Advice needed for re-application or transferring.

[yanwensh]

Dear Madam/Sir,

I took LSAT last year, and got admitted to a 80-ranking law school. After studied for one semester, I kind of think this is not the right school for me. At this point, I plan to take the Feb. 2012 LSAT again, and re-apply for 2012 fall admission. How should I handle the current law school? Can I transfer the credits I took for the first semester? Thanks for your answer.
Best,

[Anne Chaconas]

Hi yanwesh,

At this point, you would not be able to "re-apply" to other law schools. You will have to apply to "transfer" to another law school. As a transfer applicant, it is not necessary for you to retake the LSAT; the schools to which you will apply as a transfer student will no longer be interested in your LSAT score--they will be interested in your first-year (1L) grades, where you are currently in school, and letters of rec from your current profs. If you are accepted as a transfer student, you will start your studies at your new law school as a second-year (2L) student so, in a way, yes, the credits you have from your first school will transfer.

You will not be able to transfer after only one semester. You need to finish your first year and apply as a transfer student after that. If you leave law school now, after your first semester, and then try to reapply to attend another law school, you will have a much harder time getting accepted than if you were to apply as a transfer student (and getting admitted as a transfer student is a fairly difficult proposition to begin with).

It sounds as though you haven't researched what transferring to another law school really entails and will require of you. I would encourage you to really do some research on what transferring law schools will take before you begin: It is an extremely challenging process, where schools only accept a few transfers every year, and it is based not on your LSAT score and undergraduate GPA, but on your first-year performance, where you attended your first year of law school, and letters of recommendation from your current law school professors.

Start by thinking about which law schools you would like to transfer to, and then go to their websites and find the information detailing transfer requirements. That would be a great starting point.

Good luck!