Change in Cumulative GPA Forum

[isaiahnielsen]

Can someone please explain to me why my cumulative GPA on my official transcript dropped from 3.25 to 2.93 on the LSAC Academic Summary Report?

[DukeCornell]

Can someone please explain to me why my cumulative GPA on my official transcript dropped from 3.25 to 2.93 on the LSAC Academic Summary Report?

WTF?? Mine went up. (bump)

[BlueDiamond]

Can someone please explain to me why my cumulative GPA on my official transcript dropped from 3.25 to 2.93 on the LSAC Academic Summary Report?

Uh.. well.. did you have a bad semester recently?

[Mike12188]

You ever retake a class? I retook two classes and both times only the second grades were counted in my GPA, LSAC counted both grades for both classes in the LSDA GPA

[Pleasye]

There are a couple of reasons why your GPA may have changed. LSAC counts ALL classes that you took. So for example, if you took Math 1 and got a C and then took it over again and got an A and your UG replaced your grade LSAC will count BOTH grades when calculating your GPA. Also, they ask that you send in transcripts from all schools you've gone to, so any CC classes you may have taken get counted also (no idea if you did this or not).

[isaiahnielsen]

that might make sense...i failed a music theory class and re-took it. It still confuses me why my cumulative GPA on my official transcript would be allowed to be so high if that were the case. Well, I will just have to deal with it. It definitely changes things though.

[Pleasye]

that might make sense...i failed a music theory class and re-took it. It still confuses me why my cumulative GPA on my official transcript would be allowed to be so high if that were the case. Well, I will just have to deal with it. It definitely changes things though.

Most UG's have a policy where if you fail (or get a C or something) then you can retake a class and they replace the grade when calculating your GPA, but they still keep a record of you taking it twice. It's allowed at a lot of schools. Sorry about the drop though, it sucks.

[Mustard Blood]

that might make sense...i failed a music theory class and re-took it. It still confuses me why my cumulative GPA on my official transcript would be allowed to be so high if that were the case. Well, I will just have to deal with it. It definitely changes things though.

It had to have been more than one class, right? If your total credits were about 130 at 3 credits per class, then an additional F would have moved your cumulative GPA closer to 3.2, not 2.-something.

[isaiahnielsen]

well, i am not sure, i need to check. first of all, my schools were on a quarter system, so our classes were 5 credits and we needed 180 to graduate. i did an extra year, so i finished with 216.5. i took about 26 credits when i was in high school at a local community college, but i don't remember how well i did. i think that is probably where the issue mostly lies. i need to look in to it, because it is a big drop, and now my list of schools is going to change drastically, if i even apply this cycle.

[Mustard Blood]

well, i am not sure, i need to check. first of all, my schools were on a quarter system, so our classes were 5 credits and we needed 180 to graduate. i did an extra year, so i finished with 216.5. i took about 26 credits when i was in high school at a local community college, but i don't remember how well i did. i think that is probably where the issue mostly lies. i need to look in to it, because it is a big drop, and now my list of schools is going to change drastically, if i even apply this cycle.

I bet it has more to do with those 26 credits than with the 5 in Music Theory, but, still, it's difficult to imagine that 31 credits caused such a large drop in your GPA, unless you failed your community college courses, too.

[isaiahnielsen]

no, i didn't fail the community college courses...however, i believe i had a few W's when i decided to take high school classes instead of college classes...i don't know if those affect anything with LSAC, but something definitely happened.

[DukeCornell]

well, i am not sure, i need to check. first of all, my schools were on a quarter system, so our classes were 5 credits and we needed 180 to graduate. i did an extra year, so i finished with 216.5. i took about 26 credits when i was in high school at a local community college, but i don't remember how well i did. i think that is probably where the issue mostly lies. i need to look in to it, because it is a big drop, and now my list of schools is going to change drastically, if i even apply this cycle.

I bet it has more to do with those 26 credits than with the 5 in Music Theory, but, still, it's difficult to imagine that 31 credits caused such a large drop in your GPA, unless you failed your community college courses, too.

Even if OP failed the CC courses he should have been given 1 point per failed class. This is because Joint enrollment is scaled differently than "regular" college session. Thus, a failed college course for a HS student is an automatic D (which is the same as 1 point), or at least it is/ was in Georgia. That being said, his numbers are inconsistent with the 1 point rule. I think it might be something else. My advice would be for OP to check EVERYTHING. Call LSAC if need be. That's a huge dip.

[isaiahnielsen]

yes, i will investigate further

[Pleasye]

no, i didn't fail the community college courses...however, i believe i had a few W's when i decided to take high school classes instead of college classes...i don't know if those affect anything with LSAC, but something definitely happened.

The W's may or may not be part of the reason your GPA dropped. LSAC counts punitive withdrawals (withdraw-fails) as F's but non-punitive withdrawals don't affect anything. It may be a combination of all of these things, the F, the WF's and the high school CC classes. That would explain a massive drop. Look on LSAC's website, figure out how they calculate everything and then look at all your transcripts. You should be able to figure it out. Definitely give them a call and make sure that no mistakes were made. Good luck. This is a sucky situation

[High_Hopes]

well, i am not sure, i need to check. first of all, my schools were on a quarter system, so our classes were 5 credits and we needed 180 to graduate. i did an extra year, so i finished with 216.5. i took about 26 credits when i was in high school at a local community college, but i don't remember how well i did. i think that is probably where the issue mostly lies. i need to look in to it, because it is a big drop, and now my list of schools is going to change drastically, if i even apply this cycle.

I bet it has more to do with those 26 credits than with the 5 in Music Theory, but, still, it's difficult to imagine that 31 credits caused such a large drop in your GPA, unless you failed your community college courses, too.

Even if OP failed the CC courses he should have been given 1 point per failed class. This is because Joint enrollment is scaled differently than "regular" college session. Thus, a failed college course for a HS student is an automatic D (which is the same as 1 point), or at least it is/ was in Georgia. That being said, his numbers are inconsistent with the 1 point rule. I think it might be something else. My advice would be for OP to check EVERYTHING. Call LSAC if need be. That's a huge dip.

this is good to know. I took 2 college classes as a junior in high school and got a D and B

what would these translate to using lsac? (sorry not trying to thread derail)

[Pleasye]

this is good to know. I took 2 college classes as a junior in high school and got a D and B

what would these translate to using lsac? (sorry not trying to thread derail)

It doesn't translate to anything. They count as a D and a B. I think LSP has a GPA calculator that you can use to calculate your GPA (you basically just put in your grade for each class and how many units the class was and the grade you got).

[isaiahnielsen]

it seems to me, as i look at it more and more, that they transferred my information to fit in to a semester system, which i was not on...i still don't quite understand how this could change my g.p.a., but the information on their grade looks a little different from the information i have on my transcripts. i sent them an email asking them to explain exactly what happened, and also to let me know if law schools only look at LSAC's summary report, or if they will be able to look at my transcripts as well...they sent an auto-reply stating it would be about 3 days before they could get back to me...i have seen other profiles of people with higher g.p.a.'s from their schools that get knocked down by LSAC...i also have been reading the profiles of some schools, and there seems to be talk that there seems to be inflation in a lot of undergrad grades...either way, the best way to find out what you are going to get is by submitting your transcripts to LSAC and then reading their summary report, and hope for the best.

[Pleasye]

it seems to me, as i look at it more and more, that they transferred my information to fit in to a semester system, which i was not on...i still don't quite understand how this could change my g.p.a., but the information on their grade looks a little different from the information i have on my transcripts. i sent them an email asking them to explain exactly what happened, and also to let me know if law schools only look at LSAC's summary report, or if they will be able to look at my transcripts as well...they sent an auto-reply stating it would be about 3 days before they could get back to me...i have seen other profiles of people with higher g.p.a.'s from their schools that get knocked down by LSAC...i also have been reading the profiles of some schools, and there seems to be talk that there seems to be inflation in a lot of undergrad grades...either way, the best way to find out what you are going to get is by submitting your transcripts to LSAC and then reading their summary report, and hope for the best.

Law schools will look at both your GPA and the copy of your transcript that LSAC sends them. However, the GPA that will be taken into account will be the GPA that LSAC gave you (because this is the GPA that they have to report).

[isaiahnielsen]

well then i better hope the LSAT i took today comes back decent or else i will just be out of the running...i felt like it was a small shot with the 3.25, but now with the 2.93, it has gotten oh so much smaller

[High_Hopes]

this is good to know. I took 2 college classes as a junior in high school and got a D and B

what would these translate to using lsac? (sorry not trying to thread derail)

It doesn't translate to anything. They count as a D and a B. I think LSP has a GPA calculator that you can use to calculate your GPA (you basically just put in your grade for each class and how many units the class was and the grade you got).

thats how I thought it worked but the poster above said it was calculated differently when you took the classes in high school

[DukeCornell]

this is good to know. I took 2 college classes as a junior in high school and got a D and B

what would these translate to using lsac? (sorry not trying to thread derail)

It doesn't translate to anything. They count as a D and a B. I think LSP has a GPA calculator that you can use to calculate your GPA (you basically just put in your grade for each class and how many units the class was and the grade you got).

thats how I thought it worked but the poster above said it was calculated differently when you took the classes in high school

The one point rule is applicable if you FAILED a college course while in HS. It was meant to protect Georgia HS students who may have been "overwhelmed" by the sub-freshman experience. In your case, because you earn a D...you get a D. Likewise, because you earn a B...you get a B. I'm not sure how LSAC looks at all of this, nor am I sure how your state +/- the points. But again, in Georgia, if you were JE the lowest you could get for any JE class was 1 point.

[im_blue]

this is good to know. I took 2 college classes as a junior in high school and got a D and B

what would these translate to using lsac? (sorry not trying to thread derail)

It doesn't translate to anything. They count as a D and a B. I think LSP has a GPA calculator that you can use to calculate your GPA (you basically just put in your grade for each class and how many units the class was and the grade you got).

thats how I thought it worked but the poster above said it was calculated differently when you took the classes in high school

That appears to be a special case in Georgia, where the letter grade on the college transcript is different from the high school grade. LSAC always goes by the letter grade that appears on the college transcript.

[Mustard Blood]

this is good to know. I took 2 college classes as a junior in high school and got a D and B

what would these translate to using lsac? (sorry not trying to thread derail)

It doesn't translate to anything. They count as a D and a B. I think LSP has a GPA calculator that you can use to calculate your GPA (you basically just put in your grade for each class and how many units the class was and the grade you got).

thats how I thought it worked but the poster above said it was calculated differently when you took the classes in high school

That appears to be a special case in Georgia, where the letter grade on the college transcript is different from the high school grade. LSAC always goes by the letter grade that appears on the college transcript.

It has to be; where I'm from, if you fail, even in HS, it's an F.

[Pleasye]

well then i better hope the LSAT i took today comes back decent or else i will just be out of the running...i felt like it was a small shot with the 3.25 but now with the 2.93, it has gotten oh so much smaller

What were you PTing at? A low GPA hurts your chances but with a high LSAT you can get into some good schools.

[High_Hopes]

That appears to be a special case in Georgia, where the letter grade on the college transcript is different from the high school grade. LSAC always goes by the letter grade that appears on the college transcript.

in the back of my mind i knew this was the case


wishful thinking on my part