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Paralegal Program to Boost my GPA..?

DanielMacTavishDanielMacTavish Alum Member
in Off-topic 161 karma

I've had my Bachelor's degree completed for some time now. However, I came across a program at my local community college that would get me (yet another) Associates Degree (Legal Studies/Paralegal Program) and would also have me officially certified as a paralegal. This actually sounds like a really good idea for me considering my GPA is below a 3.0. I would; 1. Have the opportunity to take all ABA approved courses which, if I excel in them, would look good on my resume for multiple reasons and show that I have interest in the legal profession; 2. Boost my GPA (I assume, considering how LSAC computes your overall GPA); and 3. Become a certified paralegal which, in the long run, might help my employ-ability (maybe, I hope? :D )

Does anybody see any potential reasons why I shouldn't do this? I'm 25, and about 2.5 years removed from my undergrad, but not rushing into law school since I want to make the absolute most out of it and have the ability to get into a wide range of schools. Also, I live in New Jersey, which means that since I don't make enough money annually, I get to take this program for free! :D I feel like given my situation with my sub-par grades, and since I am not in a huge rush to get into law school and can finish the program in a year, I should do this. Any thoughts? Thanks so much!

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Comments

  • youbbyunyoubbyun Alum Member
    edited December 2019 1755 karma

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  • studyingandrestudyingstudyingandrestudying Core Member
    5254 karma

    Only the work from the point a student starts taking college level courses to graduation--so earning one's first college degree--counts for the LSAC GPA. Sometimes students have written addenda about GPAs or test scores. There are a number of cases where "splitter" applicants have shown that a test score helps them to reach a higher median than their GPA median, or the other way around for a "reverse splitter." And sometimes a post-college GPA will be higher than a first college degree GPA, in which case it is said to be a "plus" on an application. That said, the paralegal consideration is another issue entirely, and the gist of it is it probably has pros and cons.

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