Top Law Schools

Yes, I am aware that LSAC requires transcripts from the following(in addition to UG):
- community colleges
- undergraduate 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
and that this policy has traditionally caused massive freak-outs from many applicants whose grades of a random CC course they took in high school would drastically hurt their LSAC GPA.

HOWEVER, I learned from another source today(a person already at law school, discussing c&f process that reviews your old law school app) that LSAC GPA is based on transcripts of CREDITS comprising towards a bachelors degree. Therefore, if those community college credits were never transferred towards completion of my bachelors degree, those credits would be rendered irrelevant. What do you guys think - is that true?

(Also, does anyone know about "extension schools"/"continuing education"? They are neither undergrad/grad/law/medical/professional institutions. They aren't exactly like community colleges, either. I did a search on TSL, and some lawyer lady wife of a poster said they do not qualify as any of the institutions described by LSAC above.)

Nope. They count all your grades whether they transferred or not

e: as far as extension schools I don't know exactly what you're talking about but I submitted transcripts from a "school" I went to (think ITT Tech) because I had good grades there and LSAC counted it. YMMV on that though

Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, do you know why they do this? It seems crazy to include what an applicant did as a 7th grader (many middle school kids take trig at CC) when evaluating who would succeed at law school!

khaela wrote:Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, do you know why they do this? It seems crazy to include what an applicant did as a 7th grader (many middle school kids take trig at CC) when evaluating who would succeed at law school!

Because plenty of people did fine back in those days, and they deserve credit for it.

In case you're wondering, academic institutions/bar committees get a free look at what's called the National Student Clearinghouse. You can't block it with FERPA.

http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/

You try and hide stuff that might hurt your calculated GPA, I promise you the C&F committee will come down on you like a crap from heaven.

True, true. I just spoke with an LSAC representative, and they are sooooo helpful: "yes, yes, send them all in, because law schools would be interested in what you have been up to."

I asked whether continuing education QUALIFIES as one of the institutions listed on the website, and she just keeps saying how law schools would be interested?

rinkrat19 wrote:

khaela wrote:Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, do you know why they do this? It seems crazy to include what an applicant did as a 7th grader (many middle school kids take trig at CC) when evaluating who would succeed at law school!

Because plenty of people did fine back in those days, and they deserve credit for it.

k, clearly doenst explain why your performance as a 7th grader would indicate the probability of your success in law school

khaela wrote:
(Also, does anyone know about "extension schools"/"continuing education"? They are neither undergrad/grad/law/medical/professional institutions. They aren't exactly like community colleges, either. I did a search on TSL, and some lawyer lady wife of a poster said they do not qualify as any of the institutions described by LSAC above.)

If you took classes there for credit, and have a transcript there, you should submit it. For example, I've taken violin lessons for credit via an extension school, and I listed that school and will submit my transcripts.

khaela wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:

khaela wrote:Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, do you know why they do this? It seems crazy to include what an applicant did as a 7th grader (many middle school kids take trig at CC) when evaluating who would succeed at law school!

Because plenty of people did fine back in those days, and they deserve credit for it.

k, clearly doenst explain why your performance as a 7th grader would indicate the probability of your success in law school

If I'm looking at two candidates and one has been dilligent and hard-working his entire academic career as far as I can tell and one didn't realize that grades are, like, important or whatever until he was 16, I'm hiring the former. Hopefully if the latter kid is actually a late-blooming Einstein, that fact reveals itself in other ways, like published articles about the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

khaela wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:

khaela wrote:Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, do you know why they do this? It seems crazy to include what an applicant did as a 7th grader (many middle school kids take trig at CC) when evaluating who would succeed at law school!

Because plenty of people did fine back in those days, and they deserve credit for it.

k, clearly doenst explain why your performance as a 7th grader would indicate the probability of your success in law school

I think they have interest in people that may try to hide a school they dropped out of because they failed out, or a pre-transfer school etc.

I took a year of classes at a university after receiving my Bachelors through continuing education and their professional school. Due to a financial hold, I could not release that transcript to LSAC. Called LSAC, spoke with a representative, and she said that they would note a financial hold on my transcript for this school (a different university than my undergrad) and that LSAC would still be able to process my applications without this second transcript with the stipulation that some law schools may ask me for this transcript later on.

lhn5007 wrote:I took a year of classes at a university after receiving my Bachelors through continuing education and their professional school. Due to a financial hold, I could not release that transcript to LSAC. Called LSAC, spoke with a representative, and she said that they would note a financial hold on my transcript for this school (a different university than my undergrad) and that LSAC would still be able to process my applications without this second transcript with the stipulation that some law schools may ask me for this transcript later on.

Try and get that cleared up. Law schools don't like to see that you can't pay back money you borrowed for educational purposes.

lhn5007 wrote:I took a year of classes at a university after receiving my Bachelors through continuing education and their professional school. Due to a financial hold, I could not release that transcript to LSAC. Called LSAC, spoke with a representative, and she said that they would note a financial hold on my transcript for this school (a different university than my undergrad) and that LSAC would still be able to process my applications without this second transcript with the stipulation that some law schools may ask me for this transcript later on.

Still gonna big a big red flag to schools.

rinkrat19 wrote:

khaela wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:

khaela wrote:Thanks for the reply.

Honestly, do you know why they do this? It seems crazy to include what an applicant did as a 7th grader (many middle school kids take trig at CC) when evaluating who would succeed at law school!

Because plenty of people did fine back in those days, and they deserve credit for it.

k, clearly doenst explain why your performance as a 7th grader would indicate the probability of your success in law school

If I'm looking at two candidates and one has been dilligent and hard-working his entire academic career as far as I can tell and one didn't realize that grades are, like, important or whatever until he was 16, I'm hiring the former. Hopefully if the latter kid is actually a late-blooming Einstein, that fact reveals itself in other ways, like published articles about the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

Was that sarcasm? Can't tell if you really think what a 12 year old does is somehow indicative of his graduate-student credentials or not.

And grades are only, like, important or what ever when you are 16 IF you take college credit courses because no one is there to tell you that your making a unique mistake that will haunt you if you ever get graduate school ambitions. This is not from personal experience so I have no bias.