Transferring law schools

CrossBuster

So, I just finished my first year at Golden Gate University (a Tier 4 school), and have been accepted to transfer to UC Hastings, which is one of the best law schools in California, ranked 36th in the country.

This seems like it should be an easy decision - I'd be transferring from a school at the bottom of the heap to one near the top. However, I really have no idea if I want to transfer or not. I feel like I'm getting an excellent education at Golden Gate, and having talked to students from Hastings, Boalt, and Stanford, I don't think they have any significant advantages over me, in terms of what they know about the law.

Furthermore, I've made a lot of good friends at Golden Gate, and I'm not sure I want to start my second year at a new law school with no support group. The fact that both schools are in San Francisco helps in this regard, however.

On the other hand, there's no denying that Hastings has a much better reputation than Golden Gate, and the job prospects for recent graduates are much better. Besides that, it's a public school, so it's significantly cheaper.

So, those are basically the pros and cons. Has anyone transfered law schools? If so, how was the transition? Do you regret the decision at all?

Thanks in advance.

Thanatos

Golden Gate gets shat upon a lot, because it's so close to so many good colleges, so a shitload of their students end up transferring to other schools. It's really much, much better than its ranked.

That being said, if I got accepted to Hastings from Golden Gate, I know I'd transfer. The name of the school on your law degree makes a huge difference as far as what opportunities are available to you.

CrossBuster

I agree that GGU gets a huge amount of flack that it doesn't deserve. I'm getting a very good education here. That doesn't change the fact that the name on my degree is going to have a lot to do with what kinds of job offers I'm going to get when I graduate.

Edit: out of curiosity, are you in law school?

kaliyama

Hey Crossbuster, congrats. Go for it, hands down. I have put in a few paragraphs to show why I agree with everything you said, but the cliff's notes version is: every pro and con you've mentioned is an accurate observation but because of the nature of the legal profession, you must go to Hastings.

It's not because your legal education is going to be much different (though i'd guess hastings is going to have a wider course selection), but because law is such an insecure and prestige-oriented profession that your options for on-campus interviews, etc. next year are going to be VASTLY different at hastings than golden gate.

GGU doesn't deserve the flack, but it still gets it - Hastings has a much better reputation and one that will follow you through your legal career. My boss this summer transferred from Yale to Harvard and I had a conversation with him about this topic because I am waiting to see if my transfer apps got accepted.

What he said, and what we both realize, is that you don't get anything better than your 1L friends. That's a bond you can't replicate elsewhere. It would suck to leave those people behind. On the other hand, in your case, you're going to be in the same town still - so that takes a lot of the sting out of it at a social level. It's a really hard decision to make, and it will always be sad to leave, but I think it's definitely worth it. Your prospects in both the short and long term are going to be better coming from Hastings.

There's no way you should be paying more to go to GGU than Hastings.

Thanatos

CrossBuster wrote: »

I agree that GGU gets a huge amount of flack that it doesn't deserve. I'm getting a very good education here. That doesn't change the fact that the name on my degree is going to have a lot to do with what kinds of job offers I'm going to get when I graduate.

Edit: out of curiosity, are you in law school?

I am not in law school, yet. Trying to get some cash in the bank to pay for it, though.

themightypuck

Just another vote for TRANSFER. Nothing wrong with GG but Hastings has a decent rep that you can take further away from the bay area. GG will probably offer you some money to stay. Another important issue is what you actually want to use your degree for. If you want a high paying associate position at a midsize/big firm you have a better chance with Hastings. The DA/PD scene is probably quite different though.

kaliyama

There aren't a lot of PA/PD jobs either - i've seen USF grads beat out GG grads for those spots handily.