Tips for 1Ls to Prepare a Strong Transfer Application

Tips for 1Ls to Prepare a Strong Transfer ApplicationThis week we welcome back guest writer Tiffany Lo to talk about how to go about preparing the best transfer application you can.

Are you a 1L thinking about transferring law schools? If so, this post is for you! As a transfer student myself, I remember putting together my application as a worldwide pandemic raged on and interpersonal relations were developed and maintained through a computer screen.

Current 1Ls are in a similar predicament – many of them have not been able to go on campus or form close relationships with their professors and classmates. Under these constraints, campus culture has become difficult to discern. With travel restrictions, they cannot go visit other schools or sit in on classes. All of this has compounded the stress of the transfer application process.

I recently spoke to a 1L who is considering transferring. His questions spoke to the challenges with the process itself and concerns about being a transfer student, especially given the state of the world. Here are my tips for preparing a strong transfer application: [Read more…]

Considerations For Why You Should Not Transfer

Nov. Art. 2: Considerations For Why You Should Not TransferPlease welcome back Jaclyn Wishnia, 2L guest writer from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She discusses some counter points to transferring law schools.

Before starting the transfer process, the very first thing you should do is ask yourself, why do I want to transfer? The reasons you provide to that question will help you determine whether transferring law schools is the best solution. Sometimes external factors, such as being closer to a sick family member or a spouse’s job location transfer, will affect your decision. In those cases, transferring law schools may be completely appropriate. Other times, however, law students will base their decision to transfer on arbitrary reasons, such as 1L fall semester grades or to switch to a slightly higher ranked law school. If your reasons fall under the latter category, then consider the following arguments prior to submitting any finalized transfer applications. [Read more…]

Transferring Law Schools: How I Jumped Ship

Ashley KirkwoodPlease welcome back Ashley Kirkwood, with more on the logistics of the law school transfer process. As she explained in her first post, she recently transferred to Northwestern Law — after being rejected from every law school she initially applied to.

Welcome back, Ashely!

“It is going to be nearly impossible to transfer from here to that law school! That is one of the best schools in the city!” I heard this more than once. But I internalized: “It is rare for people to transfer from here to that law school, so you need to strategize.”
[Read more…]

Transferring Law Schools: Why I Jumped Ship

Ashley KirkwoodWondering about the law school transfer process? Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Ashley Kirkwood, a recent transfer to Northwestern, for a series on the transfer decision and process. First up, the background of her personal law school transfer story.

Enjoy!

Applying to Law School Three Times

Getting into law school once is tough, but doing it twice presents its own set of challenges.

I have been through the law school application cycle three times.

The first time I applied, I didn’t get into a single law school. The second go-round, I got into the only law school that I applied to. The third time was the transfer application process.

Once I got accepted into a law school, I went—no questions asked. I went and planned to excel. I also planned to transfer after my 1L year to a higher ranked law school.

I get a lot of questions regarding why I transferred, how I transferred, and how I like being at a new law school. I am going to answer those three questions in a series of posts. First, I will give the cliff notes version of my journey to law school.
[Read more…]