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Low gpa and military experience.

coolsamuel88coolsamuel88 Member
in General 13 karma

Hello,
I am currently an enlisted sailor.
I will be done with my navy career by a year.
I had already graduated from a small private university with a LSAC gpa of 3.08 (I did not know I had this low GPA. My degree GPA is 3.8)
I had not taken my LSAT yet, but hoping that if I could score a 170+, would this help with an admission to few top 20s?
Also, would military experiences help boosting my chances to get into top 20s? (UCI, UCD, UCLA, BU, BC, WASHU, ND, EMORY!!!)
I do not need scholarship because of the benefits that I will receive from the military.
If there are any ideas on regard to the information above, please feel free to share any advices from this point.

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Comments

  • FixedDiceFixedDice Member
    edited November 2018 1804 karma

    @LSATcantwin and @LSAT_Wrecker, thoughts?

    Thank goodness your GPA is above 3.0 (some schools require +3.0). I believe military experience is always nice to have, provided it doesn't involve dishonorable discharge. If you don't have any other significant issues, with a +170 you would be a good candidate for some of the schools you mentioned.

    The GPA discrepancy is a little unsettling though... Did you flunk or retake some classes?

  • LSAT_WreckerLSAT_Wrecker Member ⭐
    edited November 2018 4850 karma

    Thanks for your service, @coolsamuel88. I'm a Marine retiree with 25+ years of active service (enlisted and commissioned) and a sub-3.0 LSAC GPA (a failed first attempt at college prior to enlisting, thanks 19 year old LSAT_Wrecker). My experience with this cycle so far: While schools have been universally positive about my military experience, the degree of that enthusiasm is varied. One school I visited asked my military experiences in depth. Another basically ignored it and asked tons of questions about a 6 month volunteer gig I have on my resume. Based on my conversations with admissions people and the general "feel" I get, your numbers will be what matters. That is always the first question I get and what any feedback I get is based on. I do not think your (our) military experience "boosts" chances, however, it does add flavor to your application which can make you stand out if you write about it well.

    Ensure you have a GPA addendum which states the facts. Don't make excuses, just the facts. Point to other shiny aspects of your academic record on which they can focus. PM me if you want to take a look at mine.

    Another thing I've tried to do is while acknowledging my military service, I make a point to visit schools I'm serious about and show them that I'm more than a grizzled veteran. I want them (school admissions people) to know me as a regular person with a face, a personality, a family, and as someone who can talk about and who cares about things other than the military.

    Your essay material matters. Multiple admissions people have spoken to me on the importance of the essays. Make sure those are tight.

    Off-topic: Ever do any time in the gator navy? I spent a lot of time on the Shreveport and the Bataan. Good luck!

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member ⭐
    8392 karma

    Glad that @LSAT_Wrecker already replied! Also if he has any free time during 1L (hah), maybe @LSATcantwin could help out as well. In the meantime, you can check out his previous posts for some insight.

  • LSATcantwinLSATcantwin Alum Member Sage ⭐
    13286 karma

    @"Leah M B" @FixedDice thanks for the summon!

    I am a Marine Corps vet with a
    2.83 cGPA and 171 LSAT.

    I am also a 1L at Northwestern currently stress beyond belief because finals are upon us.

    So, can you get into a top school with a low GPA, High LSAT and military experience, yes!

    And since you’ll have the post 9/11, debt is erased from the equation making life much easier.

    As for how much military boosts your application? That is hard to say. On the one hand schools like it for diversity reasons and because it gets them paid by the government.

    On the other hand military is not a reportable stat, only cGPA and LSAT are. So you can’t really rely on the veteran boost much, you NEED the high LSAT to offset your gpa.

    You will need to write an addendum to explain the bad grades.

    But what you CAN do is show how much you have grown in the military. For instance before I joined the Marines my GPA was like 1.8. After the Marines my GPA was a 4.0. I wrote about how much of a different person I was after the military and used my grades to prove it.

    Don’t rely on it though, rely on a 170+ LSAT, that is the money maker!

  • NaomiaveryNaomiavery Alum Member
    25 karma

    It really is nice to hear this. I also have a very low GPA of 2.9 :( i was NOT looking to get into law school when I graduated college 6 years ago.
    However what I DO know for a fact is I can still get into a great school with a higher than average LSAT score. So I have to work really hard to get that score.
    My diagnostic was 146 I am now at a 164 with a blind review of 168. I know the areas I need to work on. Am I stressed about my GPA, sure, but I also know I can get into law school. Obviously I won't be a Harvard grad. But at the end of the day, I want to be of public service.
    It IS nice to hear of other low GPA students getting into law school though. Not many of us, we are a wild card, but we make law interesting. :)

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