Ugrad Transfer Student (does this look bad) Forum

[mleibman]

I am very nervous about a bad semester in my first year at Hunter college.

I graduated Nassau Community College Summa Cum Laude from their honors program with a 3.92.

Primarily due to illness absences, I am anticipating completion of my first semester (Spring 2010)
with a 3.6 (2 As, 2 B+s, 1 B)

I am taking 3 classes over the summer, and if I get all As, I will be able to round it out to about a 3.75 or so.

However, how does one bad semester look in comparison to an overall stellar academic performance?

All things included, my LSDAS GPA is still over a 3.8

Will schools like UCLA, USC, Pepperdine look down on this?

[kalvano]

Just write a quick addendum explaining it. It'll hurt your overall GPA but it won't hurt you in the eyes on an admissions person. Life happens.

[mleibman]

Thanks for the response.

I do believe that many law schools offer a section on their application where you can explain an uncharacteristic academic performance. I hope to include documentation as well, to prove such extraordinary circumstances.

I just hope that my LSAT will compensate for the lower GPA (which is still 75th percentile, thankfully)

[kalvano]

I hope to include documentation as well, to prove such extraordinary circumstances.

Don't bother, it was one bad semester. It won't change the GPA and I'm sure they will believe you. Don't include anything not strictly necessary. When you're reading 6,000 applications, extra stuff is irritating.

[presh]

.

[straxen]

Don't bother with an addendum for a single semester at a 3.6. Maybe for a 2.6, but I'd roll my eyes at an addendum explaining that "bad" GPA. Two B+'s and a B is not addendum-worthy, particularly if the "illness" falls short of something which took you out for weeks. I'd say this for Yale let alone UCLA, USC, and Pepperdine. If your LSDAS GPA is 3.8, GPA isn't going to hold you back.

[kalvano]

A quick paragraph explaining something out of the ordinary can't hurt, and might be helpful as sort of a "fill in the blanks" thing.

[mleibman]

A short "fill in the blanks" may not hurt. I know I am probably whining. But I am legitimately nervous about the uncharacteristic semester of work. I will most likely write a couple of sentences explaining that the grade is from absences.
Besides, I have been looking at the admitted profile of UCLA students on this site, and they have 3.9s and 170s. I am in for a rude awakening. Sigh.