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Written by Transfer Student Anonymous
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Friday, 11 April 2008 12:12 |
The decision as to whether to transfer law schools can be a difficult one. You can feel settled, secure and doing well at your current law school, but find yourself wanting to go a law school you weren’t accepted to the first time around. Perhaps your personal situation has changed, making transferring law schools a necessity. This article will discuss the factors to consider in deciding whether or not to transfer, as well as the application process considerations in order to do so. Changing law schools is a big decision that you will want to consider carefully and ask all the right questions prior to doing so.
Importance of the LSATS. If you are transferring law schools, your LSAT score is no longer of much importance to the law schools’ admissions office. Rather, your law school grades are the primary gauge of whether you will be admitted or not. Law schools will also consider what law school you are coming from. More prestigious schools carry more weight than those ranked lower. Therefore, if you didn’t do well on the LSATs, but nevertheless have excelled in your first year of law school, transferring may be the solution to getting into the law school that you really wanted to go to the first time around. Alternatively, if you have not done as well in law school as you would have liked, and your grades aren’t that good, transferring law schools may not even be an option for you.
Consider Your Career Goals. If you are looking to work for a big firm, or to obtain a federal judicial clerkship, transferring to a higher ranked law school may be of benefit to you. If you plan to practice in a particular geographic area, it may be of benefit to you to attend a law school in the area that has a strong alumni base and/or name recognition in the city in which you wish to practice. Alternatively, if you are not certain where you plan on settling down, you may want to look for a school with a more national name. If two schools are close in prestige, you may want to choose the one in which you are already doing well, particularly if it has ties to city in which you want to practice law.
Consider What You Are Giving Up. Changing schools can be a tradeoff. You may lose personal connections in the form of classmates, faculty and law school administrators by transferring to a school where you know no one. These individuals can serve as valuable networking contacts, as well as important emotional support. If you are highly ranked in your class, there is no guarantee that you are going to be similarly ranked at your new school. Many employers are very conscious of law school ranking and prefer to only hire the top of the class. You may also want to look into what the new school’s policies and procedures are regarding law review/journals and moot court. These are important resume builders that you will want to participate in.
Financial Aid. Financial aid can be another important factor to consider in deciding whether to transfer from one law school to another. Just because your current school has given you financial aid does not mean that the school that you want to transfer to will offer you a comparable package. You will also want to look at your goals and do a cost benefit analysis if the school(s) to which you are applying cost more than your current law school. You will be paying off your student loans for a long time to come and will want incur debt smartly and strategically. Many law schools do not offer scholarships to transfer students.
Curriculum Considerations. If you are absolutely certain that you want to practice a certain area of law, then course offerings and extracurricular opportunities at a particular law school can also be of special interest. Some schools have special law centers (such as Pace Law School’s environmental program or the University of Chicago’s international law program) or clinic opportunities that can open doors that might not otherwise be available to you.
Talk To The Law Schools That You Are Interested In. You will definitely want to talk to the law schools to which you are interested in/considering transferring to. They can give you an idea as to how many transfer students are admitted out of how many applicants. Most require recommendations from law school professors. They can also tell you how many credits they will allow you to transfer. Many law schools only accept first year credits upon transfer. They can also advise you as to whether transfers are only accepted for the fall semester, or whether you may transfer for the spring semester as well.
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