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I already have my degree. I basically finished in 2008, but had 1 3-hour art class I didn't finish until Fall 2010 to officially have my degree. I have a terrible GPA because I was immature while I was in college. If I'm applying for Fall 2012, is it worth my time to take 12 hours this fall and again in the spring to prove that I've matured and my GPA isn't a true reflection of my academic ability? If I do this, am I going to need to wait until Fall 2013 to enter school?

If I don't get in anywhere I want for 2012 (I think I should get into SLU based on today's test, and certainly with improvement in October), am I better trying to raise my GPA and reapplying in a year or going to a lesser school with the intention of transferring after one year?

You can no longer raise your GPA. None of the classes you take after receiving your degree will count towards your GPA.

Study hard and do well on the LSAT.

cardsfan04 wrote: If I don't get in anywhere I want for 2012 (I think I should get into SLU based on today's test, and certainly with improvement in October), am I better trying to raise my GPA and reapplying in a year or going to a lesser school with the intention of transferring after one year?

Never go to a school with the intention of transferring unless you are ok with dropping out after the first semester. Because of the importance of grades in transferring, the process is pretty variable. If you don't get top grades you'll be paying for a school you don't want to be at.

Corwin wrote: If you don't get top grades you'll be paying for a school you don't want to be at.

And, just to make Corwin's implication clear, working hard =/= top grades. Law school grading can be, at times, capricious. And there will always be people working harder than you.

Yeah, that makes sense. If I went somewhere else, it would probably be Cooley. I should be able to get a full ride based on my LSAT score. I saw somewhere that 163 LSAT was auto-full ride. So, I wouldn't be risking money to do it.

cardsfan04 wrote:Yeah, that makes sense. If I went somewhere else, it would probably be Cooley. I should be able to get a full ride based on my LSAT score. I saw somewhere that 163 LSAT was auto-full ride. So, I wouldn't be risking money to do it.

I get the impression that you have to be really careful with scholarships to low ranked schools. Apparently a lot of them will put stipulations on the scholarship (ie. have to be in top 30% of your section), and then put all the the scholarship kids into the same section, guaranteeing that a bunch of them will lose it. Students don't want to drop out after a year, so wind up paying full tuition for the next two years. You don't want to suddenly find yourself paying $35k/year (plus cost of living) to go to Cooley.