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Transfer Students: Second-Class Citizens?
(And an open thread on the transfer application process.)

transfer student transfer law school.jpgThis is the type of topic we’d expect to see posted in our new Community section. But since that section hasn’t really caught on yet, we’re happy to post it here. From a law student at the University of Chicago:

The quarterly U of C student newspaper came out [last week], and the Student Body President (of all people) wrote a snarky poem about transfers. [Ed. note: The poem — “Phenomenal Transfer,” perhaps inspired by Phenomenal Woman, by Maya Angelou — is posted after the jump.]

[T]he poem isn’t terribly offensive, but it’s indicative of a general attitude to transfers that original / “regular” students often have (and the way I understand it, it’s worse at some schools than others). “Regular” students often snark transfers because transfers “don’t deserve to be there” — meaning that LSAT scores are apparently the only acceptable measure of deserving to attend a law school. It’s also fairly well known that transfer students do as well as or better than “regular” students with grades — maybe that’s where part of the problem comes from.

Update: According to several commenters, the publication that the poem appeared in is a satirical, Onion-esque newsletter.

Apparently anti-transfer prejudice varies from school to school. According to our Chicago tipster:

I’ve heard bad things about how GULC [Georgetown University Law Center] treats its transfers. Apparently at orientation last year, the current students booed the new transfers. It’d be interesting as students start preparing transfer applications for them to have an idea (from an open thread or comments) how they’ll be treated at the schools they’re considering transferring to.

Now is a good time for such a discussion, says our source:

Schools start accepting applications May 1, usually through the summer, with applications completing when grades come in (from the first school — so right about now). Acceptances go out throughout the summer, and some schools have rolling admissions. So I think it’s most topical right now, especially given that students generally send out relatively few transfer applications (usually 2-4 tops) as compared to initial law school applications.

In fact, some prospective transfer students have already heard back. From a different correspondent, who wrote us last month:

[H]ave you ever done anything on law students transferring schools? Georgetown is in the process of sending out decisions to their early action applicants. I just got accepted as a transfer from John Marshall in Chicago with a 3.93, which puts me in the top 3%. The Yahoo TransferApps group and the transfer board at lawschooldiscussion.org have been blowing up over the last few days with people getting accepted/rejected. Maybe you could get some good info for the law-student readers that are pondering a transfer.

If you have thoughts on being a transfer student or on the transfer application process, please share them in the comments. You can also check out the “Phenomenal Transfer” poem, after the jump.

PHENOMENAL TRANSFER

Phenomenal Transfer
Mortal students wonder where my secret lies
How I can be so exceptionally wise.
But when I start to tell them,
They start to roll their eyes.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my hand
Before the question’s complete,
The gunning I do,
From my front row seat.
I’m a transfer,
Obviously.
Phenomenal transfer,
Thats me.

I walk into a room
And perform a quick sweep,
Because other transfers
Are the only company I keep.
Then they swarm around me,
My protective shield.
I say,
It’s the perfect attendance,
And how we’re always prepared,
The daily outlining,
That leaves others so scared.
I’m a transfer,
Obviously.
Phenomenal transfer,
That’s me.

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