URM Military linguist w/ low GPA Forum

[kamikazepaco]

Before I begin I must let y'all know I haven't taken the LSAT yet. Still serving for another two years.

All this said, hello! I have a question for y'all that I'm asking way earlier than I should be. I did my undergrad in anthropology w chemistry minor and got a 2.48. Why? Because I was a double major in chemical engineering until I decided to enlist and dip out early. I am also in grad school currently. My question is, if I were to maintain a 3.5 in graduate school, do y'all think they'll over look the low undergrad GPA?

[cavalier1138]

My question is, if I were to maintain a 3.5 in graduate school, do y'all think they'll over look the low undergrad GPA?

Nope. A high LSAT and work experience will help mitigate that GPA, but you should keep in mind that a <3.0 GPA is going to be a serious issue for admission to any top schools.

[kamikazepaco]

yeah I was worried that would be the case. guess its softs or bust for me lmao long as I get in a T50 ill be happy lol

[AdieuCali]

There are a few T14s that will look the other way on your GPA if your LSAT is high enough. UVA, Penn, GULC, and (sometimes) NU might forgive a sub-3.0 for a veteran. Add in the URM status and I think you have a shot at the T14.

I think the difference is that these schools understand that they have to lower GPA expectations for vets, given the massive grade deflation at the service academies and the fact that many people earn their degrees while on AD.

But you also have to give them an objective reason to accept you. That means LSAT at or above median. You should be aiming for a 170. LSAT 169/170 and GPA ~3.0 describes most of the veterans I know at my MVP (myself included).

Also, you should seek a mentor out from https://service2school.org/

You have two years to crush the LSAT, good luck.

[decimalsanddollars]

Best of luck with the LSAT. While the 3.0 will probably put you out of consideration at YHS and make Chicago (and to a lesser extent Columbia and NYU) a distant long shot absent a truly excellent LSAT, you're still in play for most of the T14 if you score high enough. Hard to predict how high is "high enough" to be safe at any given school, especially since your softs are awesome, but a few points above median will at least put you in the maybe pile in a normal cycle for most schools. Also, second the advice to get a mentor, and I'd add that you should consider options that maximize vets' benefits for tuition etc.

[QContinuum]

guess its softs or bust for me lmao long as I get in a T50 ill be happy lol

I'll add that "softs" don't really matter in law school admissions* (except that Yale and Stanford require compelling "softs" in addition to a compelling LSAC GPA & LSAT). Your chances will rise or fall based on your LSAT score, so focus on crushing the LSAT, and don't waste time or energy worrying about your "softs".

(*Unless you have a "red flag", for example, a recommender who's sabotaging you, or a criminal record, or academic misconduct, or a completely nonsensical personal statement, things of that nature. But absent a "red flag", rec letters and personal statements hardly ever "move the needle". Law school admission's a numbers game.)