The last possibility is that you have Ws (Withdrawals) on your record which LSAC counts as punitive, meaning that these classes count as an F in your LSAC GPA. It is possible to remedy this problem if you convince your university to change these to non-punitive Ws, but I think the process for doing this at most universities is somewhat cumbersome.

is this real life?

I've got a question about applying before you get your LSAT back.

I took the LSAT in October and made a 158, since then I've been taking practice tests and all that and have been scoring between 166 and 170 and I feel 100x better about the official test I just took yesterday.

That said, I have most of my application materials ready, so would I be better off...

1. Applying now and checking the "future LSAT score pending" or whatever box or...
2. Waiting until I get my score back and possibly including an addendum regarding the potentially significant difference in my LSAT scores?

If I do the first one can I send in the addendum later? One of the schools I'm looking at (Loyola Los Angeles) averages LSAT scores but will consider only your highest if you attach an addendum explaining the difference, so it could end up making a pretty big difference. Any help would be appreciated.

I don't think a school will process/review your application if you tell them you've got a score pending, so doing #1 isn't really a timesaver over #2.

As far as addenda go, I don't know if "I didn't study the first time around, but for this test I did every practice test ever" is a worthy enough reason. If you were deathly ill when you took in October, that might be worth mentioned. YMMV.

No matter what, good luck.

I go to a state school that has a 4.0 grading scale, but for whatever reason they don't hand out A+s (I don't know whether it's my school or if it's my professors I've had, but multiple times I've had 97-100% and still gotten a straight A.). Will my LSDAS GPA be hurt by this or will it be adjusted for this fact.

If the highest score your school gives out is A, then each A will be correlated with a 4.0 on the LSDAS scale. LSDAS awards 4.3 for A+, but if your school doesn't give them out, then you cannot get the 4.3 from LSDAS, even if an A at your school is essentially equivalent to an A+ anywhere else. So, I guess you could say that it would "hurt" you.

Thanks I appreciate that. That is awfully lame though.

Rhetorical: So it would be more expedient to attend a school that has A+ as their highest grade rather than an A?

The UG I'm planning to attend next year has A as the highest grade. I'm planning to transfer out; does anyone know any schools that give A+?

In junior year of HS I took 3 APs and am taking 1 this year. I got a 4, 4, 5 on the ones in junior year and 80, 80, 85 in each class respectively (school is grade deflated + gives number grades). This year, I'll probably get a 1 on my AP (senioritis ) and a 90 in the class. Will this all be counted in my LSDAS GPA?

Since you declare your major during your second year, doesn't that mean you can declare engineering and take only one year of it without it dragging down your GPA too much and get a decent shot at IP law? It's basically a one year deal since you get accepted into law school early senior year. It seems that engineering is only a four year program at some schools.

Don't pick your UG based on law school. Who knows if you'll still want to go to law school 4 years from now.

I'm not picking my UG solely on law school. I can say with 99% certainty I want to go to law school if my stats hold up for T-14. I always planning on transferring and I'm just looking to give more consideration to schools that give A+.

To add to my list of questions: Since you declare your major during your second year, doesn't that mean you can declare engineering and take only one year of it without it dragging down your GPA too much and get a decent shot at IP law? It's basically a one year deal since you get accepted into law school early senior year. It seems that engineering is only a four year program at some schools.

It is not a good idea to pick the school based on if they give A+'s because you have such a small chance of getting them in most classes anyway and I doubt there is a correlation between them offering A+'s and how easy their classes are.
For example a college could offer A+'s but still be considerably more difficult to get an A than another college that doesn't. So even if your only goal with UG is to get into a good law school, whether or not they offer A+'s should be very low on your list of priorities in choosing a college.

Right. This whole "A+" versus "A" thing is fairly close to nonsense.

Listen, 0Ls...Your UGPA is looked at holistically, and I can assure you that your LSAT score matters a whole heck of a lot more. I know from personal experience. I was a history major in UG and I crushed every class. I graduated cum laude, whole shot. My UGPA was abysmally low because I went to a fly-by-night art school as a young lad and left mid-semester and racked up 4 "F"s (yes, those non-transferrable credits still count). I still got into my first choice school with a partial ride. So basically, this whole .3 gpa difference is an insanely small detail to worry about. It isn't as hard to get into law school as they make it out to be. If you are a good student and a hard worker, it will show and you will be fine.

Question: because they are both above the 75th percentiles for all schools, is there really a difference between a 4.1 and a 4.0?

No.

Hey everyone,

I go to Michigan State University and am studying finance. I have a 3.74 GPA and my grade trend from first semester Freshman year is as follows:3.0; 3.6; 3.9; 3.7; 3.9; 4.0.

I didn't do as well I had hoped on my LSAT and got a 164.

I was in quite a bit of legal trouble between age 13 and 18- all Minor in Possession of Alcohol charges (5) and one possession of m.j. Now, my personal is going to be about how you really can turn your life around after being involved in all these negative activities.

I really want to attend t-14 and am planning a semi-blanket. Outside t-14, Vandy, U Texas, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Minnesota spark my interest.

Basically, I am wondering where I should do early decision. I am debating between Michigan, UPenn, Duke or Notre Dame. I think I can get into Notre Dame in regular admission but am unsure. Do you think I should "reach" for U of M or the others, hoping either to get in to those (unlikely) and fall back on ND or the others. Or should I just send my ED to Notre Dame because I am not as competitive as I like to imagine?

Advice?

Thanks so much

That is debatable. I would lean toward yes, slighly.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=188935

Retake in October if you want T14/Vandy/UT/UMN

3 more points should get you some decent money from UMN so you should retake. A 170 would probably get your some good money from Vandy and a extra money at UMN.

Hey, everyone.

I recently got accepted to a university on early decision with an inent to receive a scholarship. The scholarship awards will be announced in March, however. If I do not get one, I will probably spend 2013 honing my LSAT and aiming for a better university. My question: Am I legally allowed to refuse attending that university in Fall of 2013 despite the early decision option? And if yes, will that somehow negatively reflect on my future applications? All help is appreciated!

How hard is it to earn a scholarship after first year of you are in the top 10-15% of your class? Will they give scholarships/grants to these people at all if they don't already have them?

Hi Everyone,

I'm torn when it comes to including an addendum. Some people/websites advise against sending them and others say it's a good idea to send one just in case. I know it works case-by-case, so here's my info:

I took the LSAT in June 2012 and canceled because I was pretty sick and I didn't feel my score would be an accurate representation of my abilities. I then took the LSAT in October 2012 and received a 153. I go to Ohio State and they just switched over from quarters to semesters and I didn't know what to expect for the semester. I took 6 classes, had meetings and volunteered for my pre law fraternity each week, and held a job as well. I didn't realize I wouldn't have much time to prepare for the LSAT and I didn't think my score of 153 was showing my full potential. So I'm taking the LSAT again in February.

I know 3 times doesn't look the greatest, but I'd rather try and do better than sit back and accept an unsatisfactory score. I'm just not sure which, or if either, of those situations needs an addendum. I don't want to seem like I'm making up excuses.

Also, some schools (specifically UCLA and USC) ask you if you think your LSAT score accurately represents your future promise. I feel like I should include a statement to explain that even if under typical circumstances it's not beneficial to include an addendum.

As you can see I'm very conflicted on what to do and any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks to anyone who is willing help me out!

Don't know where to post!

Does playing a D1 sport in college count as a decent soft or anything?

Yes