transcript from an exchange program abroad Forum

[VX2012DC]

I participated in an exchange program abroad. My grades didn’t transfer back; I got credits instead. I did well on my exchange. Therefore, I sent the foreign transcript to LSAC, and they included a courtesy copy of that transcript in my report. Universities in the country where I did my exchange use a grading system very different from those in use here in the US, and very few people from that country apply to American law schools.

Should I include a conversion table of American grades and those foreign grades? If so, where on my application should I provide the explanation and the conversion table?

[JD2014]

What country was it? Can the system really be so complicated as to not be able to divine good from bad grades based upon a review of the transcript? Either way, writing an addendum to help adcomms decipher one semester of work is probably overkill. They're really only interested in your cumulative GPA as computed by LSAC anyway.

[kazu]

Writing an addendum to help adcomms decipher one semester of work is probably overkill. They're really only interested in your cumulative GPA as computed by LSAC anyway.

This. I'm pretty sure LSAC didn't require you to send in your exchange program transcript, and therefore law schools won't care at all. You can attach something if you want but I highly doubt it'll affect your application positively in the slightest.

[VX2012DC]

Is it possible to remove the "courtesy" copy of the transcript from my CAS report? When I sent it in, I didn't know it wasn't required.

[kazu]

You'll need to call LSAC and ask - they might make a big fuss out of it (actually, they probably will) and make you fax in a signed/dated request letter or something, but I'm pretty sure they'll let you do it. If you did well I don't see any harm in just letting things be though, I'm just saying that an additional addendum or whatnot explaining a semester's worth of exchange program grades is probably going to be overkill.

[JD2014]

I don't think LSAC will let you remove the transcript. They typically require all transcripts, even if the grades won't be included in the calculation of your LSAC GPA.

Also, this probably won't be the first time adcomms have seen transcripts from foreign countries, and I doubt they will care. Like I said before, what they care about is the LSAC GPA that they report to US News.

[kazu]

I don't think LSAC will let you remove the transcript. They typically require all transcripts, even if the grades won't be included in the calculation of your LSAC GPA.

From LSAC's website:

Do not have a transcript sent from an international institution if your bachelor's degree is from a US, US territory, or Canadian school, AND:

-the total amount of work you completed at all international institutions combined is equal to or less than the equivalent of one year of undergraduate study in the United States, its territories, or Canada, OR

-your work was completed through an overseas study program that was clearly sponsored by a US, US territory, or Canadian school.

http://lsac.org/JD/Apply/international-transcripts.asp

From what we know, OP definitely seems to fit in the "do not send" category.