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Right now I have a 3.58 GPA. My 2nd LOR should arrive at LSAC tomorrow which means I could send all my applications in then and be done, they're already all filled out. Alternatively, I could wait until this semester's grades get in. I think that after this semester my GPA will be 3.69.
So the question is, should I apply tomorrow to get in earlier in the cycle or should I wait until this semester's final grades are official on December 18th and send in a new transcript to LSAC (by the way, has anyone done this before? How does one send an updated transcript?), which would probably mean the transcript wouldn't go through until after Christmas?

Assuming you're a senior with similar course loads every semester, the highest you can go is about (3.58 * 6 + 4.33) / 7 = 3.69. Are you getting straight A+'s this semester?

At this point, you're looking at about a month's delay to get this semester's grades in. Might be worth it if this semester bumps you over the GPA medians of law schools on your list.

How does that formula work for the quarter system?

im_blue wrote:Assuming you're a senior with similar course loads every semester, the highest you can go is about (3.58 * 6 + 4.33) / 7 = 3.69. Are you getting straight A+'s this semester?

At this point, you're looking at about a month's delay to get this semester's grades in. Might be worth it if this semester bumps you over the GPA medians of law schools on your list.

Now that's the same type of "gotchya" response that we real Americans just can't stand...

curryinaninstant wrote:How does that formula work for the quarter system?

Assuming you are in the second quarter of your senior year it would be ((GPA*13+(gpa this quarter))/14

4for44 wrote:

curryinaninstant wrote:How does that formula work for the quarter system?

Assuming you are in the second quarter of your senior year it would be ((GPA*13+(gpa this semester))/14

It's still fall quarter (1st quarter of senior year), so it would be roughly (9*GPA + fall GPA) / 10.

im_blue wrote:Assuming you're a senior with similar course loads every semester, the highest you can go is about (3.58 * 6 + 4.33) / 7 = 3.69. Are you getting straight A+'s this semester?

At this point, you're looking at about a month's delay to get this semester's grades in. Might be worth it if this semester bumps you over the GPA medians of law schools on your list.

I have 88 credit hours, 9 of which are from AP tests that don't count toward GPA (they have an "S" grade). I'm taking 16 credit hours this semester and anticipate 3 of those hours will get a B grade, the rest will get an A.

im_blue wrote:

4for44 wrote:

curryinaninstant wrote:How does that formula work for the quarter system?

Assuming you are in the second quarter of your senior year it would be ((GPA*13+(gpa this quarter))/14

It's still fall quarter (1st quarter of senior year), so it would be roughly (12*GPA + fall GPA) / 13.

that it would.. shows my knowledge of when quarters start/end... :/

super6 wrote:

im_blue wrote:Assuming you're a senior with similar course loads every semester, the highest you can go is about (3.58 * 6 + 4.33) / 7 = 3.69. Are you getting straight A+'s this semester?

At this point, you're looking at about a month's delay to get this semester's grades in. Might be worth it if this semester bumps you over the GPA medians of law schools on your list.

I have 88 credit hours, 9 of which are from AP tests that don't count toward GPA (they have an "S" grade). I'm taking 16 credit hours this semester and anticipate 3 of those hours will get a B grade, the rest will get an A.

Then you're looking at (79*3.58 + 13*4 + 3*3) / (79 + 16) = 3.62. With that small of a bump, I would just apply now and update later.

im_blue wrote:

super6 wrote:

im_blue wrote:Assuming you're a senior with similar course loads every semester, the highest you can go is about (3.58 * 6 + 4.33) / 7 = 3.69. Are you getting straight A+'s this semester?

At this point, you're looking at about a month's delay to get this semester's grades in. Might be worth it if this semester bumps you over the GPA medians of law schools on your list.

I have 88 credit hours, 9 of which are from AP tests that don't count toward GPA (they have an "S" grade). I'm taking 16 credit hours this semester and anticipate 3 of those hours will get a B grade, the rest will get an A.

Then you're looking at (79*3.58 + 13*4 + 3*3) / (79 + 16) = 3.62. With that small of a bump, I would just apply now and update later.

Yes, you're right. I think I accidentally added my expected grades twice or something.
So, going from a 3.58 to a 3.62 isn't as big of a deal. How does updating after you've submitted your applications work? Would I only want to do that if I got waitlisted?

..

super6 wrote:

im_blue wrote:

super6 wrote:

im_blue wrote:Assuming you're a senior with similar course loads every semester, the highest you can go is about (3.58 * 6 + 4.33) / 7 = 3.69. Are you getting straight A+'s this semester?

At this point, you're looking at about a month's delay to get this semester's grades in. Might be worth it if this semester bumps you over the GPA medians of law schools on your list.

I have 88 credit hours, 9 of which are from AP tests that don't count toward GPA (they have an "S" grade). I'm taking 16 credit hours this semester and anticipate 3 of those hours will get a B grade, the rest will get an A.

Then you're looking at (79*3.58 + 13*4 + 3*3) / (79 + 16) = 3.62. With that small of a bump, I would just apply now and update later.

Yes, you're right. I think I accidentally added my expected grades twice or something.
So, going from a 3.58 to a 3.62 isn't as big of a deal. How does updating after you've submitted your applications work? Would I only want to do that if I got waitlisted?

Apply now, send transcript as soon as it's available, LSAC sends out updated reports to each law school.