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Transferring Law School
                 Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

The decision to transfer law schools is a tough one that involves many factors, all of which need to be considered. How will transferring change your c urrent career path? Will you be able to write-on to law review? Will you lose your financial aid? Is bigger (or higher ranked) always better? How will transferring help or hurt your opportunities for second year summer associate positions? Will it matter where you went to school once you start your career?

With this in mind here is some advice to get you started, whether you are applying to law school for the first time with the intention of transferring later or you are unhappy at the law school you currently attend.

Go now or wait?
Let's face it, not everyone is going to get into his or her first choice school. There is a reason why we are  told to have a safety school on our list. But is it better to go to your second choice school with a plan to transfer after your first year, or to wait a year and re-apply? There is no easy answer.

Wait a Year
First, waiting a year does not guarantee admission the following year. How willing are you to delay your plans a full year without assurance that you will have better results than you had initially? There are certainly opportunities to be gained by waiting an extra year. It will give you a chance to work on your essays, address weaknesses in your application, and boost your LSAT score if your application was less than stellar the first time around.

Go and Transfer
On the other hand, the LSAT counts very little for transfer applicants. In fact, most admissions officers do not recommend transfers re-take the LSAT, even if scores are low. What is important is how you did in your first year. A good GPA and class ranking are huge factors in the transfer admissions process. If you work hard and excel academically during your first year, law schools will be more willing to overlook poor LSAT scores.

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A Trade-Off
Most importantly, schools want students who have something unique to offer the class. Taking a year off is a tough decision but if you plan to do something fascinating and challenging during that year it may be beneficial to your application and your career. Consider the experiences you will have as a first year student versus what you will do if you take a year off and how those experiences will help you stand out. Only you can decide which route better suits you.

Dennis Shields, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid at Duke Law School recommends that students look at what they want to be doing 10 years from graduation and map out several paths to get there. This will help you decide if waiting a year or going to another school will best help you reach your goals.

What the Admissions Office Says
The admissions officers we spoke to recommend that students not plan their futures around getting a degree from one specific school. Michael Spivey, coordinator of admissions and recruitment at Vanderbilt University Law School advises, "I would not apply to any law school that I could not foresee myself at. But if you don't get into your 'top' choice, I would say to go ahead and go to another school you have been accepted at. Who knows, you might just love it there and if not transferring is always a strong consideration."

Shields is a little more hasty about transfer students, but he agrees with the sentiment that students should never go to a school they wouldn't be happy getting a degree from. He warns, "don't go into a s chool assuming you'll be able to transfer out because there are no guarantees." This is especially true for students trying to "transfer up in prestige. Those students who are trying to transfer because they are unhappy with their current schools or because of a family or personal need to relocate usually have it easier. These students tend to give themselves more options than students transferring simply to have a big name school on their resumes do.

Admissions officers recommend trying to look at how differences between the schools will benefit you in the long term. For example, depending on your career path, a top tier school may be vital to your success. Your ability to get some jobs, such as clerkships, can be very influenced by your alma mater. Big law firms are also very aware of school rankings. In cases like these it is helpful to have a highly ranked university standing behind you. "Generally speaking higher is better," said Spivey. However, he does caution, "make sure you end up at a school you firmly believe you will fit in with. Don't transfer into a school because it is ranked in the top ten, transfer because it is a highly ranked school and you want to be there." Other professions focus more on your experience than which alumni association you belong to. Shields points out that in this case, where you went to school makes less of a difference the longer you've had to create a reputation.

What Career Services Says
While the admissions office insists ranking is less important, those in the career services and recruiting offices tend to be a bit more blunt. Susan Guindi, assistant dean of career services at The University of Michigan advises "go to the best school you can." She believes rankings matter when looking for both summer and long-term positions. As graduates move through their careers, "what becomes less of an issue for many jobs is how well you did at that school but what continues to be an issue is where you went to school."

No Grades, No Problem
Are transfer students at a competitive disadvantage if they look for summer positions before they've had a chance to accumulate a record at their new school? "In terms of hiring statistics there is no indication that they are at a disadvantage." Guindi says those who were admitted as transfers from other schools were likely to be first in their class and will continue to be star students at their new school. Employers are very aware that the student they are interviewing got into their new school because they are outstanding individuals. For the most part academics will not be an issue. What recruiters will want to find out, however, is why you chose to transfer. Be prepared to answer questions like whether or not you applied to the school in the first place and be ready to explain the differences between those schools.

Deciding Factors
It is important to know that advice will differ depending on who is dispensing it. Recruiters from big time law firms typically prefer applicants from big time law schools while those from smaller firms state that it is not where you go but what you do while you are there that matters. This split makes it vital for you to do some serious thinking about what is important to you and what you ultimately want to get out of your time as a student and an attorney.

How do I know if I am a good applicant for transfer admissions?
Of course, before you even get into whether you should transfer, you have to consider whether you can transfer. Much of this has to do with the individual school. Duke admits only the number of students it has r oom for; that is, if three students leave the program, three new students are admitted. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, has no set number of transfer spots, it all depends on the quantity and quality of the applicants applying.

Given that information, the most important thing you can do is to sit down with an admissions officer and ask straightforward questions about where you stand as a transfer applicant. For example, just because you made it onto the waitlist when you applied initially, does not mean that you will be a good applicant for transfer admissions. Of course, if you were a strong candidate but submitted your application late, it may be that the school liked you but all the spaces were taken by the time they got to your application. In that case your chances of getting in as a transfer student may be increased.

Again, take as much guesswork out of the equation as you can by making an appointment with someone from the school to which you hope to transfer. Ask the school to be honest with you about your standings as this will help you decide if it is worthwhile to reapply.

What will I Lose?
And if you do transfer, what will you give up? Much of the decision to transfer depends on individual circumstances. Shields says if you are changing schools just to "trade up" you may want to take a closer look at what you are actually giving up by leaving your current school. Changing schools may mean losing the support system from students and faculty you have come to know at your current school. Being at a top-tier school doesn't necessarily increase job opportunities once you are out the door.

In some cases it is better to be a top student at a smaller school than a lower ranking or average student at a huge university. Ultimately this depends on what you hope to achieve professionally. If your long-term goal is to work for a big name firm then it may be a good idea transfer to a school where those firms recruit. On the other hand, will it matter where you went to school once you have established a name for yourself as a lawyer? When thinking about schools you must consider not only how a school will help you land your first job, but also how it will help you achieve your long-term goals.

Law Review
What about law review? Most schools will allow transfer students to write-on to law review. What may become a problem is timing. Often, by the time a transfer student is admitted the spots on law review (and other journals) are filled. If you have made law review at your current school and want to be on law review at your new school, ask questions about your chances before you commit. This may become a deciding factor in your decision to transfer.

Financial Aid
Another thing to consider is that financial aid is rarely offered to transfer students. Just because you have a substantial amount of aid at you current school does not mean your financial need will be taken into consideration when you transfer. Since spots are limited, schools have no need to entice transfer applicants with big award packages, especially top name schools.

Think Hard
Shields urges students to "look before you leap. Be very careful what you ask for, especially for those students just trying to trade up in prestige. Transferring is no guarantee that you'll have better opportunities, or that you'll have a better experience. If you've done very well at the law school where you are that is worth something and before you give that up you ought to think very carefully about that."