Recovering from Freshman UGPA

Jacob_Seidel5

My first semester Freshman year GPA was around a 2.4, but after that semester my GPA has been a 3.8 which still leaves me with just barely over a 3.5 going into my Senior year... (My LSAT score is 164). Will schools take into account that I had a first semester screw up and have been doing great besides that semester, or will they just focus on the low 3.5 GPA.

Alex

@Jacob_Seidel5 said:
My first semester Freshman year GPA was around a 2.4, but after that semester my GPA has been a 3.8 which still leaves me with just barely over a 3.5 going into my Senior year... (My LSAT score is 164). Will schools take into account that I had a first semester screw up and have been doing great besides that semester, or will they just focus on the low 3.5 GPA.

Yes, they will consider your upward trend. They'll still focus on the 3.5 (which isn't bad at all) because that's what they need to report or work with. Perhaps consulting @david.busis for an admission package may be ideal in this situation. It can be tricky to word addenda pertaining to lower GPAs in a way that doesn't come across like you screwed off. There are of course things that happen, family emergencies for example, and this is common.

You've also got a good LSAT that shows you're clearly capable of doing well in law school. And again, a 3.5 is not a bad GPA at all!

tl;dr Depending on why your first semester grades were low, consider writing an addendum And upward trend shows you've advanced and matured. Plenty of people take time to find their footing their first time away from school at college. Admissions officers understand.

Jacob_Seidel5

Thanks so much for your thorough response. Makes me feel a lot better

Alex

@Jacob_Seidel5 said:
Thanks so much for your thorough response. Makes me feel a lot better

No problem, dude. You've really got nothing to worry about. Heck, you have a chance at T13, especially if you're a URM. If you're interested in a retake, and can raise that to the high 160s or a 170 CNN come in play.

Either way a 3.5/164 is way better than the average applicant -- you've got nothing to worry about. Way better to have a bad first semester than to bomb senior year or something that looks deliberate and lazy.

Good luck