that the schools have either one admission deadline (in the spring) or two, which includes one in (usually) November.
Unfortunately I don’t have time right now to revamp this list for you, but it’s pretty easy to check by school if you go by the “bible.”
Ann
I currently finished my 1L at Cooley law school. I have heard much criticism about the school. The grading is tough(to purposely weed student out), thus the high attrition rate. I have a low LSAT score (mid 140′s), an MBA and a current GPA that is extremely low, but decent for my school (2.5).
Do you think it possible for me to transfer laterally to another T4 school?
Also, what about transferring to a T$ to a school with provisional accreditation?
Thanks for your time.
CER, You’re not going to be a good transfer candidate. It’s great that you’ve made it through your 1L year at Cooley, but your grades aren’t high enough to really put you in contention as a transfer to another ABA school. A provisional ABA school will probably be even more stringent about that because it will be very concerned about bar passage rates in order to become fully accredited. Therefore, it’s going to be hard to find a school that will take a chance on you. If you need to move locations, you can try to transfer, but it’s not something I would count on.
Dear Ann,
I’ll be a first year law student this Fall at George Washington which is ranked the 20th. I graduated from UCLA as an undergrad and would really like to transfer back to either USC or UCLA so I can live in LA. Considering that GW’s ranking is very close to USC and UCLA, how difficult do you think it would be for me to transfer?
Thank you very much in advance for your help.
Sepp, I think if you do well your first year, you’ll be competitive to transfer to those schools -absolutely.
Hi Ann,
I’m starting law school at USD, ranked 50th. My LSAT score is what kept me from going to a top-ranked law school. I’m from N. CA and went to Berkeley undergrad, so NorCal is where my ties are. I’d really like to go back there next year and transfer to either Boalt or Stanford. Obviously I’ll aim to rank as high in my class as possible this year, but what ranking do you think I need to really have a shot? Also, does it automatically count against you if you’ve already applied and were rejected to a school you’re trying to transfer into?
Thanks very much!
Cris
Cris, I’ll give you the same answer I gave to Marcelo ; )
Applying to the same school shows real interest – it’s good!
Thanks Ann!
And do you think it’s realistic for me to try and get into a school as highly ranked as Stanford or Boalt from USD?
Cris, if you’re #1 in your class, I wouldn’t put it past you. Good luck!
Here’s hoping, thanks again!