Should You Transfer?
The decision to transfer is a personal one and may be based on a number of factors: better career prospects, prestige, location, tuition cost, family and other personal reasons. If you think that another school will be a better fit for you, you should seriously consider your options and weigh them against potential disadvantages of transferring.
What Kind of Disadvantages?
You’ve spent your 1L year building your own brand at your law school through your grades, relationships with professors, networking with fellow law students, contacts with alumni, and involvement in clubs and activities. As a transfer, you’ll start with a clean slate. Say goodbye to the stellar grades you toiled for during 1L year, the connections you’ve developed (of course, you can continue your relationships with professors, students, and alumni, but you’ll probably be more likely to obtain job and research opportunities from connections at your new school), and the comfort of knowing the ropes. You’ll have to prove yourself again: reestablishing your GPA and rank, building connections, and getting involved in a world where everyone has already connected and bonded during 1L year. You also may have to relocate, find new housing, and figure out financial aid at your new school. Don’t let the challenges dissuade you, though—look at it as an opportunity to add even more connections and experiences to your professional arsenal.
Now that the Negatives Are Out of the Way, How May Transferring Help Me?
If you feel off-course, transferring is a great way to navigate your legal career toward your goals. For students who didn’t have impressive LSATs or undergrad GPAs, but rocked the curve during 1L year, transferring provides an opportunity to move to a higher-ranked school. For those who used 1L year to figure out in which area of law they want to practice, transferring is the perfect opportunity to move to a school that specializes in that area. And for those with personal reasons (like relocation) or who just don’t like their law schools, transferring is a great option.
Is it Difficult to Transfer?
Transferring is competitive—stellar 1L grades are particularly important. Below is a glimpse at what some of the top law schools generally look for in transfer applicants:
• Columbia Law: top 5-10% of law school class
• Berkeley Law: top 3-5% of law school class
• Michigan Law: top 10% of law school class
• Duke Law: Top quarter of law school class
• Cornell Law: top 10% of law school class
• Georgetown Law: top 15% of law school class
What do I need to do to Transfer?
Schools may request some or all of the following along with any institution-specific requirements:
• Completed application form
• Letter(s) of recommendation (schools will likely want a recommendation from a current law school professor)
• Certification from your current law school
• Certification from your undergraduate school
• Transcript of your law school grades
• Law school class rank
• Transcript of your undergraduate grades
• LSDAS report with LSAT score
• Personal statement
• Application fee
When Should I look Into Transferring?
You should start thinking about transferring during your first semester of law school (just thinking) because your 1L grades are critical for your transfer application. Once you begin second semester of 1L year, you should begin selecting potential transfer options. Some law schools, like Georgetown and University of Chicago, offer early admission for transfers based on first-semester 1L grades. If you plan to apply for early admission, you have to be on top of your applications early in your second semester and submit them around the middle of your second semester.
But even if you’re applying for regular admission at the end of your 1L year, you should start preparing during second semester. You’ll need to sit down with a professor and ask for a letter of recommendation, gather materials from your law school and undergrad, and work on a personal statement. Plus, it’s a good idea to submit your application early for schools with rolling admission—receiving an earlier decision will help you better prepare for Fall interviewingand journal competitions.
Where Should I Apply?
Consider your reasons for transferring and which schools are the best fit for your professional goals. Also, research which schools are the most transfer-friendly in terms of transfer class size, transfer integration, Fall OCI interviewing for transfers, and transfer journal participation.
Stay tuned to Vault and Vault Law’s Blog for more information on transferring. You also may want to join the Yahoo group transferapps for discussions on the transfer process.
Columbia Law Transfer Information
Columbia Law Transfer Admissions Criteria
Berkeley Law Transfer Information
Michigan Law Transfer Information
Cornell Law Transfer Information
Georgetown Law Transfer Information
University of Chicago Law Transfer Information
This post is authored by Mary Kate Sheridan, Vault.com’s law editor. She covers legal news and trends relating to top law firms, law schools and the general legal industry. In search of a practical use for her writing, she wound up on the liberal arts path often-traveled: law school. After law school, she worked as a litigation associate in a large New York law firm. Mary Kate holds a BA in English from Mary Washington College and a JD from Columbia Law School.