Course retakes worth it? Forum

[rgraf1299]

I am heading into my Senior year at a small top 100 liberal arts school in PA. I am a mathematics and economics major. I have a significant amount of flexibility in my class schedule for next year and for financial reasons (it's not costing me much at all to stay here) and athletic reasons (I play a spring sport), I have no desire to graduate early, after next Fall term. So considering my options I was looking at the possibility of retaking 2 math classes, both of which I earned C's in the first time and am very confident in my ability to now earn A's in them. My current GPA is around a 3.2 and if I retook the two classes and then took some other easy classes I determined I could finish with upwards of a 3.5. I have no idea what my LSAT score will look like so I'm not sure what kind of schools I'll be looking at but it's safe to say a higher GPA is always better, so here's my college's course retake policy

Any course (except First Year Seminar) successfully completed at ___ may be repeated once. Successful completion implies a C- or better for all courses required for a major (unless otherwise stated by a department) and a D- or better for all other courses. The original course (and grade) and the repeat of the course (and grade) will appear on the student’s transcript; however, only the second course (and grade) are counted towards graduation requirements and the grade point average. If a student withdraws from a course that he or she is repeating (See Withdrawing from a Course), the original course grade will continue to be applied towards graduation requirements and the grade point average.

So basically my old grade would disappear and the new grade would stay, just with the fact that the course was retaken being made evident on the transcript.

Is it worth retaking the two courses next fall? Will the LSAC somehow find my old grades in those courses? Will law schools frown upon a retake more than they would a C? What would you do if you were me?

[WokeUpInACar]

If the original grade is anywhere on your transcript, it will count for your LSAC GPA.

[untar614]

For clarity's sake, let's say you took english 101 in fall 2012 and got a C, then retook in Fall 2013 and got an A.

Would you transcript look like this:

Fall 2012
English 101 C
other class A
other class A

Fall 2013
English 101 A*(retake)
other class A
other class A



or like this:

Fall 2012
(retaken)
other class A
other class A

Fall 2013
English 101 A*(retake)
other class A
other class A




Looking at what you wrote, it would appear to be the former, but your university just wouldnt use the C in calculating your GPA. This doesn't matter to LSAC, though. If it's on the transcript, they'll count it.

[PickMe!]

Your LSAC academic report will show both grades in the the year you took them, and the two grades are averaged. My undergraduate institution used the same format.

[vinnnyvincenzo]

It probably wont matter for your LSAC Gpa because both will be on the transcript so why not just take another easier course and get an A. However, I failed a class and retook it and got an A so my degree GPA was substantially higher than my LSAC one. When I applied to jobs out of undergrad I used my degree GPA on my resume so having a higher GPA in that regard was better. but it made no difference for law school apps.

[bp shinners]

As others have said, both will count for your LSAC GPA.

[TheBiggerMediocre]

As others have said, both will count for your LSAC GPA.

Both don't count otherwise I would have retaken all my classes already

[cahwc12]

As others have said, both will count for your LSAC GPA.

Both don't count otherwise I would have retaken all my classes already

[TheBiggerMediocre]

As others have said, both will count for your LSAC GPA.

Both don't count otherwise I would have retaken all my classes already

I meant any class under an A- since my school gives me that option. For example take a 36 credit major and 18 credit minor. You retake 30% of your classes and go from a b/b+ to A/A+. That allows for an effective grade of a 3.5 in those courses. So you end up with roughly 70 credits. You have the other 30 (3.66 GPA) to pursue core curriculum and another 20 (4.16 GPA) for fluff. Seems ideal to me and you end up with a 3.8 scheming the system and being lazy. Trust me I think about this stuff more than I study.

[PickMe!]

As others have said, both will count for your LSAC GPA.

Both don't count otherwise I would have retaken all my classes already

I meant any class under an A- since my school gives me that option. For example take a 36 credit major and 18 credit minor. You retake 30% of your classes and go from a b/b+ to A/A+. That allows for an effective grade of a 3.5 in those courses. So you end up with roughly 70 credits. You have the other 30 (3.66 GPA) to pursue core curriculum and another 20 (4.16 GPA) for fluff. Seems ideal to me and you end up with a 3.8 scheming the system and being lazy. Trust me I think about this stuff more than I study.

Do NOT listen to this guy! I don't know or care how his undergrad goes about grades, but the LSAC format is simple: if you took it, they're counting it. Period. Smh!