My son is at a #25ish law school and he is very happy there. He received a 4.0 during his first semester. He said he did not work “to maximum capacity”, meaning he could work harder. Should he try to transfer to a higher ranked school? He has received nice offers for 1L summer jobs at law firms in our city (major midwestern) and the federal government.
He wants to stay where he is. Thoughts on what is best for his career?
Thank you in advance
If he is happy there and wants to stay local, let him stay.
My nephew was able to transfer to Georgetown after a year at John Marshall Law school. That was a big leap in rankings of the 2 law schools but he married a girl who works in DC so he had to transfer.
it partially depends on finances. If he is full pay at his ~25, then transferring up is a no-brainer.
it also depends on his interest in remaining in “major midwestern” city for his career? (A T25 is all local, all the time, and not tranfersable outside its market.
Thank you for your responses. He has a 1/2 tuition scholarship. We have no financial concerns giving that up, however. So, even if you remain# 1 at a t25 there is no hope for you? This is a large prestigious (undergrad) university with a very strong alumnae base.
All of the people I know who transferred ended up not having much of a social life as the bonds are formed as 1L’s.
The biggest thing for 1Ls is getting a good job after first year; it sounds as if your son has done that. If he does well this summer, he’ll be on track to getting a good job after second year, and perhaps getting an offer after graduation. How would transferring affect that? And where does he want to live?
Transferring may make sense if 1. the cost difference isn’t too high and 2. he gets into a much more highly ranked school.
There’s no harm in applying, but it would need to be a big step up to make it worthwhile.
The only thing that matters is “T25”.
I disagree. In today’s environment, “good jobs” as a 1L are rare. Yes, it’s great that he has one but is it with a firm that he wants to work for long-term?
Otherwise it’s the jobs that come thru OCI that can/will turn into great jobs. And OCI is so much easier from a T14, which is where I’d aim. Northwestern would be a good target.
Concur that moving up a few notches is not worth it, unless location is paramount. Transferring the UCLA/USC for example, for someone who really wants a career in SoCal.
I don’t see any reason to transfer. T25 to T14 isn’t all that worthwhile. The job placement stats are better, but those are for students around median. At the top, T25s do just fine. The only reason I’d consider a transfer is for clerking, where law school name seems to matter a lot to certain judges. That’s probably an insufficient reason to give up a half scholarship though. The transfer school won’t offer anything–transfer students are widely regarded as a source of funds.
It is worth noting that working hard has very little to do with law school grades. Putting in extra effort won’t guarantee your son any different results. I recommend he take the paid 1L jobs, start his 2L recruiting in June, and ride those grades to biglaw/fedgov.
Thank you for the replies! I feel as though if he stays and continues to do well he will be ok. I don’t think he is interested in landing outside of the midwest so he should be fine.
Is that T25 WUSTL, perhaps?
@catria He did get in there but chose a comparable school 
@Catria: I think it’s probably Minnesota.
Nope!
What school is it?
@SeattleTW: As long as the son is happy in the area, there’s no reason we need to know. More fun to guess.
sounds like notre dame? should be fine if happy with the school, current job offers and staying in the midwest. univ of chicago would broaden his prospects, especially outside of the midwest.
Do you really mean #1? Being the tippy top student at a good (but maybe not Top 10) law school solves any perceived prestige problems in my opinion. If we’re talking about a school like Wisconsin or Minnesota, their top student does rate interviews at the best firms in Chicago or New York and can expect a shot at a federal clerkship. There is no reason to transfer to Harvard Chicago or Yale just so you can be thrust back into the middle of the class; and transfers also land off the radar screen at their new schools, so professors are less likely to promote, give a job to, or recommend etc. a transfer student over one that they had in class for first year. And it’s harder to get on Law Review at the new school, while he probably has a spot on his current school’s Law Review locked up. Having a summer job as a 1L also helps when you go for on campus interviews as a 2L, so he’s already put himself into a good position going into the next year’s interviewing cycle. It sounds like your S is in the right place for him.