3.3 freshman GPA, 1 F, 3.81 cumulative, 179 LSAT- addendum? Forum

[madvillain]

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[Veyron]

Hey all. Long time lurker here, just wanted to say I've learned a tremendous amount from this site, it's been an absolute gold mine, not to mention a great source of unexpected entertainment. But yeah, basically my situation is quite unusual. I just finished my second year after transferring from a top state school (where I did pretty poorly) to a lesser-known school. I expect to graduate next summer, so I was aiming at applying this fall. I wrote the LSAT last year on a whim and I got a 179. So I worked really hard and got an outstanding GPA this year to prepare for HYSCCN. I was however shocked to realize, after preemptively sending in my transcript and receiving my LSAC report, that my GPA in my first year suddenly dropped by .3 (3.6 to 3.3). An F showed up out of nowhere; upon reflection, I realize that this might have been because I didn't drop a class properly, although this did not show up on my previous transcript, so I am very frustrated. Luckily, my current school gives out A+'s, so I still have a cumulative GPA of 3.81.

In terms of my application I am international, have mediocre softs at best (by this site's definition), basket weaving major, and non-URM. Also as stated, graduating early, currently 20.

So my question is, what should my plan of action be? Should I write an addendum about the F? The F was not even worth a full class, it was only worth 2 credits, and I think what happened is I tried to drop it and the people didn't drop for me. I don't really know what I would say about it. Should I wait another year to graduate?

I understand that a lot of people are going to say, stfu you have 3.8/179, or, wow your school gives out A+'s, what a joke. But, I am concerned because I was aiming for HYS, and now I am not so sure after hearing of the 3.8 "floor", and also having that F on my transcript. Is CCN now a more realistic prospect for me, despite my high LSAT? I am very concerned because I doubt that typical HYS applicants have a 3.27 anywhere on their transcript, or an F.

Thanks a lot for your time.

Short addenda if there is some reason why grades were lower. H is a realistic possibility.

[jkay]

Have you contacted the registrar at the old school to see about how you can dispute the F?

Either way, I think you'll be alright. Nice work on the 179.

[09042014]

1) I'd see about trying to get that F removed from your old transcript. Call the old school and see what they can do.

2) If you can't do 1, then write an addendum about it. But don't write one about the 3.6 you would have otherwise gotten. It's not enough of a difference. And it just draws attention to the fact you transferred to a shittier school.

3) You might consider waiting another year for law school to let your Senior year GPA get factored in. If you are getting A+'s, you should get your GPA even higher. A 3.9/179 is damn near auto admit at HLS. Also taking a year off is good in and of itself.

[memphisbelle]

Seek a retroactive withdrawal. You may need to provide records that show you attempted to drop/had extenuating circumstances, etc. I just found out about this on here and I am attempting to do this for a few failing grades due to a car accident that I was involved in.

Congrats on the rest! You are very lucky that your school offers A+. I surely wish that mine did. Good luck with Harvard.

[sundance95]

1) I'd see about trying to get that F removed from your old transcript. Call the old school and see what they can do.

Most schools have some kind of withdrawal fail grade, such as a WF. Getting the F changed to a grade like that would not change your GPA, but would support your short (one paragraph) addendum explaining the situation, in which you take responsibility for your mistake and talk about how you learned a valuable lesson about ensuring that you understand important bureaucratic details, or something to that effect.

[madvillain]

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[09042014]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will try and call the registrar now, although I fear that since it's been over a year, and I am located very far away from the school now, this may be a futile effort. Of course I am very happy about my numbers otherwise, but I literally dropped from a 3.96 to a 3.8 with those two fail credits; again I am just frustrated because 2-credit classes at that state school are basically all pass/fail classes anyway, and taken for fun, although of course LSAC wouldn't know that. Even so, however, I am not really willing to gamble that my GPA will rise significantly in my senior year- that would require getting straight A's or higher, and I am not sure I can sustain this pace for another year, it was quite tiring for me. Thanks again for all the help and encouragement however, I do appreciate it.

Keep bothering people until they do it. Bureaucracy can only be overcome through sheer attrition of patience.

[JDndMSW]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will try and call the registrar now, although I fear that since it's been over a year, and I am located very far away from the school now, this may be a futile effort. Of course I am very happy about my numbers otherwise, but I literally dropped from a 3.96 to a 3.8 with those two fail credits; again I am just frustrated because 2-credit classes at that state school are basically all pass/fail classes anyway, and taken for fun, although of course LSAC wouldn't know that. Even so, however, I am not really willing to gamble that my GPA will rise significantly in my senior year- that would require getting straight A's or higher, and I am not sure I can sustain this pace for another year, it was quite tiring for me. Thanks again for all the help and encouragement however, I do appreciate it.

Have hope! I was just able to change 10 (out of 13) units from an F to a W that I received over 4 years ago and at a school a few states away. All I had to do was fill out a form and write a letter. My circumstances were different as I failed an entire semester for being too stupid to know how to drop a class. The registrar was super nice though and sent copies of my appeal (which had a letter telling about how much I had grown and what not) as well as unofficial copies of my transcripts to each instructor and all but 1 approved (the bitch hated me).
It's ridiculous how so many As barely do anything to your GPA but one F makes my 3.77 and 3.65. LAME

[flcath]

These are good replies, but always take care to avoid over-explaining. Set a limit up front: whatever you can write in 1/2 to 2/3 of a page, double-spaced.

[madvillain]

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