Circumnavigating the LSDAS GPA Forum

[shantiom]

Insert "Long time lurker, first time poster" blurb here.

I've just finished second year of undergrad and am planning to graduate December 2011. I've managed to maintain a high GPA (3.9). I've started LSAT prep but will not be taking it until June 2011. Hopefully, this will put me in place to shoot for the upper half of the T-14 for entry in September 2012.

My concern is next year. I will be studying abroad at the London School of Economics. Grade inflation isn't nearly as severe there, and though I have every intention of working hard, I suspect that my year abroad would have a negative impact on the LSDAS GPA. Given, it's only four grades, but that's four potential B's (or heaven forbid C's) I'd rather not have to parade around.

I was wondering if this would work. Given LSE won't give me an official transcript with grades on it until late August 2011, I was hoping to submit my present grades along with the LSAT score that I would have by mid-July to LSAC. Essentially, I would like to avoid showing the LSE grades to law schools. Is this possible?

If this is possible, would either LSAC or the schools themselves request the additional information once LSE provided me with a transcript? If the former, would it then impact my LSDAS GPA? I imagine that if the latter did, a transcript with an addendum attached will hurt me less than the alternative.

Your input and advice is appreciated,

Shantiom

[sanpiero]

*circumvent...you're not Magellan

[acdisagod]

Lol, I'm, surprised to see another general course student on this message board. I studied abroad last year at LSE

i did not study abroad through my school so my grades were not counted as part of my LSDAS GPA so I would imagine it would be the same for you. However, you still will have to submit your grades to the LSAC because law schools need to see that year. If the LSAC does factor your London grades in, sending your grades directly to law schools may not be an option. I asked if I could send my grades directly to law schools to save time and most of them said no but a few said it would be ok.

BTW, LSE sucks about sending out your grades, they forgot/took forever to do mine so stay on top of it.

In terms of what to expect, the grades are essentially curved to a B+ which is relatively generous :http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/genera ... cripts.htm However, 10% failed so I guess that's kinda rough.

However, it is a very tough school (top 3 in the world for the social sciences) and you will have to bust your ass, especially at the end of the year to do well. Personally, I aced my two law classes and got B+ in history and logic so I finished with around a 3.7 for the year. They post all the old exams for the classes so make sure to go over those.

Gl and have fun, it's not called "The London School of Entertainment" and "Let's See Europe" for nothing. The student bodfy is incredibly international and I had a great year apart from being away from gf.

Ugh, I can't believe the law students I met there are my age and they are gonna be 3L's next year, so unfair that they do law as undergrads.

What department are you studying in?

[Kilpatrick]

Just try to lie about those grades and not let law schools see them. It wouldn't be fair to have to include grades that aren't As in your GPA. If schools do insist on seeing your grades, try forging a transcript. Then in a couple years you will have to circumnavigate Character and Fitness, but after that it will be smooth sailing.

[TexasDemocrat]

Just try to lie about those grades and not let law schools see them. It wouldn't be fair to have to include grades that aren't As in your GPA. If schools do insist on seeing your grades, try forging a transcript. Then in a couple years you will have to circumnavigate Character and Fitness, but after that it will be smooth sailing.

Lulz.

[shantiom]

@acdisagod: Technically I am studying abroad through my institution. Credit transfers back to my home institution as a pass or fail, not a letter grade. Did you receive credit from your home institution? Either way, its interesting that it didn't impact your LSDAS. I have no issue submitting things to LSAC, so long as it doesn't have a pull on my numbers. You seem to be implying that it didn't?

I certainly hear you about the "LSE =/= let's see europe" thing. There are plenty of things I could have done if I wanted to do a year of drinking and traveling. I am looking forward to the General Course experience. I will probably end in either econ or IR (majoring in both atm). Either way, I'm sure there will be plenty of long nights in the library. Also, the impression I've gotten from alums confirms what you're saying about grades and transcripts in general.

@sanpiero: I am well aware that I am not Magellan. Its a shame too, because that would be an awesome soft.

... not to be pedantic, but one can use "circumnavigate" outside of that context, typically in a humorous context. If you aren't amused, my humble apologies.

[acdisagod]

No I meant it is a lot of fun and it does equal let's see Europe, but only during the first semster. 100% of your grade is based on the final exam and the courses are a year long.

And no, it did not factor into my LSDAS GPA but I did get credits.

Also, I hoped LSE would be a decent soft or at least doing well in law courses would have helped my cycle but it did not.

FWIW, Ethics of War was an awesome but very difficult IR course. The IR department is pretty awesome. My friend did econ and said while obviously it's very strong at LSE it was boring and hard as fuck, this coming from someone with straight A's in econ at Gtown. He did end up with a 3.8 in econ at LSE so maybe he was bitching about nothing. What I do know is he ended up hating econ so much there that he decided to forget doing business and is now going to med school lol.

[Horace2010]

While going through the LSAC transcript submission process I remember that they do not require you to submit overseas transcripts unless you studied overseas for more than a year. That being said unanswered questions can be application killers from the admissions committees' point of view. How well you did while over seas would be an important question to answer.

[gwuorbust]

@acdisagod: Technically I am studying abroad through my institution. Credit transfers back to my home institution as a pass or fail, not a letter grade. Did you receive credit from your home institution? Either way, its interesting that it didn't impact your LSDAS. I have no issue submitting things to LSAC, so long as it doesn't have a pull on my numbers. You seem to be implying that it didn't?

I certainly hear you about the "LSE =/= let's see europe" thing. There are plenty of things I could have done if I wanted to do a year of drinking and traveling. I am looking forward to the General Course experience. I will probably end in either econ or IR (majoring in both atm). Either way, I'm sure there will be plenty of long nights in the library. Also, the impression I've gotten from alums confirms what you're saying about grades and transcripts in general.

@sanpiero: I am well aware that I am not Magellan. Its a shame too, because that would be an awesome soft.

... not to be pedantic, but one can use "circumnavigate" outside of that context, typically in a humorous context. If you aren't amused, my humble apologies.

here is what is going to happen if you engage in this course of action.

first, either your successfully get away with scamming the system or you don't. If you don't then you are stuck with those LSE grades and you are done, chief.

if you do get away with it then you go to HYS. There you end up median in the class and graduate. C&F then finds out that you never submitted your LSE grades. You are then barred from becoming an attorney, kicked out of your HYS and then the media reports on your story over, and over, and over again.

and then you are eviscerated by her

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just ask yourself, would Lewis do it ?

[gwuorbust]

While going through the LSAC transcript submission process I remember that they do not require you to submit overseas transcripts unless you studied overseas for more than a year. That being said unanswered questions can be application killers from the admissions committees' point of view. How well you did while over seas would be an important question to answer.

the question here, though, is because this is for a period of one year does LSAC consider that into the LSAC GPA? I have heard conficting reports before here on TLS in regard to this issue, however, if acdisagod is correct then LSE grades may not be calculated into the LSAC GPA.

[Weez]

Best course of action: Do well in your courses overseas.

Do some pre-study on the 3 months it will take you to get there.

[sophie316]

I'm pretty sure that study abroad grades only translate if they are converted into US grades. Most UK schools use numbers. If you submit the transcript with the numbers, not letter grades, I don't think that they count into LSDAS. If the sponsoring institution convert the grades into US letter grades, then they will.

[TTH]

... not to be pedantic, but one can use "circumnavigate" outside of that context, typically in a humorous context. If you aren't amused, my humble apologies.

Apology accepted.

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[shantiom]

I'm pretty sure that study abroad grades only translate if they are converted into US grades. Most UK schools use numbers. If you submit the transcript with the numbers, not letter grades, I don't think that they count into LSDAS. If the sponsoring institution convert the grades into US letter grades, then they will.

The numbers are converted into grades on the LSE transcript. As I said, however, they are being transferred to my home institution, albeit as a pass or no pass.

While going through the LSAC transcript submission process I remember that they do not require you to submit overseas transcripts unless you studied overseas for more than a year. That being said unanswered questions can be application killers from the admissions committees' point of view. How well you did while over seas would be an important question to answer.

the question here, though, is because this is for a period of one year does LSAC consider that into the LSAC GPA? I have heard conficting reports before here on TLS in regard to this issue, however, if acdisagod is correct then LSE grades may not be calculated into the LSAC GPA.

The research I have done away from TLS seems to indicate this also.

[shantiom]

So I did myself the favor of calling LSAC, and was told that if the information appears on my home institution (even as pass-fail), that I will not have to submit the LSE transcript. In other words:

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