I’ve briefly mentioned it in other posts, but I will be transferring law schools. This has been quite the process, and it has caused a ton of anxiety and uncertainty for me. I figured I would write about some tips and important information you should know if you are thinking about transferring. Hope you enjoy!

1. Decide if transferring is right for you – Have you considered transferring? This isn’t a decision to take lightly! But I do think that if you are even considering transferring there is probably a reason. For me, I realized pretty quickly after starting law school that I was NOT at the right school for me. You need to really look at the pros and cons of transferring and how this will affect your overall law school experience. The main reason I decided to transfer was that I realized I did not want to practice law in Colorado (location of my current school) following graduation. Transferring was also an opportunity for me to attend a better school.
2. GPA – Grades are undoubtedly important if you want to transfer. However, they are not everything! My grades first semester were good, but not as good as I wanted them to be, which caused a lot of anxiety for me regarding transferring. Having a good GPA will put you in a good position to transfer, but do keep in mind that admissions decisions are holistic and you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a killer personal statement/ rec letter/ resume.
3. Recommendation letters – The number of recommendation letters you will need will vary based on the school. But most schools will require one letter to be from a law school professor. Personally, I chose to have my legal research and writing professor write my letter because that is my smallest class and I felt like he knew me better than my other professors. Ironically, this class was my lowest grade first semester. But I knew that this professor knew me much better than my Civ Pro professor who had met me once, even though that class was my highest grade. Whoever you choose, just make sure it is someone who knows you and is not going to write a super general letter. I also had a previous employer write a letter but this is optional.
4. Personal statement – I wholeheartedly believe that the reason I got into the school I did was mainly because of my personal statement. I knew my GPA was much lower than the average GPA of admitted transfer students and figured this was definitely a “reach school.” But I spent so much time on my personal statement, and I believe that whoever was reviewing my application could see how badly I wanted to attend. Also, my reason for transferring wasn’t solely because I wanted to attend a better law school and I explained that in my personal statement. Show who you are and how you can contribute to their law school and the legal community of the city where the school is located.
5. Resume – I also think this helped me get into the school I am transferring to. The resume is similar to the resume you submit during normal law school applications, with the addition of the law school you attended for your 1L year. I had interned several times in the city where my new law school is, and I think that helped demonstrate that I truly wanted to be back in that location.
6. Letter of good standing – You will need to get a letter of good standing either from your Dean or Registrar office. This was super simple! I was scared to ask because I felt bad telling my school that I wanted to transfer but you have to remember that they are used to this happening, it isn’t abnormal. Make sure you do this early because it can take some time, especially if they are mailing a paper copy.
7. Waiting for decisions – Trust the process. I know how hard it is waiting for a decision and checking your application status constantly. I applied to 2 schools, and one of the schools deferred me. I was so heartbroken because this was my “safety” school and I thought that I wouldn’t be able to transfer. But then I ended up getting into my “reach school” so it all worked out! This is why I would recommend applying to multiple schools because you never know what will happen. Also, I recommend applying to schools that are “reach schools” because you could be surprised!