Self-study
Hi all,
I received my. B.A. in Politics recently and graduated magna cum laude with a 3.804 GPA on my transcript. The school I attended did graded on a "F" to "A" grading scale; there were no "A+" meaning the highest GPA was 4.0 and you could not possibly obtain overa 4.0. During an internship at my local SAO, the DA told me a 3.8 was a low GPA for law school, considering many will have 4.0+. How do I explain that in my LSAT applications? I ONLY got Bs to As on my transcript, but still feel like this may not be good enough. I know it's not a bad GPA, but it's not exceptional. In order to afford law school w/o additonal loans (I have some from undergrad but am under a PAYE repayment plan), I am hoping to receive at least 75% of tutition covered, so I am working to get into the high 160s-low 170s. Will not having a exceptional GPA possibly hurt my chances? I looked at the CAS GPA calculator and there's no grade scale that fits the grading criteria of my undergraduate curriculum, as the letter grade scale goes up to A+. I'm not able to see what the exact percentage I ended a class with was. I appreciate any and all advice and thank you in advance.
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4 comments
Anything below 4.0 will hurt you, but that doesn't mean law school is impossible with a 3.8. What is done is done, now it is time to crush the LSAT and write great essays.
One thing though, do not draw attention to your GPA. Most schools do not have A+. Your situation is entirely normal and admissions already know about it. There are people who could only get As who got 4.0s. It'll come off as making excuses while telling them something they already know.
I've had someone who was able to get a B turned into an A on their transcript by asking, but I do not know how much that can be replicated. They had a good excuse: professor had violated school policy and given them a 0 for a medical absence they should not have.
Lsac only converts A+ to 4.33. if no A+ on transcript your A will remain a 4.00. on the explaining to law schools, i honestly have no idea, usually law schools understand this but at the end of the day they care about their median so try your hardest for your highest lsat score possible.