What's Going On in the Admissions Cycle Right Now?

Based on local public health guidelines, schools will continue to update safety protocols for upcoming visits and admitted student events. Some schools are waiting for university and/or local public health guidance to determine whether remote classes will need to be implemented and/or extended, or whether campus visitor policies will need to be amended.

As January comes to a close, law schools will continue to push out admissions decisions and scholarship offers as quickly as they can. Sometimes, this is where the work can bottleneck, as admissions teams are putting into motion plans for admitted student events and coordinating student/faculty/alumni outreach for yield efforts while they continue to review applications.

FAQs from Students

If I don’t get into my first-choice school, should I consider transferring after 1L year as a strategy? Maybe. There’s a lot to consider. We have a module to help you think it through.

Helpful Link

Do you need some guidance to help you navigate waitlist and admissions offers, scholarship negotiations, and/or commitment deadlines? Consider our After-the-App services.

Discussion

This week, our discussion continues on interactions with the law schools concerning transcripts, updated CAS reports, and why these are important.

Submitting All College Transcripts

This can be an annoying and cumbersome requirement, but law schools require transcripts from all colleges, grad schools, and professional schools that a candidate has attended. This includes community colleges, night classes, summer coursework, and even college courses taken in high school.

Often, when submitting applications, candidates will find that their applications are marked incomplete in the online status checker because a missing transcript delays the transmission of the CAS report. It’s best to err on the side of submitting everything, rather than waiting for the LSAC or a law school to determine that your application is incomplete. For more information on transcript requirements, view the LSAC’s guidance here.

Reporting Your GPA

But which GPA is best to list on my application? When you have a major GPA, a cumulative GPA from your degree-granting institution, and a cumulative GPA from the LSAC, this can be really confusing. The best GPA to list is your LSAC cumulative, because it encompasses your entire body of work. If you attended multiple institutions, this GPA accounts for all of the classes you took, while your degree-granting institution’s cumulative may not.

Similarly, your major GPA is incomplete, as it doesn’t take into consideration your general education courses. Though this GPA may be stronger and focuses attention specifically on the courses of your major, it doesn’t provide the full picture.

When you’re reporting your GPA in the Education section of your application or on your résumé, it’s best to use your LSAC cumulative GPA where possible. It would also be acceptable to use your degree-granting institution’s cumulative GPA if you have not attended any other institutions—an AO would be able to easily see on your transcript where that figure comes from. However, if you attended multiple schools, your LSAC cumulative GPA is the most accurate figure. Do not round up your GPA—this is not the metric to report creatively, and any figure that doesn’t align with the figures mentioned above can appear to be misleading and will result in AOs questioning a candidate’s character and judgment.

Providing Transcript Updates After Submitting Your Application

If you submitted your applications prior to your fall 2021 grades being recorded, and if your GPA improved following that term, submitting an updated transcript to the LSAC is a good idea—this will cause them to recalculate your cumulative GPA and send an updated CAS report to each school where you submitted an application. You don’t necessarily need to communicate that an updated CAS report is being sent—they’ll monitor updates to applications as they’re received; however, if your application has been in review longer than a school’s estimated turnaround time, a notification of an updated transcript could certainly accompany a letter of continued interest (LOCI).

Transcript Updates While on the Waitlist

Similar to providing transcript updates after submitting an application, law schools welcome transcript updates for candidates who were offered positions on the waitlist. Updated grades that improve the GPA credentials could provide AOs with the ammunition they need to trigger an offer of admission. If you’ve sent an updated transcript to LSAC and you’re on the waitlist, sending a notification with a LOCI is a good idea—reiterate your interest and intention to commit while highlighting your improved grades and sharing that an updated CAS report should be anticipated.

If you also have an updated résumé, or learned new things about the school that make you even more interested or committed, include that information as well. Providing your LOCI comprehensively with other documentation creates a complete package for AOs to review, which can be perceived positively as thoughtful preparation by a favorable candidate. In terms of ideal timing, sending this package right around the first commitment deadline makes good sense, as AOs are likely to review strong waitlist candidates to fill gaps in commitments for the incoming class.

Upcoming Recruitment Event

Most law school recruitment events are now behind us, but there is one big one left that includes most of the T14:

  • The LSAC February Digital Forum will take place online on Saturday, February 5 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET. This will include live and on-demand workshops as well as a digital law fair with schools from across the country (a list of participating schools is not yet listed). Register by February 3.