3.3 at GMU projected 165-172 LSAT? Forum

[GMU3030]

I am about to finish My undergrad at George Mason in Philosophy with a minor in legal studies and a concentration in philosophy of law. I have six years active duty military experience and am a combat veteran from the Iraq war. I have been married since I was 20 years old and have two sons who are one and three. I pursued my entire undergrad while married with a family on active working full-time. Vocationally I work in the medical industry as a surgical assistant. I am now in my mid 20's. So I am hoping that all of these things will in work in my favor when applying due to the terrible state of my transcripts. While I was in the military I sometimes was forced to withdraw from courses or "take an F" due to whatever specific circumstances dictated. I have taken most all of the courses that fall into that category over and scored either an A or B in them. However, I'm apprehensive that going back and attempting to repair some overt blemishes in my transcripts will injure my potential at some schools that I'm looking at. I have taken some practice LSATs and project my score to be in the indicated range. I suppose my ultimate question is does it matter how one arrives at their GAP so long as they score AVG/above avg on the LAST. I recognize that my 3.3 GPA is less than ideal anyhow but, as aforementioned I am hoping that my older student, veteran, and family man status will explain well enough that I had a lot to contend with while going to school. My greatest worry is that this will indicate that it was too much to contend with, as I do believe this was not the case. Also as I mentioned earlier, whenever I was forced to withdraw from a course or cease attending, it was due to military obligations, and I have retaken all but one of those courses. So, give it to me straight.

[voice of reason]

You should include a concise addendum with your applications in which you explain the circumstances of your Fs. You should apply to some schools where your GPA+LSAT combo makes you competitive, as well as some reach schools where the median GPA > 3.3, where they might view you as more desirable because of your soft factors. If you achieve an LSAT in your expected range, you'll be a competitive applicant at some good schools.

Another option to consider is to delay your graduation and take more classes to raise your GPA. Once you graduate, your GPA is set in stone. If you can take extra units and earn As before filling for graduation, this will raise your LSAC GPA. They don't even have to be at George Mason -- you could take classes at NoVA community college (which might be cheaper) to boost your GPA.