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Help regarding low GPA

ajstephens93ajstephens93 Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 116 karma

I have been studying to take the November 2018 LSAT and I have some concerns regarding my chances of admission to Canadian schools.

First off, I graduated from the University of Oregon with a cumulative GPA of 2.93. Yes, I am painfully aware of how low my grades compare to every median. I do not have a high GPA because I suffered from clinical depression as a freshman and it tanked my average. It reached the point where the UO actually kicked me out of school and I had to petition to get back in after a year of community college.

I went to a psychologist and psychiatrist, received the help I needed and got myself enrolled in classes at Lane. After a year, I managed to get back into the University where I performed great and received A's and B's. I earned a 3.8 in my last year, a 4.13 in my last term and wrote a kickass undergraduate thesis.

Despite all of that, I am feeling discouraged that even with a solid explanation for my low overall GPA and a strong trend line upon my return, I will be unable to attend school. I am going to hit this test as hard as I can, but I am not sure how rigid schools will be regarding GPAs.

I am curious if any of you have a similar predicament to mine or know how strict Canadian schools are with their medians. I know UBC has a discretionary category and most other schools only take certain portions of an applicant's overall GPA.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated! Also, good luck to you all!

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Comments

  • samantha.ashley92samantha.ashley92 Alum Member
    1777 karma

    Definitely write an addendum to explain this. I'm having an issue with multiple school transfers, so I also have some anxiety around application weaknesses. However, all of that stuff is in the past, and it can't be changed. Work on doing the best you can on the LSAT, which is all you have control over right now. I wish I could answer the question about Canadian schools, but I have no idea.

  • OhnoeshalpmeOhnoeshalpme Alum Member ⭐
    edited July 2018 2531 karma

    I have heard that Canadian schools tend to weigh GPA more heavily than American schools. I can tell you some things about American schools but I am guessing that Canadian schools have some different rules/expectations.

    In any case, the best that you can do now is to focus on your LSAT and get the best score possible. I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better and that progress is clearly reflected by your improved GPA and motivation to go to law school. I wish you the best of luck :)

  • LSAT_WreckerLSAT_Wrecker Member ⭐
    edited July 2018 4850 karma

    To offer support: My LSAC GPA is lower than yours by a fair bit. (Thanks to 1991 LSAT_Wrecker for dropping out of school without withdrawing in my first attempt at college.) It is what it is and I (you) can't change that now. However, throw up the biggest, shiniest LSAT score you can now and be reasonable about your expectations when choosing what schools to apply to. That's all you and I can do at this point. However, I know for a fact people get accepted with GPAs like ours. What you achieve at that point is all in your hands.

    Good luck!

  • PearsonSpecterLittUpPearsonSpecterLittUp Alum Member
    588 karma

    Good news for you: ALL CANADIAN SCHOOLS DROP CERTAIN COURSES !!!!

    for example, UBC drops your lowest 4 courses, Univeristy of Toronto drops your lowest year, and other schools in Ontario simply look at your final 2 years of undergrad! So I would suggest looking at the specific schools you're looking at and what they drop, because if your final two years are pretty solid, you actually have a solid chance of admission (assuming you have a 160+ LSAT).

    Hope this helps :)

  • ajstephens93ajstephens93 Alum Member
    116 karma

    Thank you all for the great information!

  • 1000001910000019 Alum Member
    3279 karma

    @PearsonSpecterLittUp said:
    Good news for you: ALL CANADIAN SCHOOLS DROP CERTAIN COURSES !!!!

    for example, UBC drops your lowest 4 courses, Univeristy of Toronto drops your lowest year, and other schools in Ontario simply look at your final 2 years of undergrad! So I would suggest looking at the specific schools you're looking at and what they drop, because if your final two years are pretty solid, you actually have a solid chance of admission (assuming you have a 160+ LSAT).

    Hope this helps :)

    That's neat. Kind of makes me wish I applied to some Canadian schools.

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