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Took a couple classes at a university's extension school for funzies one summer. Do I need to request the transcript for LSAC?

Yes.

Yikes! Wish I had taken it more seriously.

Edit: FWIW, my wife who is a lawyer read over the requirements on LSAC's site and she said I don't have include the transcript. Confusing.

Splitterverse wrote:Yikes! Wish I had taken it more seriously.

Edit: FWIW, my wife who is a lawyer read over the requirements on LSAC's site and she said I don't have include the transcript. Confusing.

Transcripts to include:

-community colleges
-bachelor's and graduate institutions
-law/medical/professional institutions
-institutions attended for summer or evening courses
-institutions attended even though a degree was never received
-institutions from which you took college-level courses while in high school even though they were for high school credit
-institutions that clearly sponsored your overseas study. Clear sponsorship means:
---the courses received the sponsoring institution's academic credit (not transfer credit);
---the course codes, titles, credits earned, and grades appear on the sponsoring institution's transcript. Typically, these grades and credits are included in the sponsoring institution's cumulative GPA. The courses are often administered and taught by the sponsoring institution's faculty at an overseas institution.
-International Transcripts, if applicable

What about an extension school does your wife think make it not count?

If the extension classes were included on your home university's transcript (most study abroad programs are like this) then you don't need a separate transcript from them. If you took the classes after you received your bachelor's, you need the transcript but it won't affect your LSDAS GPA.

Splitterverse wrote:and she said I don't have include the transcript. Confusing.

Many a wee lad has tried this, only to have it pulled up by the Character and Fitness board before bar passage.

You're way better off going to a slightly lower ranked school because of your GPA, than dealing with the high risk of not being able to practice law at all.

twentypercentmore wrote:

Splitterverse wrote:and she said I don't have include the transcript. Confusing.

Many a wee lad has tried this, only to have it pulled up by the Character and Fitness board before bar passage.

You're way better off going to a slightly lower ranked school because of your GPA, than dealing with the high risk of not being able to practice law at all.

I think the reach of Bar Admission Committees is way overrated on this board. My evidence is only anecdotal, however, so take it for what it's worth. But, having a wife and two of my best friends be admitted to various state bars in the past several years, there is almost no way they could find out about this transcript. That is not to say I won't submit it to LSAC - I will just to be safe for the law school admissions' process - but my goodness, the bar is not NSA.

Splitterverse wrote: I think the reach of Bar Admission Committees is way overrated on this board. My evidence is only anecdotal, however, so take it for what it's worth. But, having a wife and two of my best friends be admitted to various state bars in the past several years, there is almost no way they could find out about this transcript. That is not to say I won't submit it to LSAC - I will just to be safe for the law school admissions' process - but my goodness, the bar is not NSA.

obviously better safe then sorry, but I always laugh when people on this board ask, 'should I disclose getting suspended in 5th grade for getting in a fight with someone at school?' Invariably the response is, 'Dude just disclose, you don't want the omission of this to come up on the C&F portion of the BAR or you'll be screwed!!!'

there is almost no way they could find out about this transcript.

Sorry dude, but wtf. National Student Clearinghouse will happily release all the data from any school you've ever had transcripts at. When you sign (potentially electronically) a statement that says "heres allllllll the transcripts", and you leave out something that would reduce your GPA, which in turn would reduce your chance of admission, that's a really big deal.

Also, even if you FERPA block it, to be eligible to practice is many states (I'm thinking specifically of Virginia), you sign a statement that waives your right to FERPA block.

I'm sure there's anecdotes out there of students that have tried to pull this off.

twentypercentmore wrote:

there is almost no way they could find out about this transcript.

Sorry dude, but wtf. National Student Clearinghouse will happily release all the data from any school you've ever had transcripts at. When you sign (potentially electronically) a statement that says "heres allllllll the transcripts", and you leave out something that would reduce your GPA, which in turn would reduce your chance of admission, that's a really big deal.

Also, even if you FERPA block it, to be eligible to practice is many states (I'm thinking specifically of Virginia), you sign a statement that waives your right to FERPA block.

I'm sure there's anecdotes out there of students that have tried to pull this off.

First, it would not reduce my GPA. These were two classes at an extension school I took well after graduating with my Bachelor's.

Secondly, the Clearinghouse verifies enrollment and degrees conferred which has nothing to do with what I have described above.

Thirdly, just in case, you can claim an honest mistake especially because of point #1. It's been done many, many times in front of many state bars with no repercussions. We're not talking felonies and academic misconduct, here.

Why did you even ask this question? getting a transcript is easy, if it won't affect your GPA, then why not just do it?

Also, why would you want to put yourself in front of any governing body asking questions about your character and not worry about it because you can explain it.

Can anyone clarify for me when additional classes don't affect LSAC GPA? I graduated last spring with my bachelors but am taking part in a fellowship this summer which includes two course. I was always going to put this transcript on my application, but do these classes affect my cumulative GPA? I'm confused about when it does or doesn't apply. Thanks

Purplebootyfox wrote:Can anyone clarify for me when additional classes don't affect LSAC GPA? I graduated last spring with my bachelors but am taking part in a fellowship this summer which includes two course. I was always going to put this transcript on my application, but do these classes affect my cumulative GPA? I'm confused about when it does or doesn't apply. Thanks

Once you graduate your GPA is fixed. But you still have to include all the transcripts.

Purplebootyfox wrote:Can anyone clarify for me when additional classes don't affect LSAC GPA? I graduated last spring with my bachelors but am taking part in a fellowship this summer which includes two course. I was always going to put this transcript on my application, but do these classes affect my cumulative GPA? I'm confused about when it does or doesn't apply. Thanks

two course no count.

sunynp wrote:

Purplebootyfox wrote:Can anyone clarify for me when additional classes don't affect LSAC GPA? I graduated last spring with my bachelors but am taking part in a fellowship this summer which includes two course. I was always going to put this transcript on my application, but do these classes affect my cumulative GPA? I'm confused about when it does or doesn't apply. Thanks

Once you graduate your GPA is fixed. But you still have to include all the transcripts.

My incentives/stress in studying for my exam in a couple hours are gone. Thanks

sunynp wrote:Why did you even ask this question? getting a transcript is easy, if it won't affect your GPA, then why not just do it?

Also, why would you want to put yourself in front of any governing body asking questions about your character and not worry about it because you can explain it.

I wasn't going to include it. I really hadn't even thought about it until this week even though I've been planning to apply for months. But, I was curious if classes like those had to be included.

Still, I think it's laughable that so many get so uptight about the bar admissions' process. Truth is most don't even verify your former employers, let alone anything else. I don't know why everyone on here gets so upset about such notions. I guess some prefer that admission to the bar is only for the squeaky clean and the truly elite when it's anything but.

FWIW, many state bars process thousands of apps within just a few months with very limited resources. This idea of a "governing body" sitting a candidate down and interrogating them is a myth for all but the most egregious applicants. You don't have to take my word for it.

If the extension classes were included on your home university's transcript then you don't need a separate transcript from them. If you took the classes after you received your bachelor's, you need the transcript but it won't affect your LSDAS GPA.

Splitterverse wrote:

sunynp wrote:Why did you even ask this question? getting a transcript is easy, if it won't affect your GPA, then why not just do it?

Also, why would you want to put yourself in front of any governing body asking questions about your character and not worry about it because you can explain it.

I wasn't going to include it. I really hadn't even thought about it until this week even though I've been planning to apply for months. But, I was curious if classes like those had to be included.

Still, I think it's laughable that so many get so uptight about the bar admissions' process. Truth is most don't even verify your former employers, let alone anything else. I don't know why everyone on here gets so upset about such notions. I guess some prefer that admission to the bar is only for the squeaky clean and the truly elite when it's anything but.

FWIW, many state bars process thousands of apps within just a few months with very limited resources. This idea of a "governing body" sitting a candidate down and interrogating them is a myth for all but the most egregious applicants. You don't have to take my word for it.

I think you are missing the point. The point is that it is stupid to create an issue over something that is simple to do, even if the chance of it being an issue is almost zero. With C&F there is no point to not just do everything you are supposed to do so you can sail through the process.

Splitterverse wrote:Truth is most don't even verify your former employers, let alone anything else. I don't know why everyone on here gets so upset about such notions. I guess some prefer that admission to the bar is only for the squeaky clean and the truly elite when it's anything but.

I have a lot of friends who went through the NY Bar C&F, and that's just not the case here. Those things will be verified. I can't speak for anywhere else.

And if you're willing to be dishonest by omission on something this easy to fix, what else will you break the rules for?