GPA advice (desperate)

Christina-5

I jus used the CAS gpa calculator on 7Sage to calculate my 3 transcripts ( freshmen year at one university, one summer class at a cc and the university where I got my degree) and my gpa came out to a 2.97 because I added an F from a class that I retook ( when I removed it my gpa was 3.0). What I would like to know is how is LSAC going to report my gpa? Are they going to put my actual gpa on the report along with their calculation of my gpa? Or is it just going to be that 2.9 gpa? Because I did graduate with cum laude and I was on the Dean list

Also if they are going to use just the 2.9 gpa what would you say is a good lsat score to get into a school that median ask for 3.3gpa and 155 lsat?

goingfor99th

160 should get you in no problem.

Leah M B

(Correct me if I'm wrong, 7sagers but...)

I believe that the schools will get an academic summary report (that shows in your LSAC account) which is what it says... a summary. They'll see the cumulative GPA that LSAC calculates and it also breaks down how many hours you have in each of the grade categories at each of the schools attended. I believe they'll also have access to your direct transcripts, but can't speak to how deeply they look at everything.

It's tough to say exactly, but rule thumb is you want to counterbalance a lower number with a higher number in the opposite category. So, if you have a GPA around the 25th percentile, you'll want an LSAT probably 75th percentile and up. So, without knowing what school this is or what the 25th/75ths are, that's sort of a rule of thumb. You'll probably want to see what their 75th percentile LSAT is and shoot for at least that.

Seeking Perfection

A good way to find out would just be to use law school numbers to see what happened with other people.
http://schools.lawschoolnumbers.com

For instance American University has a median GPA of 3.29 with a median LSAT score of 155. It looks to me like last cycle a 157 would have been what got someone with a 2.9 a fair chance of getting in. The exact cutoff can vary from cycle to cycle if schools try to boost one median or 75th percentile.
http://american.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/1718

However, unless you have some way to pay for law school other than debt (GI bill, family wealth, employer paying for it, savings, ect.) it is an open question whether you should attend a school like American University(or any other school in that ranking range) at full price. If you barely get in, you will likely pay full price. Going $200,000 or so in debt to attend a school which won't substantially raise your expected salary may not be a good choice. You might be better off going to an even lower ranked law school where you can get a scholarship and don't have to deal with that kind of debt. If you pursue that route, just make sure there are not any stipulations on the scholarship.

Christina-5

@"Seeking Perfection" I am applying to a school that I can pay out of pocket without a loan. But I do have intentions of transferring after my first year. I know people vote against it but transferring after a year will work out better for me as long as I make the grades. And I have no problem with paying full price for a school if it will put me at a higher chance of landing a job. And @"Leah M B" thank you.. the school 75% is 155. I

goingfor99th

@"Leah M B" said:
(Correct me if I'm wrong, 7sagers but...)

I believe that the schools will get an academic summary report (that shows in your LSAC account) which is what it says... a summary. They'll see the cumulative GPA that LSAC calculates and it also breaks down how many hours you have in each of the grade categories at each of the schools attended. I believe they'll also have access to your direct transcripts, but can't speak to how deeply they look at everything.

It's tough to say exactly, but rule thumb is you want to counterbalance a lower number with a higher number in the opposite category. So, if you have a GPA around the 25th percentile, you'll want an LSAT probably 75th percentile and up. So, without knowing what school this is or what the 25th/75ths are, that's sort of a rule of thumb. You'll probably want to see what their 75th percentile LSAT is and shoot for at least that.

I think the higher-ranked schools look at transcripts pretty closely, tbh. Yeah, though, you definitely want both of your numbers as high as possible (with a rigorous major if you can handle it).

Seeking Perfection

@"Christina-5" said:
@"Seeking Perfection" I am applying to a school that I can pay out of pocket without a loan. But I do have intentions of transferring after my first year. I know people vote against it but transferring after a year will work out better for me as long as I make the grades. And I have no problem with paying full price for a school if it will put me at a higher chance of landing a job. And @"Leah M B" thank you.. the school 75% is 155. I

I wouldn't say transferring is a bad idea. It's just that counting on transferring is usually a bad idea because it requires getting good grades. Since law school grades are given on a curve, that means counting on beating out peers with similar LSAT and GPA combinations who are all trying their hardest to get the handful of grades good enough to transfer (to ensure they can get a legal job and pay their debt). That is a tough task and a lot less safe a bet since you only get one chance than waiting to apply until you can get your LSAT score higher to begin with.

Christina-5

@"Seeking Perfection" well hopefully i dont have to transfer because this will be the first time i take the lsat

studyingandrestudying

Yes, the LSAC calculation can be a little different than a university's and the footnotes on the LSAC site will explain how they got the number.