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Hey Guys,

My question is this: I got an F in a class my freshman year of college (attempted to drop but it never went through so I didn't realize I was enrolled) but made up the same class for an A. I realize this is going to significantly damage my LSDAS gpa.

Will law schools consider my upward trend of gpa at all? Since then my UGPA has been a 3.7 but that F is killing me.

I'm really worried that one mistaken grade will take me out of the running for the schools i'm interested in.

-Thanks

p.s. I'm a transfer student and the F was at my junior college if that makes any difference.

Your LSAC gpa is what it is. Nobody will care either way about one F.

Sandro wrote:Your LSAC gpa is what it is. Nobody will care either way about one F.

So i'm screwed huh? My lsdas drops an entire point because of one grade.

anteater1 wrote:

Sandro wrote:Your LSAC gpa is what it is. Nobody will care either way about one F.

So i'm screwed huh? My lsdas drops an entire point because of one grade.

At the end of the day schools really only care about the # they report to USNWR.

All you can do now is write a succinct addendum and then hope for the best. schools will see an upward trend, and if it's the only F you have they will take the (hopefully well-written) addendum into account and view it as an outlier.

With that said, sandro is right: schools will ultimately care about their final lsac gpa report. if the gpa is underneath a school's 25%, it may be what leans adcoms into giving you a ding. If everything else in your application is strong, however, some schools will overlook the gpa. Get a high LSAT score (ideally one that's over your preferred school's 75%), and do what you can to make a strong application. good luck!

You also sort of have to look at it from the adcom's position: it will be very likely that there are a ton of people out there with a better GPA than yours, with the same LSAT, with extracurriculars that matter equally as little as yours, etc.

Why should they accept you and your addendum when they can just accept someone else with her already glorious GPA?

You shouldn't, however, think that your chances have evaporated to dust. Just realize that you're going to have to really put in the extra effort to secure excellent LORs; to craft a perfect resume; and to write a Shakespeare-level PS, addendum, and Why X? essay.

Essentially, just be prepared to go above and beyond what most people need to do in the first place, I guess, if you want to have a good cycle.

Do you guys think it would be advisable to raise my GPA the next 3 quarters and apply next cycle?

Or apply this cycle and if I don't get in reapply next cycle?

A whole point? That doesn't seem possible - maybe a tenth of a point.

At any rate, nobody will care about one F - I had an F on my undergrad transcript and I got into every school to which I applied except for my super-reach school. Good luck!

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schooner wrote:Based on the line "this is going to significantly damage my LSDAS gpa", I assume that you haven't received your official LSDAS grade report yet. If your college transcript is nonpunitive (ie they will put an * or RP or something similar instead of an F), the F might not be factored into the LSDAS gpa at all. You can call LSAC and ask, but the only definitive source of info will be the official grade report itself.

^^ This was very helpful. Would I need to call LSAC or talk to my university to find out if my college transcript is nonpunitive?

schooner wrote: I think you're better off doing whatever you can to raise your GPA in your final year and practice enough to get an awesome LSAT score. Then you can apply in the following fall, at the same time you're getting work experience. That is obviously assuming that you'll be able to find a worthwhile job then. (Or maybe you can boomerang to your parents, since you're still very young.)

But if I apply and don't get in, can't I just reapply the next year? I've heard schools don't take into account prior applications.

you think you are doomed because you have a 3.6 instead of a 3.7?

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Dont write an addendum. People fail classes. You write an addendum if your first two years were a 2.0 and last two were a 4.0. 1 F isnt an upward trend.

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schooner wrote:EDIT: Actually, on second thought, maybe you should write an addendum so the adcom people don't assume you failed for cheating or something seriously bad like that. You could write a very short (like just a few sentences), straightforward addendum to explain what happened.

This would be my recommendation. Make sure you own up to it being your fault, but it's better to get the facts out there than having an adcom assume something you don't want them to.

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You might want to look into your school's grading policies. I have a similar situation where I failed one class 4 years ago, took it again, and the school replaced my grade and raised my gpa substantially. It's worth looking into if you have one outlying grade bringing you down.