Top Law Schools

I have several failing grades on my transcripts from a previously attended institution. Of the three, two were due to a car accident that left me with no mode of transportation, conveniently after the drop date. I am petitioning for those to be retroactively dropped but since this was eight years ago, it seems that this is going to be an arduous process unlikely to result in the grades being changed. I could retake the classes and, per the school's policy, the first failing grade will remain on the transcript but be removed from the institution GPA. This won't assist me with the LSAC GPA.

Do you think that retaking the previously failed courses would demonstrate to the adcoms that the failing grade was not due to academic deficiencies and therefore strengthen my GPA addendum's assertion that the LSAC GPA is not representative of my potential? More importantly, would they care? I could achieve the same LSAC GPA result by taking several less intensive and less expensive classes at the community college.

Thoughts?

MB

After playing with the LSAC calculator, here is where I stand:

No change: 3.29
Full courseload of A's: 3.34
Retroactive WD: 3.42

Anyone? Would 3.34 make any discernable difference from 3.29?

memphisbelle wrote:After playing with the LSAC calculator, here is where I stand:

No change: 3.29
Full courseload of A's: 3.34
Retroactive WD: 3.42

Anyone? Would 3.34 make any discernable difference from 3.29?

Yes. The difference between a 3.3x and a 3.2x is pretty substantial

Do you think that retaking the previously failed courses would demonstrate to the adcoms that the failing grade was not due to academic deficiencies

I'm sure that your subsequent academic performance amply demonstrates your capabilities, and that you need not retake these specific courses to demonstrate that you could have passed them had circumstances not intervened. You're probably better off taking whatever courses will make you the most attractive candidate now, and put that misfortune behind you.

Have you received a bachelor's degree yet? Courses taken after graduation, even at the undergrad level, do not affect LSAC GPA. (Since "no change" is an option, this may be the case.)

As to the difference between a 3.29, a 3.34 and a 3.42, view your target schools on law school predictor (link below) assuming you have an LSAT score already. You could also do the same with law school numbers (link also below).

http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/?page_id=11

http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com/

No, the difference will be non-existent unless the school has a median of 3.3. Medians are not averages, they are actual people or a group of people. A 3.0 is the same as a 3.3 in law school ranking land, so long as the median for that particular school is a 3.31.

I think they choose medians instead of averages so schools wouldn't feel punished for taking a 2.6 from the inner city, found himself late in life, kinda thing.