<p>I have a kid at Duquesne undergrad, and I understand your concerns (I wouldn’t have chosen it for myself, having a personal preference for huge public universities with lots of things to do). My D has enjoyed her first year there, although she does say that she finds it less academically challenging than expected. I note that Duquesne has a big emphasis on social justice and volunteering. I’ve heard they have a lot of connections with Washington. They definitely do have an extraordinarily strong alumni base, with alumni bending over backwards to help Duquesne students. </p>
<p>If your alternatives are something like Penn State or Pitt, I don’t see that you would get a boost in your law school chances by transferring unless they offer opportunities of some kind that you can’t get at Duq. I assume you’ve also looked at the departments for your major, the professors in those departments, etc. The key factors for law school are going to be your LSAT, to a lesser extent your undergrad GPA, and then your soft factors (recommendations, activities, other degrees). You can look at toplawschools and lawschoolnumbers to do your research on LSAT and GPA, as well as the types of soft factors that are expected for the top law schools. You have a lot of work ahead of you whichever college you choose. </p>
<p>I’d suggest trying to find a mentor in your desired career path. I’m not sure whether you’re accurate in your assessments or not. One of my kids has a friend who wanted to work in intelligence/think-tank in D.C. This kid went to a school which I’d put on-par with Duquesne, spent every summer in unpaid internships in Washington, and is finishing a grad degree at Pitt. This kid just got a job in intelligence (not in Washington though). A mentor can help guide your choices so you don’t chase degrees that you don’t need, and help with advising on internships or other activities that will bring you closer to your goal. </p>
<p>You also need to consider your educational debt load. If you take a lot of debt in undergrad and for the other degrees you’re considering, this could impact your ability to obtain a law or other degree down the road. If anything happens to change your goals (like not scoring as well as desired on the LSAT, or having a GPA lower than you currently expect to achieve), you could be carrying that debt for 20 years. </p>
<p>You can always transfer for Junior year, particularly if your freshman and sophomore grades are great. You will have benefited from your scholarship for at least two years. Keep in mind though that many schools do not offer scholarships to transfer students.</p>
<p>Or, if you really don’t like Duq and you’re a high school senior, take a 2nd look at your other options now.</p>