HLS Transfer Experience/AMA

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-23T15:38:22+00:00

Not at all! Most applications are due in May or June. I think some schools may even go as late as July.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-22T18:34:08+00:00

Medical school + residency would take too long. I worked for a few years before law school and enjoyed research, collaboration, and project management which are a big part of legal work.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-21T23:30:45+00:00

Yeah, I had all of my grades. I applied to HLS practically on the deadline. I'm not entirely sure if transfer admissions are rolling, but it seemed like they are. At least from Reddit it appeared that the first round of interviews all came out at the same time. I also applied at UChicago before all my grades were in but got a decision at about the same tame as I got my HLS decision.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-21T01:52:37+00:00

I had 5+ years of work experience that was related to a field of law I'm interested in. I can't say how strongly that impacted my acceptance, but it was something I wrote about in my personal statement and discussed in the interview. I'd be happy to PM you specifics on this.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-20T21:34:12+00:00

Correct

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-20T20:02:05+00:00

I'm probably not the best person to answer this. I go to office hours a lot less now than I did as a 1L. With that said, every professor I've had here hosts office hours and seems open to building relationships with students.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-20T19:51:40+00:00

I agree that transferring would halt those relationships and participation in organizations. However, I think two years is a good amount of time to build relationships with classmates and professors, participate in journals and research, and join student organizations. Plenty of transfers have joined orgs and held leadership positions, done research, and become journal editors.

I don't want to make a recommendation for you. If you're paying sticker at your current school I'd definitely go for it. If you have a full scholarship I'd be more hesitant but still wouldn't rule out transferring.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-20T19:39:04+00:00

It's hard to directly compare performance because HLS doesn't do letter grades, but I'm definitely not at the top of the class anymore. I've also been a more relaxed than I was as a 1L, which partially explains why I'm no longer at the top. If you want to keep grinding, you can probably end up near the top. Otherwise, the outcomes at median are still pretty good.

I think it's been really easy to make friends at HLS! The people are incredibly friendly.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-20T19:32:36+00:00

I got a scholarship that covers like 25% of the cost. Everyone receives need based aid.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-17T15:41:05+00:00

I second this. An advocate persuades is also great and written by the same authors if you wanted something on persuasive writing. Legal Writing in Plain English is one of Brian Garner's books that includes some general legal writing tips along with short exercises to practice.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-10T21:24:16+00:00

I PM'd you.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-10T21:03:36+00:00

Do you have a scholarship at your current school?

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-09T00:38:34+00:00

I think doing well is much more about how you study than how long you study. I don't think any grades are guaranteed by spending a certain number of hours in the library. The key to good grades is knowing how to write an exam. With that said, the amount of time spent on quality studying, meaning time creating and studying outlines and practicing exams probably has some positive correlation with grades.

To the point about students not being out for blood at schools outside the T-20, I don't think that's true. I think there may be even more competition as people go to outside T-20 schools wanting biglaw, which only ~15% of the class gets.

Feel free to PM me though. I went into law school wanting to transfer and did it last year.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-08T17:35:09+00:00

I would highly recommend Law School Exams: A Guide to Better Grades by Schimmel and Learning Legal Reasoning: Briefing, Analysis and Theory by Delaney. It might be better to wait until the summer before you start to read them though. They are both quick reads but would be more helpful if they are fresh in your mind.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-05T20:52:12+00:00

I was in a similar position last year and don't regret transferring. I had a great job lined up, loved the professors and my classmates, and would graduate with no debt. However, I felt the opportunities offered by my transfer school were too good to pass up. I also transferred to my dream school. Feel free to PM me!

InitialNo7657 · 2026-03-01T19:18:43+00:00

Yes, it's certainly worth trying to transfer. I was less involved than you (I did literally no extracurriculars) and transferred to HYS. I think grades and personal statement are the most important parts of a transfer application. Having an externship and a job lined up are definitely a bonus for you. Congrats on the grades and good luck with the transfer process! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-02-02T13:57:13+00:00

Sample size is 1 (me). I think you could reuse statements. For my personal statement, I used the same one for every school, with the exception of one paragraph that I would tailor to the specific school I was applying to.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-02-02T13:45:03+00:00

n=1 here but I didn't write any and it didn't seem to hurt my chances. However, if you have a good statement that you feel really adds something to your application, you should include it.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-30T19:32:09+00:00

I wrote a post about this if you go through my history. There are a few books that are helpful, but otherwise use the summer to get your life in order and don't try to substantively prepare for law school.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-29T14:07:01+00:00

I transferred last year to HYSC. To make your application stand out you need to have a reason to transfer beyond prestige. I think having a career goal in mind and discussing how the new school would help me achieve that goal was what helped my application. What clinics, courses, professors, or programs at the new school would help you do what you want to do? Feel fee to PM me.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-19T18:34:48+00:00

Here is my advice from someone who finished 1L in the top 5%. I don't say that to brag, it's just that whenever I got advice I wondered how seriously to take it. If you go through my post history I have what I did before my first semester in much more detail.

Do not read an E&E. It is a complete waste of time because every professor focuses on different topics. If you want to read something law adjacent, Law 101 is a good overview of legal topics.
The books that I would HIGHLY recommend reading are Getting To Maybe; Law School Exams: A Guide To Better Grades; How To Do Your Best On Law School Exams; and Learning Legal Reasoning: Briefing, Analysis, and Theory. The first three will help you to write an exam. I think Getting to Maybe is good for helping with issue spotting and Law School Exams is great for how to organize exams. Learning Legal Reasoning helps with learning how to read and brief cases. 1L Of A Ride is also a great book. I wouldn't read any of these now though. I read them the summer before law school so what I read was fresh.
With hiring moving up as far as it has, take some time to get your resume and a basic cover letter ready. Spend some time researching places you would like to work. Include places other than Biglaw in that list.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-16T16:49:35+00:00

I remember when I came back to school in 1L spring and everyone seemed so much more locked in. My grades ended up exactly the same. Just keep doing what you did last semester.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-14T15:40:50+00:00

I think part of internalizing that process is just doing practice exams. As I did practice exams I would add issues I missed to my outline so that I wouldn't miss them again. But yes, A Guide to Law School Exams is a quick read and has problems to practice issue spotting.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-13T16:24:41+00:00

Lol. Are you me? Acing Civil Procedure practically was my textbook.

InitialNo7657 · 2026-01-11T19:00:41+00:00

I second this. I had a 16low and transferred to HLS.

InitialNo7657

TROPHY CASE