Hi all, I graduated in 2022 from a stem major and have been working at a big 4 company as a consultant. I'm planning to apply for the 2027-2028 cycle so I have a bit of time, but I just wanted to see if these academic failures (?) will hurt my application a lot. I don't know what my LSAC GPA is but i remember having around 3.6 when I graduated.
Academic Dishonesty:
I took a Statistics course in the summer of soph->junior year that I got caught cheating. I shared answers with a classmate and he copied the same wrong answer I got. Our school policy was that the first violation is a warning, won't leave any record (I think) but your grade will be lowered which I ended with a D. I was so ashamed of myself so I retook the class the following semester with the same professor in person and got an A even though I couldn't do grade replacement (you can't do grade replacement if you have an academic dishonesty for that class).
Failed Class:
I failed a class my senior year first semester but it was just a hard course. I took a different class in the following semester that gives the same credit and got a A, but turns out I didn't need to take these classes at all for my graduation; the academic advisory professor just messed up and gave me the wrong advice.
Back then, these things didn't really matter to me too much and I was just relieved I got to graduate, but looking at it now when I'm trying to apply for law school, I realized these things hurt my GPA calculation too much. If I write addendums and explain it, would I be okay as long as I have a good LSAT score and personal essay? How bad are these 'fuck ups' in my undergrad years?
I guess I do have a speeding ticket in 2023 or 2024 that I got which isn't on my record per say since I took the online driving course lol. Does this matter a lot too?
2 comments
Taking ownership of the choices to cheat which resulted in the lower grade, and whatever reasons you earned the "F" is what they are looking for. Not saying, "I was caught cheating" this (even if not your intent) would read by an admissions counselor, "Well, if I hadn't gotten caught, I am okay with cheating."
Just state the facts, don't make excuses, don't blame shift, don't attempt to minimize, don't go over the top with "I felt so ashamed" (this could read manipulative even if not intended) and be sure to clearly state how this mistake you made you have grown, learned, and how you clearly have made effort to change etc. If you are unsure if thats what you are doing, have someone you trust who can be ruthlessly honest with you to proofread your addenda.
Remember that feeling guilt is good if you made a mistake, it can lead to improved character and growth. But shame will keep you stuck. May want to listen to Brene Brown & Adam Grant's podcast "The Curiosity Shop" they have numerous episodes on apologies, shame, taking ownership etc that may be helpful. This is also excellent: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brainstorm/202603/guilt-and-shame-are-not-the-same
Lawyers are held to an extremely high standard of ethics, morals, and law abiding. Being admitted to the Bar is much harder than to law school if there is dishonesty, excuse making, character issues not addressed but discovered later.
If there are extenuating circumstances for a low grade, such as a death in the family, admissions committees do want to know this. But, don't write tons or try to get overly emotional.
From having spent almost my entire career working in top university ethics departments, this is the advice I would give. I hope these are helpful, and I wish you the best! Don't lose hope, I heard a podcast from a consulting firm where they talked about character/fitness issues and discussed a very highly respected law professor who had served prison time, changed his life around and became a phenomenal lawyer (and obv. law prof) later in life.
I agree with the other comment here regarding how to present the matters and take ownership for things. One is a CF issue (the academic dishonesty) and the other is a matter you would address on the addenda section of the app (failing a course because it was just really hard). Be sure to present them clearly and directly on your app and take ownership.
Regarding how to balance that out - yup, your resume and LSAT are going to be doing the heavy lifting. It sounds like you're already on a good path there given your work at a Big 4. Keep that up! And be sure to give yourself time to prep for the LSAT and to be able to take it a few times if necessary.
But one last bit of advice is that you might want to sign up for CAS now. CAS is how LSAC will send your transcripts and test scores to the schools you apply to. It has a registration cost of something like $240 and then your registration is good for five years. The reason it'd be good to do this in the near future is because this would let you know exactly what your LSAC GPA is. No guessing or calculating - you'll know! I think that's always good in cases like this just so that you can have clear eyes about the task at hand.