Aim for 170 or Transfer after 1L? Please share your experience!

Tlayyyyyy

Hi-

I’ve been studying LSAT for over 4 months. I started from 149 and my score hasnt necessarily improved much. I am hitting 159-ish on Preptests.

I was originally going to apply in the Fall 2020 to TOP 14, w/ hopefully higher score closer to 170 since my undergrad GPA is low.
Then, I have recently heard of people transferring after 1L to TOP 14. I know it requires acing 1L.

Some schools take apps until June for classes starting this Fall 2020. If I start this fall, I will save one year and aim to transfer to TOP 14 next fall (Fall 2021).

I am currently debating between 2 options:
1. I have not yet taken any LSAT. So, I can take this March LSAT and apply to be admitted this Fall. Or 2. Keep studying LSAT, take LSATs in summer, and apply in the Fall 2020 to start class in Fall 2021.

Any suggestions? advice? Can anyone share his/her experience of transferring?

KevinLuminateLSAT

Here's a series of questions that might help guide your decision:

1. Do you need to start law school in Fall 2020 instead of Fall 2021? What are the downsides of taking a year off in order to go to a higher-ranked school? What are the benefits of going to a lower-ranked school 1 year earlier? Which schools are in your range for Fall 2020? Which schools do you think are realistic in 2021?
2. How important is getting a merit-based scholarship? You'll probably get less money applying late for Fall 2020 than by applying early for Fall 2021.
3. Do you feel like you're not going to make any significant gains by studying more? In other words, do you feel you've given LSAT studying your all? To me, it seems like you still have much more room for improvement, since you've only been studying for four months. Most people who have made the kind of gain you seek (149 to high 160s+) studied more than 6 months. Probably more than a year, actually. Even studying more than 2 years is not unheard of for those who want that type of improvement.
4. Would you be happy graduating from the lower-ranked school if you are unable to transfer? I don't think it's a good idea to go to a law school that you wouldn't be happy graduating from. It's fine to work hard and hope to transfer, but most of the class probably wants the same thing and is working just as hard.
5. Do you have anything in your background that makes you confident you will be at the top of your class? Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to deflate your confidence or suggest that it's not reasonable to think you'll be able to transfer. I'm just emphasizing again that almost everyone in the class is going to be just as smart and hard-working as you. So don't let your hope of transferring distort your reasoned consideration of the likelihood you'll be able to transfer.

taschasp

Well, first of all, 149 to 159 is already a huge improvement, so I wouldn't call that not improving much.

But in terms of your options, they're both going to be challenging, to say the least. The jump from 159 to 170 is quite substantial, and the odds of successfully transferring to a T14 school are going to be against you.

If you don't think you've reached your LSAT potential, I'd recommend continuing to study, take the test this summer and/or early fall, and apply to law school with what you've got. What you really don't want to do is go to a school you're not actually interested in with the hopes of transferring. Because then you're sort of gambling. And I'd be anxious as hell the whole time, since so much depends on your grades. But if you go the LSAT route, you can consistently work on it through the summer, and then more objectively evaluate your options and decide what you want to do.

And even risk-aversion aside, I do think the odds of improving to a 170 are slightly better than the odds of applying now and then transferring to a T14.

lexxx745

I dont think you should count on transferring
between acing 1L and transfering to top 14, or going from 149-170, both are really tough journeys. If your intent on top 14, id go for 170. Dont go for fall 2020, wait till 2021, and go ham studying