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So I got my grades back from this semester and my cumulative GPA dropped .01, but my semester grades were still high and I'm still comfortably above every GPA 75th. Would an updated transcript help get the attention of adcoms back to my application when I seem to be getting passed over at one of my top choices, despite having numbers that are usually considered safe there? Is there anything else I could do to get them back looking at my file (obviously not in a negative way)? Or is is still too early to be sending in this type of stuff?

Updating your grades promptly is always a good idea. In fact, you should check with any schools you've been accepted at since some of them require you to submit those grades as soon as possible anyway. The .01 drop isn't going to be a problem if you're still over the 75th but not being willing to submit your fall semester grades might raise some eyebrows.

As for sending other updates, I think it depends on the school. Showing interest is generally considered a good thing (see Faye Deal's blog on submitting LOCI after 3ish months without any response from Stanford). On the other hand, schools like Columbia which haven't released any RD decisions yet probably wouldn't appreciate superfluous info. All in all, it is still very early in the cycle and the majority of applicants haven't even applied (which is unbelievable).

tl;dr update your transcript with LSAC and only send other info like LOCI if you have something significant to report. Just my two cents!

Thanks for the response! Also, should I send a brief email to get in touch and let them know I've updated my transcript? My updated transcript will also include a change in graduation date by a few months....

It can't hurt and it lets them know that you are still interested. If your projected graduation date is different than the one you put on your resume or law school application then I think it's probably a good idea to let your schools know.

If you have a change in graduation date, you should definitely update your application. It also sounds like you're maintaining your good GPA, so there's really no reason not to update.

drawstring wrote:Would an updated transcript help get the attention of adcoms back to my application when I seem to be getting passed over at one of my top choices, despite having numbers that are usually considered safe there?

Nope. While you are required to update, supposedly ASAP, almost no one does (unless they have a jump in GPA), and it's a policy that isn't really enforced (unless you neglect to update for a new felony on your record).

There's no reason not to update it, but I wouldn't expect it to "dislodge" you from the waiting pool.