If you’re applying as a transfer applicant, then you’ve already been through the law school application process once. What fun: you get to do it again. Transfer applications are different from regular JD applications in a few key ways, though.

Your grades: During the regular admissions process, undergraduate GPAs and LSAT scores are useful (in principle, at least) because they are reasonably accurate predictors of a student’s ability to succeed in law school. 1L grades, however, are actual evidence of academic success. Since the LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs of transfer students don’t factor into a school’s rankings, your 1L GPA is the single most important metric, and a strong GPA is essential if your application is going to receive serious consideration. The best thing you can do now to improve your odds of transferring is work as hard as you can in your 1L classes.

LORs: Academic LORs matter more in transfer applications as well. Your 1L professors can speak directly to your engagement with your law school community, your performance in class, and the likelihood that you’ll pass the bar and get a job. They can also speak to your sense of humor, your integrity, your kindness, your flexibility, your leadership, and how you collaborate with your peers—they can reassure admissions officers that you’ll be able to transition easily and smoothly when you arrive at your transfer school. You should do everything you can to cultivate good relationships with them. Visit them during their office hours, impress them with your wit and charm, do your work on time and do it well, and be a good community member. Make sure you speak with your recommender about why you want to transfer and what you hope to find at your transfer school.

NOTE: Some law schools have policies restricting faculty members from writing LORs for students intending to transfer out. If you attend a school with such a policy, it is imperative that you reach out to the law schools on your transfer list to ask whether they will allow LOR exceptions. You may need to have your dean of students write a letter confirming such a policy exists.

Résumé: While the thought may be chilling, given how busy you are with coursework, you should pursue some law-related activity during your 1L year so you can add something to your résumé. Maybe that’s a club, a school-based legal advocacy group, or a student bar association. You could also shoot for a legal internship/externship during your winter break. Admissions officers want to see that you have been actively engaged in your professional growth, not just trying to get through all the readings and survive the cold calls in class. This may also provide another opportunity to secure another letter of recommendation.

1L summer: By the same token, one of the best ways to distinguish yourself in a competitive transfer pool is to secure strong employment for your 1L summer—for example, a 1L summer associate position with a Big Law firm. These types of jobs are hard to get, and because Big Law will interview candidates on the basis of first-semester grades and you need to begin applying for them as early as November of your 1L year, securing one of these jobs demonstrates planning, initiative, and strong academic performance. Strong paid internships, externships clerking for judges, and jobs with high-profile legal non-profits or government agencies may also be regarded favorably. A summer clerk position at a small firm or a volunteer position won’t be considered as high-value from an admissions perspective.

The personal statement: Your transfer school wants to know that you have well-considered reasons for transferring and a full understanding of what transferring means. You should write a new personal statement that articulates your ambitions in clear-headed, unambiguous terms. If a school doesn’t give you a more specific prompt, consider addressing the following:

1. Your first-year experiences.
2. The factors that made you pick your original law school that you now see were not right for you.
3. Your motivations for seeking a different environment for your legal education.
4. Why you think the target school would be better for you personally and professionally. (Like those Why essays during the regular admissions process, these need to be sharp and specific! Do your research!)
5. What you would have to offer your new law school community.
6. Your short- and long-term professional goals.

In sum: You need to explain to admissions officers how you came to the decision to apply for transfer to their school, and anything that’s irrelevant to that story should be left out. Many subjects that might have been appropriate during the regular JD admissions process will not be appropriate for a transfer application. Maybe you worked as a journalist and covered Formula 1 racing. Great! That’s a fascinating subject for a personal essay. But if it’s not immediately and obviously relevant to your legal ambitions, leave it out.

Looking for help with your transfer applications? See our services.