If you feel disappointed with the results of your law school admissions process, particularly if you were hobbled by low grades or standardized test scores, you still have options.
You could reapply with new essays and a higher test score, if possible. Or you could attend a less-selective law school and seek to transfer to a more favorable school.
Why You Might Decide to Transfer
Transfer applications are most commonly due just after the first year of law school.
As a first-year law student, you will have a lot on your mind, from deciphering legal cases to handling cold calls to making new friends on campus.
[Read: Why Law School Location Matters.]
Even if a school wasn’t your top choice, give it a fair shot before deciding to transfer. By spring, you will have a firmer grasp of what you appreciate and want to change about your law school education. You may find that your goals shift as law school progresses.
Most often, applicants seek to transfer law schools either because they want to move to a more prestigious program or attend a school that better fits their personal or professional interests. For example, they may hope to build a life and a career in a different city.
How Law Schools Evaluate Transfer Applicants
As a transfer applicant, you will be judged primarily on your academic performance in law school. Admissions officers will consider factors like the school you attended, grades, class rank, an academic recommendation letter and community participation.
Your undergraduate transcripts and LSAT scores will now matter far less because they are perceived as predictors of your grades in law school. Now that you have grades, the proof is in the pudding.
Thus, transfer applicants need good grades in their first year. Law schools want students destined for career success and will look skeptically at applicants with middling marks.
[Read: Standing Out as a Law School Transfer Applicant]
Shore up Your Academic Record
Unfortunately, it can be hard to guarantee good grades in the large lecture classes you will likely encounter as a first-year student. Unlike in most undergraduate classes, grades are typically determined by final exams blindly graded on a strict curve.
Thus, if you wish to transfer, begin preparing for exams early. Take advantage of professors’ office hours and other academic resources. Outline cases and concepts as you go along and review study materials for additional perspective. Familiarize yourself with what law school exams look like and how to succeed.
Get to Know a Professor
Besides a strong transcript, transfer applicants need at least one recommendation letter from a law school professor. Two would be even better.
It’s hard enough to get to know a law school professor in your first year, when classes are large and the material feels overwhelming. So strategize early to build that relationship by attending office hours and contributing actively in the classroom.
[READ: How to Survive and Thrive First Year of Law School.]
Look Outside the Classroom
By joining an extracurricular activity and securing a good position for the summer after classes end, you can advance your transfer application in multiple ways. Not only will you demonstrate your ability to contribute to a campus community and serve others, but you will also show commitment to a legal career path and gain insight into your career goals.
More practically, you might strengthen your resume and essays for the transfer application. Transfer applicants should write a fresh personal statement rather than reuse one from previous applications, and engagement outside of class could give you new material to work with.
Of course, getting good grades, meeting your professors and taking part in extracurricular activities is also the best way to succeed in law school and in your legal career. Even if you decide against transferring, your efforts will pay off.
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Tips for Starting Law School if Planning a Transfer originally appeared on usnews.com
