LSAC GPA .5 points below real GPA

cqas190517

Because I’m 34 and have gone to three colleges over my lifetime (including one that has since shut down) my LSAC GPA is a full .5 grade pints below my current GPA from my degree-granting institution. someone help me. I’m having a small freak out.

Adam Hawks

That's ok, just write an addendum stating why you have that difference. However, do be honest. For example, don't say you were a good student when you might have been partying like some people do today . If you were partying, admit it, and show that when you were dedicated, you finished with this GPA and list if you received honors associated with it.

cqas190517

I should have specified- the LSAC-calculated GPA is so low, it’s nearly a whole point below most of the GPA medians I’m looking at. Will the schools just...throw away my application without looking at it?

FixedDice

Will the schools just...throw away my application without looking at it?

No.

Ohnoeshalpme

Yeah this is often a tough break for students who see their LSAC gpa for the first time. You have to just accept your splitter status and move forward by killing the LSAT.

Claire Z.

I can't believe I'm just learning this. So all this time looking at the median charts for various schools, they use the LSAC GPA, not the uGPA?

Kermit750

Yeah it's common to find that your LSAC gpa is lower than your cumulative undergrad gpa. Your best option is to crush the LSAT, and that could help offset the low gpa a little

Positive

LSAC GPA is only calculates the grades you earned until your first BA/BS. If you have received post-BA/BS grades, it will not be calculated for LSAC GPA.

cqas190517

Excuse me while I cry silently to myself in a corner and then scream into the void.

Leah M B

There's still hope! It's a tough break having a lower GPA, especially when it's lower than you'd thought it would be. It sounds like this is going to make you a "splitter." Yes, schools will consider your GPA. It just means that you'll need to make up for it by having a really strong LSAT. General rule of thumb is that if your GPA is below the 25th percentile at a school, you'll want your LSAT to be above the 75th percentile. You'll just have to work extra hard to get the LSAT up. Splitter cycles also tend to be pretty unpredictable. It's a wise move to apply broadly and not limit yourself to just a couple of schools.

NotMyName

Graduated with a 3.57 and my lsac gpa is 3.51. I feel your pain.

You can and should double check their work here https://7sage.com/admissions/gpa-calculator/

Once you've confirmed the lsac GPA, find what is driving down the GPA and think about what caused it. Was there an externality that clearly affected you in a given semester/year? This would be things like a medical issue, death in the family, etc. If so, you should definitely write a brief addendum explaining. If however, like me, you just fucked around too much in college, you should probably only write one if you can show clear improvement at some point in your undergrad studies.

My underclassman GPA was a 3.3 and my upperclassman GPA was a 3.7 so I was able to show them that I had in fact matured over time. So I wrote an addendum explaining that my final 4 semesters of undergrad are more representative of my academic ability.

If you can't show a turning point in your grades and there was no external event, then an addendum probably does more harm than good.

In any case, the LSAT is the single largest factor in law school admissions and it's still under your control (to some extent). Best of luck!

_oshun1_

My degree GPA is at/above the 75th percentile for every school and my LSAC gpa is at/below the median for the schools I’m applying. Most of us get screwed over by the LSAC gpa calculator. Just write an addendum.

Ohnoeshalpme

@"Claire Z." said:
I can't believe I'm just learning this. So all this time looking at the median charts for various schools, they use the LSAC GPA, not the uGPA?

Yes, and it's cumulative across all of the credit-granting institutions that you attended. You send your transcripts in to LSAC and they give you your GPA calculation.