Transferring law schools in your second year can be a tough transition. When I transferred from Brooklyn Law School to Temple Law in the fall of 2015, I knew I was in for a challenge. The following are things that I experienced when transferring and ways that I have combatted them.

You’ll lose social connections

Transfers start out at a social disadvantage. We miss out on the connections our new classmates made in their first year, which are crucial connections for law school and beyond. I had to work extra hard to find a study group and professors who could mentor me and write recommendations on my behalf. (It was a condition at Brooklyn Law School that if I transferred, I could not contact my first-year professors for recommendations.) My biggest fear with transferring was that I was going to be a loner. This fear quickly dissipated as I met a couple of students who welcomed me and invested time in getting me acquainted with my new surroundings. They made me feel more comfortable, which allowed me to be more social, and encouraged me to make connections.

At Temple, I have became 2L Day Division Vice President and a member of the SBA Budget Committee. I also formed a branch of Racial Injustices Socially Eradicated (RISE) (a student group I started with my friends at Brooklyn Law), and joined the board of the Mid Atlantic Black Law Student Association. I was also just voted SBA Treasurer for next year.

I had not been so involved at Brooklyn Law, but I had my section mates and classmates that lived in my apartment building. Getting involved in different groups and attending various events has definitely made my transfer easier. I’ve enjoyed getting to know my peers and experiencing new things.

Your first semester at your new school will be just as difficult as your 1L first semester

Temple Law is on a different system than Brooklyn Law. At Temple, the exam schedule is not known until halfway through the semester. This system did not bother me but I did not pay attention to the “type” of courses I registered for, meaning whether the courses were “exam”, “non-exam”, “skills”, “serial”, or “research”. As a result, I ended up having four final exams and a final paper due during finals period. Each of my exams were separated by 48 hours, which did not qualify me for an exam conflict reschedule (exams must be within 30 hours of each other). I could have made an easier schedule for myself if I registered for “non-exam” courses and more “serial”/ “research” writing courses. My first semester at Temple was quite challenging academically with this schedule, but I was able to manage an efficient study schedule.

I also wish I asked more questions about Temple’s Integrated Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP) and Integrated Transactional Program (ITP) during the transfer process. Students can only register for these programs during the first semester of their second year. I didn’t register for either of these programs, but now that I see how beneficial they are, I wish I had.

You have to repeat some activities at your new school

At Brooklyn Law, I was the Public Relations Chair for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and a member of the Journal of Law and Policy. Many of my friends at Brooklyn Law believed I would not transfer after getting onto Journal. However, I believed that the opportunities and rank of Temple Law overshadowed getting on Journal.

Now, as a transfer student, I have to participate in the Temple Law Review and Temple International & Comparative Law Journal writing competitions in my second year. The Brooklyn Law competition was stressful enough, but as a transfer, you have to be open to repeat the processes of your first year at your new school.

You won’t receive scholarship money

At Brooklyn Law School, I had three scholarships to help cover the cost of my tuition. At Temple Law, I don’t have any scholarships. Transfer decisions aren’t made until later in July. I found out I had been accepted into Temple a month before school started. I believe all law schools do the same thing with their transfer students. All available scholarships are given out by the time transfers are even accepted. This was not a deterrent for me. The cost of living in New York was much more expensive than living in Philadelphia. Brooklyn Law’s tuition was also way more expensive than Temple’s, even with my scholarship money. Temple Law was definitely financially worth my transfer.

My transfer journey has been challenging, but I gained new connections at Temple and even maintained some of the relationships I built at Brooklyn Law. It was a good decision because in the long run; I was able to go to a better, more affordable school. I’ll also have less student debt and more opportunities. Everybody has their different reasons for transferring, however. It is always good to weigh your reasons against the reality of transferring.