2.88/157 urm w/ Addendum Forum

[guitar519]

Long time reader, first time poster! First of all, thanks for all the knowledge I've acquired on this forum ALREADY but now it's time for a personal question.

My cumulative GPA is 2.88. However, I have an addendum which could indicate the 2.3 & 2.4 gpa for my first 2 years at uni. I used to be very attached to family and commuted back and forth from city x to city y (where I attended uni) for four hours usually twice or three times a month. Had a difficult time adjusting to living away from home first year which resulted in a low first year gpa. But... I'm not sure how relevant this really is...

The second year, my university decided to have a 3.5 month long strike in October and halted all uni activities. Around November, my grandfather who I was very close to (who was my inspiration to be a lawyer, because he was a lawyer himself) passed away as well. And needless to say, I didn't handle this well and went to grief counselling and whatnot. When school reopened at end of February, the remainder of the first term was cramped into 2 weeks instead of the regular 4 weeks that was left. The exams were cramped into a 1.5 week period instead of the regular 3 weeks. This affected my studies A LOT as you might imagine (esp. with the death in family too.) The second semester was also cut off by a total of 3 weeks if I remember correctly. Everything was just rushed. So, I received a very low GPA that year as well.

However, in 3rd and 4th year, there were no such distractions (got used to being independent, no deaths, no strikes, etc.) and I improved my GPA to 3.3 and 3.4, a whole grade point. I also went to an Ivy League Business School in Canada for my undergrad and became president of the official marketing club for the uni. My majors were marketing and finance.

In addition, I am Middle Eastern and identify in the LGBT community. Yay for URM points

I'm interested in moving and living/around LA. Oh, and I'm a Canadian citizen. With my low grades/expected LSAT score (in 3 days eek!) I'm HOPING for Southwestern, Loyola LA or Whittier.

AH! Sorry this is really long but any help/opinion about my chances would be really appreciated!!!

[law4vus]

In addition, I am Middle Eastern and identify in the LGBT community. Yay for URM points

I could be wrong, but I don't think this qualifies you as a URM. Black/Puerto Rican/Mexican/Native American. LGBT may give you small boost at some schools, but it most likely won't let you outperform your numbers.

Your story sucks and I'm sorry you had to go through that, but in the end it is going to be about your numbers as they currently stand. Unless you have a SUPER compelling reason for poor performance, an addendum is not going to help much.

Also in regard to your school choices: are you sure you want to do that? The market stinks right now and I doubt you'd be getting much scholarship money from any of those schools with your GPA. Southwestern and Whittier may be in play, but neither school is worth going to in this economy. Loyola LA is most likely going to be out for you. I'd strongly reconsider your school choices and try and shoot for a higher LSAT score. I took a year off between LSAT administrations. I didn't plan on that break, but my old score would have barely gotten me into a T1 and now I'm attending a T20. It's worth it, trust me.

I know it isn't want you want to hear right now, but with your numbers you are going to have an uphill battle. Do yourself a favor and take the time to put yourself in better position for the future.

[mrtoren]

California is one of those states where if you don't have the numbers, its better to either give up or move away. There are so many law schools in the area that the market is flooded with lawyers looking for work. Loyola is the only real consideration on your list and even it places questionably. All three are extremely expensive and I doubt you would get much, if any, scholarship money. Factor in COL and you could easily be over $65,000/year. That's $195,000 plus interest for a ballpark sum of $275,000. Even if you found some mid-level employment making $70,000/year, do you really think you could pay those loans off any time soon? You're forfeiting your future.

Retake, don't go, or look outside of California.

[Jah'rakal]

you have decent stats, and ur special circumstances would help you a lot , write a good addendum and put together some solid apps, i can see u in some real good schools. With the schools you named, I think you have a shot at all of them, but Loyola would be kind of hard cause I applied there before, and they seem to overemphasize on the GPA a lot. I think you can definitely get into southwestern and whittier though, both good schools. Why not also try pepperdine/chapman?

[mrtoren]

you have decent stats, and ur special circumstances would help you a lot , write a good addendum and put together some solid apps, i can see u in some real good schools. With the schools you named, I think you have a shot at all of them, but Loyola would be kind of hard cause I applied there before, and they seem to overemphasize on the GPA a lot. I think you can definitely get into southwestern and whittier though, both good schools. Why not also try pepperdine/chapman?

Do NOT listen to him. Middle Eastern is not URM. LGBT is a consideration at some schools, but its not really a significant, measurable boost. Your circumstances during school were difficult, but you've shown law schools that you faltered under stress twice. Law school is stressful..are you going to falter again? Your application package is not suitable for California. If you don't want to retake, then you need to examine other states with less competition.

[law4vus]

you have decent stats, and ur special circumstances would help you a lot , write a good addendum and put together some solid apps, i can see u in some real good schools. With the schools you named, I think you have a shot at all of them, but Loyola would be kind of hard cause I applied there before, and they seem to overemphasize on the GPA a lot. I think you can definitely get into southwestern and whittier though, both good schools. Why not also try pepperdine/chapman?

I really disagree with this. The circumstances do suck and I feel bad for OP, but law schools place literally 99% of their emphasis on numbers, especially the lower tier ones who are desperate to climb up in the rankings. The situation doesn't warrant a law school looking past the numbers. It just won't happen.

Additionally, Southwestern and Whittier are NOT good schools, especially not at sticker. See the post regarding California employment, which is spot on. The OP is asking for advice on how to move forward, and I think on the current track, the OP will be making a serious mistake.

[mrtoren]

I really disagree with this. The circumstances do suck and I feel bad for OP, but law schools place literally 99% of their emphasis on numbers, especially the lower tier ones who are desperate to climb up in the rankings. The situation doesn't warrant a law school looking past the numbers. It just won't happen.

Additionally, Southwestern and Whittier are NOT good schools, especially not at sticker. See the post regarding California employment, which is spot on. The OP is asking for advice on how to move forward, and I think on the current track, the OP will be making a serious mistake.

+1

I hate threads where the advice is to retake or don't go, but there is a third option that is rarely mentioned. LOOK OUTSIDE OF YOUR STATE. There are parts of this country where a 2.88/157 will get you into somewhat decent law schools. Its not in California though.

[law4vus]

I really disagree with this. The circumstances do suck and I feel bad for OP, but law schools place literally 99% of their emphasis on numbers, especially the lower tier ones who are desperate to climb up in the rankings. The situation doesn't warrant a law school looking past the numbers. It just won't happen.

Additionally, Southwestern and Whittier are NOT good schools, especially not at sticker. See the post regarding California employment, which is spot on. The OP is asking for advice on how to move forward, and I think on the current track, the OP will be making a serious mistake.

+1

I hate threads where the advice is to retake or don't go, but there is a third option that is rarely mentioned. LOOK OUTSIDE OF YOUR STATE. There are parts of this country where a 2.88/157 will get you into somewhat decent law schools. Its not in California though.

Agreed. Looks like the familial connection is going to hold the OP to California though, so I'd still say that it's retake or don't go. I'm going to post this in big letters just in case the OP didn't see it, though:

*edit, forgot the Canada thing. Either way, having a low GPA and low LSAT score is reason for caution no matter what region you go to.

MIDDLE EASTERN IS NOT CONSIDERED URM, NOR IS LGBT

[crumpetsandtea]

In addition, I am Middle Eastern and identify in the LGBT community. Yay for URM points

I could be wrong, but I don't think this qualifies you as a URM. Black/Puerto Rican/Mexican/Native American. LGBT may give you small boost at some schools, but it most likely won't let you outperform your numbers.

Your story sucks and I'm sorry you had to go through that, but in the end it is going to be about your numbers as they currently stand. Unless you have a SUPER compelling reason for poor performance, an addendum is not going to help much.

Also in regard to your school choices: are you sure you want to do that? The market stinks right now and I doubt you'd be getting much scholarship money from any of those schools with your GPA. Southwestern and Whittier may be in play, but neither school is worth going to in this economy. Loyola LA is most likely going to be out for you. I'd strongly reconsider your school choices and try and shoot for a higher LSAT score. I took a year off between LSAT administrations. I didn't plan on that break, but my old score would have barely gotten me into a T1 and now I'm attending a T20. It's worth it, trust me.

I know it isn't want you want to hear right now, but with your numbers you are going to have an uphill battle. Do yourself a favor and take the time to put yourself in better position for the future.

California is one of those states where if you don't have the numbers, its better to either give up or move away. There are so many law schools in the area that the market is flooded with lawyers looking for work. Loyola is the only real consideration on your list and even it places questionably. All three are extremely expensive and I doubt you would get much, if any, scholarship money. Factor in COL and you could easily be over $65,000/year. That's $195,000 plus interest for a ballpark sum of $275,000. Even if you found some mid-level employment making $70,000/year, do you really think you could pay those loans off any time soon? You're forfeiting your future.

Retake, don't go, or look outside of California.

These two are 100% spot on. Take their advice seriously, please.

[Danteshek]

Unless he improves his LSAT, I don't see him getting into a school like Nebraska or UNLV. He's certainly not getting into schools like Denver or Oregon. Even schools like North Dakota will probably not take him because he lacks ties to the state. He needs to improve his LSAT.

[071816]

you have decent stats, and ur special circumstances would help you a lot , write a good addendum and put together some solid apps, i can see u in some real good schools. With the schools you named, I think you have a shot at all of them, but Loyola would be kind of hard cause I applied there before, and they seem to overemphasize on the GPA a lot. I think you can definitely get into southwestern and whittier though, both good schools. Why not also try pepperdine/chapman?

[Grizz]

You're not URM and you can't get into a school worth going to with those numbers. Retake or don't go bro, sorry.

[YourCaptain]

Long time reader, first time poster! First of all, thanks for all the knowledge I've acquired on this forum ALREADY but now it's time for a personal question.

My cumulative GPA is 2.88. However, I have an addendum which could indicate the 2.3 & 2.4 gpa for my first 2 years at uni. I used to be very attached to family and commuted back and forth from city x to city y (where I attended uni) for four hours usually twice or three times a month. Had a difficult time adjusting to living away from home first year which resulted in a low first year gpa. But... I'm not sure how relevant this really is...

The second year, my university decided to have a 3.5 month long strike in October and halted all uni activities. Around November, my grandfather who I was very close to (who was my inspiration to be a lawyer, because he was a lawyer himself) passed away as well. And needless to say, I didn't handle this well and went to grief counselling and whatnot. When school reopened at end of February, the remainder of the first term was cramped into 2 weeks instead of the regular 4 weeks that was left. The exams were cramped into a 1.5 week period instead of the regular 3 weeks. This affected my studies A LOT as you might imagine (esp. with the death in family too.) The second semester was also cut off by a total of 3 weeks if I remember correctly. Everything was just rushed. So, I received a very low GPA that year as well.

However, in 3rd and 4th year, there were no such distractions (got used to being independent, no deaths, no strikes, etc.) and I improved my GPA to 3.3 and 3.4, a whole grade point. I also went to an Ivy League Business School in Canada for my undergrad and became president of the official marketing club for the uni. My majors were marketing and finance.

In addition, I am Middle Eastern and identify in the LGBT community. Yay for URM points

I'm interested in moving and living/around LA. Oh, and I'm a Canadian citizen. With my low grades/expected LSAT score (in 3 days eek!) I'm HOPING for Southwestern, Loyola LA or Whittier.

AH! Sorry this is really long but any help/opinion about my chances would be really appreciated!!!

what?

[Br3v]

Long time reader, first time poster! First of all, thanks for all the knowledge I've acquired on this forum ALREADY but now it's time for a personal question.

My cumulative GPA is 2.88. However, I have an addendum which could indicate the 2.3 & 2.4 gpa for my first 2 years at uni. I used to be very attached to family and commuted back and forth from city x to city y (where I attended uni) for four hours usually twice or three times a month. Had a difficult time adjusting to living away from home first year which resulted in a low first year gpa. But... I'm not sure how relevant this really is...

The second year, my university decided to have a 3.5 month long strike in October and halted all uni activities. Around November, my grandfather who I was very close to (who was my inspiration to be a lawyer, because he was a lawyer himself) passed away as well. And needless to say, I didn't handle this well and went to grief counselling and whatnot. When school reopened at end of February, the remainder of the first term was cramped into 2 weeks instead of the regular 4 weeks that was left. The exams were cramped into a 1.5 week period instead of the regular 3 weeks. This affected my studies A LOT as you might imagine (esp. with the death in family too.) The second semester was also cut off by a total of 3 weeks if I remember correctly. Everything was just rushed. So, I received a very low GPA that year as well.

However, in 3rd and 4th year, there were no such distractions (got used to being independent, no deaths, no strikes, etc.) and I improved my GPA to 3.3 and 3.4, a whole grade point. I also went to an Ivy League Business School in Canada for my undergrad and became president of the official marketing club for the uni. My majors were marketing and finance.

In addition, I am Middle Eastern and identify in the LGBT community. Yay for URM points

I'm interested in moving and living/around LA. Oh, and I'm a Canadian citizen. With my low grades/expected LSAT score (in 3 days eek!) I'm HOPING for Southwestern, Loyola LA or Whittier.

AH! Sorry this is really long but any help/opinion about my chances would be really appreciated!!!

what?

same thought

[mrtoren]

Long time reader, first time poster! First of all, thanks for all the knowledge I've acquired on this forum ALREADY but now it's time for a personal question.

My cumulative GPA is 2.88. However, I have an addendum which could indicate the 2.3 & 2.4 gpa for my first 2 years at uni. I used to be very attached to family and commuted back and forth from city x to city y (where I attended uni) for four hours usually twice or three times a month. Had a difficult time adjusting to living away from home first year which resulted in a low first year gpa. But... I'm not sure how relevant this really is...

The second year, my university decided to have a 3.5 month long strike in October and halted all uni activities. Around November, my grandfather who I was very close to (who was my inspiration to be a lawyer, because he was a lawyer himself) passed away as well. And needless to say, I didn't handle this well and went to grief counselling and whatnot. When school reopened at end of February, the remainder of the first term was cramped into 2 weeks instead of the regular 4 weeks that was left. The exams were cramped into a 1.5 week period instead of the regular 3 weeks. This affected my studies A LOT as you might imagine (esp. with the death in family too.) The second semester was also cut off by a total of 3 weeks if I remember correctly. Everything was just rushed. So, I received a very low GPA that year as well.

However, in 3rd and 4th year, there were no such distractions (got used to being independent, no deaths, no strikes, etc.) and I improved my GPA to 3.3 and 3.4, a whole grade point. I also went to an Ivy League Business School in Canada for my undergrad and became president of the official marketing club for the uni. My majors were marketing and finance.

In addition, I am Middle Eastern and identify in the LGBT community. Yay for URM points

I'm interested in moving and living/around LA. Oh, and I'm a Canadian citizen. With my low grades/expected LSAT score (in 3 days eek!) I'm HOPING for Southwestern, Loyola LA or Whittier.

AH! Sorry this is really long but any help/opinion about my chances would be really appreciated!!!

what?

same thought

Ivy Leagues in Canada? THIS MEANS WAR.

[guitar519]

Thanks a lot for the tips you guys. I really gave your suggestion some though and you're right. After having a high anxiety week filled with my lowest scores ever on PTs, I've decided to invest in a course and retake in December. However, I'm still going to write it this Saturday since I already paid for it since there's no refunds at this point... right? My mind is so fried, I wouldn't even be surprised if I was wrong lol. Just want to see the test centre, get a feel for it, etc. And since I'm not aiming for any T14s, I have a feeling the Oct score won't matter next to my shiny new awesome 165+ score in December (positive thoughts)

And I live in a very small town at the moment and classroom LSAT courses aren't available here. But after some vigorous searching and a recommendation from a friend, I've decided that I'm going to buckle down for the next two months with the Blueprint online course... movie?... thing lol. Seems like a good fit for me.

Good idea? Yes, no? Maybe? Again, thanks for the help guys.

[guitar519]

And yes... the ivy league b-schools exist in Canada! We were in T20 in international rankings MWAHAHA.

[guitar519]

And I'm spamming my own post... BUT forgot to mention that I only prepped with powerscore LR bible and 14 prep tests... and I did this cramped in the last 3 weeks SO I have high hopes with the same tempo of studying and esp with the help of a course.

[tyro]

if you gotta pick 4 universities for Ivy League of Canada,

I guess UofT, Mcgill, Queens, and Waterloo ??

So apparently this is a real thing.

[Grizz]

And yes... the ivy league b-schools exist in Canada! We were in T20 in international rankings MWAHAHA.

Ivy League is an athletic conference duderino

[Br3v]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ivy+league+canada+lol