<p>HYPO#1: J owns Blackacre (lame law school humor) and is a first year law student at a regional law school (ABA accredited but 3d/4th tier ranked). J has an LSAT score of 160 and a UGPA of 3.35 (from a well respected public university). After completing his first semester, J ranks in the top 1% of his class with a 4.0 GPA and began working as a research assistant for one of his professors. If J does well in his second semester he would like to explore some possibilities at another law school, further from home, with a better program (kinda prestige whorish, but thats the way the world spins). </p>
<p>1.) Is transferring law schools possible. I'm aware of the pros (better school, etc.) and cons (possibly loosing out on law review, etc.)?
2.) If possible, to what extent (I realize Yale is out of the question, but what is the "cut-off" after which I should not consider schools)?
3.) If possible, what else can I do now to improve my credentials? </p>
<p>yes, transferring is possible. my (T14) school takes several (not sure how many--perhaps 10?) transfers a year, including people from T3 and T4 schools. I'm not sure how they apply to journals--I guess the timing works out that they might be able to apply for their 2L year (and then be eligible for editorial positions as a 3L)--otherwise, they can definitely apply after their 2L year and just wouldn't be able to have an editorial role. </p>
<p>if you're not already in law school and you're guessing at your performance, research work, etc. you might want to understand how unlikely your hypo is. law schools have strict curves and often only 1 or 2 students in each class get an A...and there are lots of people with similar stats to yours, all fighting for the top grades so they can transfer out. Also, professors tend to prefer having 2Ls and 3Ls work for them, so it can be tough to find a job. </p>
<p>if you're actually in the situation described--congrats!</p>