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So, finished up undergrad in June '14 at a top LAC with a 2.9 cumulative. Unfortunate since it was brought down by a senior spring semester gpa of 1.12 (was a complete wreck mentally, trying to currently have some retroactive withdrawals take care of that, but seriously doubt it).

I was wondering, I know that Northwestern has a history of taking sub 3.0 URMs w/ WE, but I'd think that having a 1.12 gpa for a semester showing up on a transcript would be a death knell, regardless of what the cumulative ended up being.

What are everyone's thoughts about this?

I'm sorry to hear about your rough semester. I think that this is a classic case where an addendum is called for. Just be open and honest and make sure to explain why this stuff was one-off and that you're back on track.

Good luck!

The longer you stay out of law school this less problematic that GPA is going to be. It's always going to be a problem, but if you work for a few years - get a promotion or two, and generally show that the one semester was a fluke it will help a lot.

If you apply in the next year or two I think schools will be worried that whatever caused that 1.12 GPA is going to cause you to fail out of law school and/or fail the bar exam.

Thanks you two, it helped hearing that after my retroactive withdrawal petition was just rejected. I'm stuck with it.

I was planning on applying to LS during Fall 2016, so would start Fall 2017 as a member of the Class of 2020 of whatever law school I end up at. I'd be 2 1/2 years removed from UG by the time I apply, and three by the time I matriculate: do you believe that'd be enough time?

I'm sort of fortunate in that my WE is investment research, so that should show an aptitude for hardwork.

greatspirit wrote:Thanks you two, it helped hearing that after my retroactive withdrawal petition was just rejected. I'm stuck with it.

I was planning on applying to LS during Fall 2016, so would start Fall 2017 as a member of the Class of 2020 of whatever law school I end up at. I'd be 2 1/2 years removed from UG by the time I apply, and three by the time I matriculate: do you believe that'd be enough time?

I'm sort of fortunate in that my WE is investment research, so that should show an aptitude for hardwork.

Yes, that is a very good thing. As long as you can stay stable and successful in the working world, you'll be able to make a case that it was just a bump in the road.

NW is possible, but you need to get into a good job - higher up corporate, banking, economic planning, startups that show your entrepreneurship. they really value work experience, and a significant achievement and two years in a good job can say a lot about you