Self-study
I went to the University of Toronto with a Bachelors of Computer Science. My GPA is around 2.9. I want to apply for Canadian law schools near Toronto/anywhere in the GTA.
I went through some financial instability and traumatic experiences which significantly made it harder for me to live, let alone perform well in school despite endlessly studying. I also pursued a Specialist degree which means I rarely had electives, most of my required credits were for technical courses (programming, theory, calculus, statistics, etc.) so my GPA reflects that. I did do better in my fourth/fifth year where I had more humanities electives (I perform much better in writing courses) and wasn't overloaded with credits.
Can anyone give me some insight on what my LSAT score should aim to be, and how realistic it really is for me to apply? I'm having some serious doubts in myself because of my GPA.
14
5 comments
same boat here, 162 on my last lsat. to get into t30s im assuming 175+ is the only thing that will guarantee at least some admissions at that level?
These comments have a lot of good points, @puffle and I'll just add another!
Canadian law schools do a few things differently than their American counterparts. One such thing is the GPA calculation. Here in the States, you send your transcripts to LSAC and they tell law schools what your GPA is. This is a standardized number. But up in Canada, every school has their own policy. The top schools usually consider all of your undergrad work. But some law schools only consider your best 60 credits. Or your final 90 credits. Or they drop your worst 15 credits. It really does vary from one school to the next. So I'd go check out the schools in Ontario (I'm expanding out from the GTA just to give you some more options) and see what they consider.
But also, the simple answer here is "if your GPA is low but your LSAT is high, you have a statistical 'foot in the door.'"
Hi! I was in the same boat but ultimately from my research and speaking w a lot of admissions officers I decided to take an extra two years of my undergraduate. I just finished one year and if I preform as well next year as I did this year I’ll be able to get into at least queens. I would consider options like this, I’m in the same boat I’m financially not well off and had some bad things happen to me earlier in life that impacted my grades, however it’s important to show schools especially in Canada that you can preform well. Ofc still apply! I’m a humanities student and I understand more leniency is given to STEM students, as well you never know until you try. However I’m just sharing my story
Hello, fellow splitter here. I can't speak for Canadian law school, but 2.9 with a good LSAT (160-170) has a good shot to get into anything below top fifty. The higher your LSAT, the better. Splitters are fairly common, and sometimes it will come down to what an admissions class looks like. If they have your exact opposite candidate with a high GPA and a low LSAT, they might balance out your admissions with each other. From what I understand, it is just a numbers game. They want to have certain medians, which means better rankings for their school. A GPA addendum explaining extenuating circumstances will help if nothing else, but your main predictor for admission will be your LSAT. If it's high enough, you should have a large selection of schools to choose from, and with a 2.9, I would say 165 should be a goal score, but 160 could get you into a smaller school. Hope this helps!
Hi!! I got into a Canadian law school this year although some may say I'm a reverse splitter high CGPA lower LSAT. I do know of ppl who have gotten in with a lower CGPA and a high LSAT. It’s a given that your LSAT in this case would have to compensate for your CGPA but it can be done! When I was attending some open houses for Toronto law schools some mentioned although CGPA is important they also look for an upwards trajectory! Hope this was helpful! :)