<p>I'm currently a sophomore English major and have been thinking about law school for quite a while. I know I have some time to consider my plans after getting my bachelor's, but right now my main focus is transferring, as I've been terribly unhappy where I am (the University of Rhode Island). My concern is if I transfer I lose my GPA (currently a 3.91 from this latest semester) to go to a school where I will be happier and more challenged but at the same time at risk for a poor first semester GPA in adjusting (the two schools I'm mainly considering are NYU and American). I know that GPA and LSAT are the two biggest factors in law school admissions, so I'm wondering if I should really risk this.</p>
<p>My other concern is finances. I ended up going to URI strictly for financial reasons and could graduate completely debt free. If I transfer, I'll almost definitely have loans and then law school loans on top of that, but at the same time I really can't see myself going to a top law school from such a mediocre school. For instance, last year someone was accepted to Brown Medical School, and it was a big deal, appearing in the school's paper and other media. So... you get the gist the academic situation. Also, I'd like to go into public interest, so $100,000 or more in loans doesn't seem like a great idea. I know some top law schools have debt relief programs for students interested in public interest, though.</p>
<p>I'm not expecting to go to Yale or Harvard or Stanford... but maybe Georgetown, GW, or Northwestern. </p>
<p>Did anyone here meet a similar situation when transferring/thinking about transferring as an undergrad??</p>
<p>I love how I never get responses here for legitimate questions, but everyone seems to jump at the high school junior ranting about how he or she will never go to HLS because of a C+ in algebra 2…</p>
<p>Maybe it’s because anyone whose been through a week of college can answer that question. Or maybe it’s because you gave your question just over 24 hours to be answered… on Christmas. </p>
<p>Not my place to tell you, but in my opinion you should be grateful for the help you receive on this board, not complaining about the speed of replies. I also think it looks bad to bump posts that are on the top half of the first page. </p>
<p>To answer your original question, it might very well depend on where you are transferring to, but I highly doubt you’re GPA will take a HUGE hit. I have yet to speak to someone (and mind you, Cornell has a VERY large Transfer class) who did exceptionaly well (3.9+) at their original school, transferred, and then COMPLETELY fell off the map (less than 3.0 for more than one semester). </p>
<p>Although I’m sure this does and could very possibly happen, I just don’t see it being the norm per say. If you were going from CC Intro Bio to Organic Chemistry at an Ivy League, we might be talking about a different situation. But seeing as how you’re an English major and (I’m assuming) have been graded subjectively on your writing for most of college – and done well – I’m assuming you’d be able to easily adjust to the academic rigor at either an NYU or an American. (Bit of a side note here, but you mentioned Tuition costs; from my own personal experiences, American was very generous with both merit and need based aid.)</p>
<p>I’d apply and see what the financial situation prospectively looks like, and then make my decision. Especially if you’ve already completed most of what would be considered General Requirements for a College of Arts and Sciences and are going to be taking upper level classes in your major, I would say transferring would be a suitable and beneficial option for you.</p>