Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT) Forum
-
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:32 pm
Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
I know this thread has been done to death, but I'd really love some advice on a few specific components of my application, and what a good overall strategy would be. Here's an overview of my stats:
GPA: Somewhere in the 2.9 range from a top LAC (Amherst/Williams/Swat). A lot of A's, a few C's, a couple of F's. No upward trend except the last semester (4.0), no real excuse. Will submit an addendum.
LSAT: Just got my score back, 173. Had a cancelled score and an absent from December and February. I'm concerned that this along with my grades makes me look flaky, which I sort of am but was hoping to hide slightly better.
WE/extras: 2.5 years of strong work experience doing research at Stanford, including a few publications. Solid extracurricular volunteer work I've been doing since high school.
Recommendations/essays: Will be good.
1) Should I retake the LSAT? I wouldn't normally even consider it, but (a) I have a really crappy GPA; (b) had 5 min left before I had even started reading the final RC passage (which has never happened before) and got 4 wrong in the section; (3) I've been testing higher (last 5 PT's all 176+).
2) Should I add an addendum about the cancelled/absent scores? Or would two excuse making addendums just draw attention to the "flaky" concern?
3) Is it worth applying early somewhere? If so, where? I understand that it's not especially realistic, but I'm under a lot of a pressure to go to a T-20 School and, honestly, am not entirely convinced that law school would be worth the financial investment to me if I can't.
Thank you!!
GPA: Somewhere in the 2.9 range from a top LAC (Amherst/Williams/Swat). A lot of A's, a few C's, a couple of F's. No upward trend except the last semester (4.0), no real excuse. Will submit an addendum.
LSAT: Just got my score back, 173. Had a cancelled score and an absent from December and February. I'm concerned that this along with my grades makes me look flaky, which I sort of am but was hoping to hide slightly better.
WE/extras: 2.5 years of strong work experience doing research at Stanford, including a few publications. Solid extracurricular volunteer work I've been doing since high school.
Recommendations/essays: Will be good.
1) Should I retake the LSAT? I wouldn't normally even consider it, but (a) I have a really crappy GPA; (b) had 5 min left before I had even started reading the final RC passage (which has never happened before) and got 4 wrong in the section; (3) I've been testing higher (last 5 PT's all 176+).
2) Should I add an addendum about the cancelled/absent scores? Or would two excuse making addendums just draw attention to the "flaky" concern?
3) Is it worth applying early somewhere? If so, where? I understand that it's not especially realistic, but I'm under a lot of a pressure to go to a T-20 School and, honestly, am not entirely convinced that law school would be worth the financial investment to me if I can't.
Thank you!!
- MrSparkle
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:06 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
T14 prospects according to TLS wisdom for splitters is Northwestern and maybe UVA, though your GPA might be too low. I wouldn't risk doing worse on the LSAT or only marginally better. Real LSAT scores have a habit of being 5 points lower than personal practice anyway. I wouldn't write an LSAT addendum, a high score speaks for itself. Better than having two other scores for them to think about.
If you work hard on Northwestern (and do the "optional" interview on campus perhaps, instead of via local alumni), your work experience and LSAT should make up for your GPA. Write those "Why X" essays if they offer it, or write it anyway and attach it as an addendum if they don't.
Apply early on all your apps. As in, within the first week of whenever they start accepting apps (Sept 1 or Oct 1 depending on school). Admittance is on a rolling basis, so being early will help you.
If you work hard on Northwestern (and do the "optional" interview on campus perhaps, instead of via local alumni), your work experience and LSAT should make up for your GPA. Write those "Why X" essays if they offer it, or write it anyway and attach it as an addendum if they don't.
Apply early on all your apps. As in, within the first week of whenever they start accepting apps (Sept 1 or Oct 1 depending on school). Admittance is on a rolling basis, so being early will help you.
- Verity
- Posts: 1253
- Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:26 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Don't retake. That LSAT is good enough for any school that would admit you with a 2.9 GPA.
Northwestern FTW. UVA is a longer shot, but it's possible.
I would just blanket the T20 outside HYSCCN (which won't happen), and see what sticks.
Northwestern FTW. UVA is a longer shot, but it's possible.
I would just blanket the T20 outside HYSCCN (which won't happen), and see what sticks.
- Tom Joad
- Posts: 4526
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:56 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Congrats on the lsat score.
- nygrrrl
- Posts: 4434
- Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:01 am
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
NU. EARLY (like, seriously, as soon as they are taking apps, get yours in.)
UVA ED.
That was the prevailing wisdom 2 years ago, when I was applying - maybe people from this past cycle will have better advice?
Also, congrats on the great LSAT!
UVA ED.
That was the prevailing wisdom 2 years ago, when I was applying - maybe people from this past cycle will have better advice?
Also, congrats on the great LSAT!
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:32 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Thanks for the great advice, this is really helpful! A quick follow up question, why is it advantageous to get my app in as early as possible if I'm not applying to the school ED? So, more concretely, NW starts accepting applications on September 1st. Why does it help my chances to apply then rather than early-mid October?
-
- Posts: 1362
- Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 4:43 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
You'll get UVA ED as long as you convince them you're not SPS. You'll prob get NU but they won't give you any $$...so you're best bet is to just ED UVA in September
- splitbrain
- Posts: 656
- Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:38 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Blanket apps, ride the waitlists, and negotiate = profit. GPA floors are not what they used to be at the moment. Don't ED UVA.
- Chucky21
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:36 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Northwester and UVA tend to be splitter friendly. I do not think Cornell or Michigan will bite. They seem to value a good GPA and a more 'well rounded' applicant. Even though that LSAT score is awesome, I do not think it will make up for that GPA at these schools.tfleming09 wrote:You're likely a lock at UVA if you ED, crapshoot otherwise. Probably in @ Northwestern. Apply to G'Town, Cornell and maybe Michigan, someone will bite.
Don't retake, once you're hit 172+ there's not a big difference for splitters, you're not getting scholarship money anywhere.
- MrSparkle
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:06 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
As I said, rolling admissions...that means they offer spots to people as they receive apps. Difference is, late in the cycle, when they have 5 spots left, they don't give them to the also-rans, they'll give them to awesome late-comers or the good candidates they waitlisted.rgsm1987 wrote:Thanks for the great advice, this is really helpful! A quick follow up question, why is it advantageous to get my app in as early as possible if I'm not applying to the school ED? So, more concretely, NW starts accepting applications on September 1st. Why does it help my chances to apply then rather than early-mid October?
-
- Posts: 3086
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:05 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
What's that addendum going to say? If you have no real excuse, don't write an addendum - that will make you look worse than just standing on that GPA.rgsm1987 wrote:no real excuse. Will submit an addendum.
My recommendation isn't to not write an addendum, by the way; instead, it's to come up with something to say for at least the Fs.
-
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:32 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
bp shinners wrote:What's that addendum going to say? If you have no real excuse, don't write an addendum - that will make you look worse than just standing on that GPA.rgsm1987 wrote:no real excuse. Will submit an addendum.
My recommendation isn't to not write an addendum, by the way; instead, it's to come up with something to say for at least the Fs.
At the risk of getting too personal-- but this is an anonymous online forum, so what the hell-- for the first three years of college I had serious academic difficulties. I wasn't able to turn in a single paper on time, and not for lack of trying. It's hard to explain, but I felt like I had a monkey mind that just wouldn't and couldn't follow a linear writing process. After two weeks of work, I'd end up with 90 pages of notes for a ten page paper and half a page of actual writing. So my grades fluctuated wildly (mostly As and Cs or Ds, virtually no Bs), depending on who would accept a paper two weeks late and who would automatically fail it. The summer going into my senior year, three years and 2 Fs too late, I went to see a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with anxiety disorder and ADHD. I was, and still am to a certain extent, an ADHD skeptic, but there is no denying that the treatment I started on has improved my life in immeasurable ways, and probably kept me from failing out of school. My final semester, I had a 4.0, no late papers, and was finally enjoying my work rather than breaking out into hives over it.
That said, I am not planning to write about any of that in my addendum for a number of reasons: (1) it's nowhere near the severity of circumstances many people who write addendums have surrounding poor college grades; (2) not being able to meet deadlines, even in the past = huge red flag to adcoms; and (3) mental health treatment (esp ADHD) is always controversial, and a certain part of me feels like I should have just "done better" by myself.
I thought I should at least acknowledge my low GPA in an addendum, though, so the adcom doesn't think I find a 2.9 GPA acceptable. I was planning to submit something short, to the effect of "I was immature, but hopefully my LSAT, work experience, and recommendations demonstrate the level of performance I'm capable of and expect of myself now." Bad idea?
- MrSparkle
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:06 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
If you had an undiagnosed condition, I don't think that adcomms will just think that's an excuse you're making up. "Immature" is what most people with no excuse write...I think you have a valid reason, I'd consider still writing it. And if you're still not sure, call up admissions of law schools you're not planning to applying to, and ask them what they think of your reason.
Register now!
Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.
It's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 11413
- Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:54 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
The "Fs" need to be explained. Your explanation above is sufficient since you sought treatment, received a diagnosis & a successful treatment plan.
-
- Posts: 3086
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:05 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Exactly. The important part to highlight is the SUCCESSFUL treatment plan - you have proof (that 4.0 semester) that your medication is doing it's job. It has all the hallmarks of a successful GPA addendum - an explainable problem that doesn't reflect poorly on you and a reason to think it won't affect you in law school.CanadianWolf wrote:The "Fs" need to be explained. Your explanation above is sufficient since you sought treatment, received a diagnosis & a successful treatment plan.
- catholicgirl
- Posts: 320
- Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:34 pm
Re: Please help! -- Splitter w/ F's (2.9 GPA, 173 LSAT)
Frame it like this poster said.bp shinners wrote:Exactly. The important part to highlight is the SUCCESSFUL treatment plan - you have proof (that 4.0 semester) that your medication is doing it's job. It has all the hallmarks of a successful GPA addendum - an explainable problem that doesn't reflect poorly on you and a reason to think it won't affect you in law school.CanadianWolf wrote:The "Fs" need to be explained. Your explanation above is sufficient since you sought treatment, received a diagnosis & a successful treatment plan.
Get unlimited access to all forums and topics
Register now!
I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...
Already a member? Login