How to Write A Transfer Essay--Tips from Northwestern School of Law

Hi everyone,

We've written a few posts on best practices and tips for exceptional transfer essays. This new post on Northwestern Law School's admission blog aligns with our thinking and may be helpful to many of you.

Transfer essays can be the most difficult of all admissions writing to compose. The fact is--the odds are against you, and it can be difficult to finesse one program is simply stronger than another. However, with a well-reasoned, comprehensive and strategic approach, you can be the exception.

Email us at admin@ivyeyesediting.com for a free assessment of your transfer application essay today!

Best,
Brooke
Ivy Eyes Editing
www.ivyeyesediting.com

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"It's that time of year again. The time when law students all over the country engage in a giant game of boggle -- otherwise known as transfer season. This short hectic admissions cycle can be quite confusing, which is why we've decided to provide you with a short (hopefully helpful) guide.

The first and quite honestly, most important, part of this guide is that of submission dates. We do not accept applications any time before June 1. It is also vitally important that you complete said application no later than July 1. By complete, we mean all required materials are in our office and your application is ready for the committee to review. A completed application includes:

* A personal statement
* One letter of recommendation (from a law professor)
* Your LSDAS Report (we will automatically request this)
* Final Undergraduate Transcript (directly from your law school)
* Letter of Good Standing (form your current school)
* Complete (first year) Law School Transcript
* Edited Legal Writing Sample (from your first year of law school)
* Resume

Given that we send out decisions a mere two weeks after our deadline, the quicker you get the above items in, the better. Also, please be aware that we are now a paperless office and prefer all materials to be received electronically (meaning, please don't send your 100 page writing sample via fax, but via email).

Now that we have one really UGE chunk of the puzzle out of the way, lets take a closer look at some of the other aspects:

Volume

The volume and statistics for transfer students are wildly different each year. That said we receive anywhere from 150-300 applications for approximately 30-35 spots.

Credits/Grades

To be eligible for transfer you must have no less than 25 and no more than 28 credits from your current institution. This is also applicable for Part-Time students wishing to transfer to our program, which is Full-Time only.

Transcripts must be complete and list all first year grades, including the Spring term.

Status as a Transferring 2L

Transfer students are, for the most part, given the same benefits as our rising 2Ls. Both OCI and course registration deadlines are the same. In addition, transfer students are eligible to participate in moot court and journals.

Financial Aid

Unfortunately, Financial Aid for transferring students is only available in the form of loans.

Interviews

During the regular admissions cycle we do try to interview most, if not all, of our applicants. Unfortunately, due to the short time span of the transfer cycle, we do not provide interview opportunities.

And the biggest question of all ...

What do you look for in a transfer applicant?

We review all aspects of your application; however one thing we do scrutinize is your first year law school grades. For anyone who, when initially applying, mentioned they weren't a good standardized test taker, but would do fine in a classroom, this is your chance to prove it. We are potentially looking for those in the top 10-15% of their class -- though this isn't a hard and fast rule.

If you are looking to supplement your application, here are a few final tips:

* Be sure to tell us why Northwestern Law. We know by receiving your application that you would like to attend; however knowing the motivations behind your choice is something we appreciate.

* Don't sell yourself short in your personal statement. This is your chance to tell us what we can't glean from your application, include information that not only adds to, but enhances what we know about you.

* Include addenda. Is there something in your transcripts or LSDAS report that may strike us as out of place? Perhaps extenuating circumstances caused your grades to dip. If so, tell us about it, as it's best not to leave us guessing at the cause.

Finally, please note that you will receive your decision via the Online Status Check. If you do not receive an initial email with log-in information after applying, you may request it directly from the site. In addition, this is the most up-to-date way to find out your current status. For further information (and advance notice of decisions being released), please Follow us on Twitter or Like Us on Facebook and as always, the comments section will be open for questions."