GPA Help Please Forum

[kkb319]

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[drewmm]

Looking at it solely as a numbers game, retaking them isn't going to help if the F's stay on your transcript. Doing some really quick back-of-the-napkin calculations, if you took 4 classes a semester for 4 years to get that 3.89 (i.e. assuming you aren't able to improve your GPA during your senior year), then adding in the Fs drops you to something like a 3.66. Adding two more A's on (assuming you retake both classes and get As) only brings you back up to a 3.68. Anyways, the exact numbers depend on how many classes you've taken and what you do with your grades this year, but my point is that simply adding two As on top won't result in any meaningful change in your numbers.

So the real question is how it'll look to admissions committees. My *guess* is that taking two entry-level community college classes during your senior year at an Ivy will look like a blatant attempt to improve your GPA, and that it'd hurt you, in net. I'd guess that, overall, you're better off just writing a short (and let me emphasize short) addendum stating that you withdrew from the classes due to scheduling issues, but missed the deadline. And, of course, kill your grades this year, and make sure you're in a position to get good letters of rec (and get the letters on file with LSAC before you leave college.)

[kkb319]

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[drewmm]

I really don't know how much they'll care. To the extent that they're playing their medians, it'll make a difference, since the 3.6 is what'll get reported. Completely unexplained Fs might also raise a red flag on an application even beyond the numbers. My sense is that with a 1-2 sentence explanation those schools that are willing to look past numbers won't hold it against you, and even at numbers schools your LSAT is high enough to cut you some slack.

Bear in mind that this is all guess-work. But I guess the most important thing is that there's really nothing you can do about it at this point, unless there's some retroactive withdrawal procedure at the CC that you haven't taken advantage of that will completely remove them from your transcript. Just do what you can with the parts of the application that are still under your control, and see where that takes you. I wouldn't be too worried.

[rendlelaw]

I think your best play would be to contact the Community College and see if you can get the grades expunged. Explain the situation and you might find someone willing to work with you.

[TheJanitor6203]

I think your best play would be to contact the Community College and see if you can get the grades expunged. Explain the situation and you might find someone willing to work with you.

I second this. If you can't get that fixed I think a short addendum explaining the situation will help. Either way, your still a shoe-in at every law school except YHS. If you're a URM, even if you can't get it fixed, you've still got pretty good odds with YHS. And yes, I think the work experience with help you.

[bp shinners]

Do law schools seriously care about cc classes taken in high school or will the addendum help put things in context?

Yes and yes.

They care about the classes because they affected your GPA, and they care about your GPA.

The addendum will help to put things in context, but it'll be a tiebreaker instead of something that forces them to reevaluate your GPA.

[kkb319]

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[MistakenGenius]

Post removed.

[kkb319]

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[bp shinners]

I see...
Do ccs usually help expunge grades in this situation?? Also if I can't get them fixed, is there really nothing I can do??

It's really hit or miss. Some will be more than happy to help you out, but others will completely shut you down. The important thing is to be polite, but insistent. Don't talk to the low man on the totem pole; make sure you talk to some you actually has the power to make this happen.

And yes, if you can't get them fixed, there really isn't anything you can do.

[RoaringMice]

I see...
Do ccs usually help expunge grades in this situation?? Also if I can't get them fixed, is there really nothing I can do??

Some colleges will drop the classes entirely. Others will give you Ws. Still others can't help you at all. You have nothing to lose by asking. But I'd suggest you start by asking to have them dropped entirely - removed from your transcript. If they cannot do that, then ask about retroactive withdrawals, so you can get Ws.

If you can't get these dropped or changed to Ws, there really is nothing you can do, no.

[20141023]

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[Toby Ziegler]

I think that a lot of people on here are being overly optimistic about how much an addendum will help your situation in the event that you cannot get the F's expunged or at least retroactively changed to Ws.

Writing the addendum will likely prevent some schools in your GPA/LSAT range from viewing your transcript suspiciously, but it will not act as a "GPA booster" to help you get into schools where your GPA is much lower than their 25th percentile. Unfortunately, schools care about LSAT / GPA mostly because of the US News & World Report rankings, which do not care about the reason behind someone's grades.

Really, though, the only schools that your GPA will likely keep you out of are HYS; you should be in everywhere else even if the 2 Fs are counted against you.

Removed for anonymity