Study Abroad (P/F classes) or improve GPA? Forum

[tskela]

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[riverwater]

dude if u want to study abroad just do it + take a couple years off, let your senior year grades count, and hopefully that will make up for whatever money u no longer get from your parents. also lol at them "against" u waiting

[tskela]

dude if u want to study abroad just do it + take a couple years off, let your senior year grades count, and hopefully that will make up for whatever money u no longer get from your parents. also lol at them "against" u waiting

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[riverwater]

U said u were open to waiting, and I said that's what I think u should do. Don't come back and say I'm being unrealistic. In any case I don't think .05 is worth not studying abroad if that's something u really want to do.

[tskela]

U said u were open to waiting, and I said that's what I think u should do. Don't come back and say I'm being unrealistic. In any case I don't think .05 is worth not studying abroad if that's something u really want to do.

I guess I meant it's something I'd be open to in a perfect world (if I could live at home, work and save money). Thanks for the opinion. Didn't mean to be snappy.

[BPlaura]

Having a 3.75 vs. a 3.8 isn't going to make a huge difference when it comes to getting scholarships from CCN. Studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and in my opinion, the experiences you'd gain from that would outweigh the small GPA bump from not doing it.

And I'd also recommend rethinking taking some time off after school - in my experience (as someone with a similarly impractical major, and after seeing many of my friends' experiences), you can still find worthwhile employment, and in turn you'll be a more attractive candidate to law schools and, to a greater extent, to law firms once you're in law school.

[tskela]

Having a 3.75 vs. a 3.8 isn't going to make a huge difference when it comes to getting scholarships from CCN. Studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and in my opinion, the experiences you'd gain from that would outweigh the small GPA bump from not doing it.

And I'd also recommend rethinking taking some time off after school - in my experience (as someone with a similarly impractical major, and after seeing many of my friends' experiences), you can still find worthwhile employment, and in turn you'll be a more attractive candidate to law schools and, to a greater extent, to law firms once you're in law school.

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[Mullens]

dude if u want to study abroad just do it + take a couple years off, let your senior year grades count, and hopefully that will make up for whatever money u no longer get from your parents. also lol at them "against" u waiting

That sounds wonderful, except for the part where I'm a homeless, unemployed 21-year old English major.

You can probably get a job as a biglaw paralegal. It may require a two year commitment but will also help you decide if you actually want to be a lawyer.

[CanadianWolf]

Assuming that your LSAT score remains the same, then you should increase your undergraduate GPA in order to get better offers from T-14 law schools, in my opinion based on the limited information shared in your posts above. (Key info. in your above post is that your current GPA is below 3.7 & you're targeting the CCN.)

[tskela]

dude if u want to study abroad just do it + take a couple years off, let your senior year grades count, and hopefully that will make up for whatever money u no longer get from your parents. also lol at them "against" u waiting

That sounds wonderful, except for the part where I'm a homeless, unemployed 21-year old English major.

You can probably get a job as a biglaw paralegal. It may require a two year commitment but will also help you decide if you actually want to be a lawyer.

I always assumed those positions required formal training, so this is interesting. Appreciate the response.

Assuming that your LSAT score remains the same, then you should increase your undergraduate GPA in order to get better offers from T-14 law schools, in my opinion based on the limited information shared in your posts above. (Key info. in your above post is that your current GPA is below 3.7 & you're targeting the CCN.)

That's the plan! Though hopefully I pull my LSAT up a bit, too, since I haven't even utilized all the amazing study resources on TLS yet.

[Ardent.]

Summer courses prior to senior year are also a viable option to boost up your GPA. I had a 3.6X at the beginning of last year (my junior year,) but after a kickass spring semester I have a 3.75. I'm taking 3 summer classes and (if all goes well) I should be able to break the 3.8 barrier.

This is just assuming that you don't want to wait a year or more for law school.

[redsox]

Your parents suck.

[zoomzoom88]

you need to own your law school experience and do what is best for you. While your parents may think they that going right now is in your best interest it is ultimately your decision. If you get a paralegal (or really any full time position in business or legal industry) you will be able to live on your own without mommy and daddy supporting you. It won't be a luxurious life but you know what the goal is. Biggest mistake you can make is not going with your gut. I don't think studying abroad is going to make or break your GPA... but work experience will make you an incredible candidate for t-6 with money.

[tskela]

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[gnomgnomuch]

As someone who went through basically your situation id recommend to go study abroad. I ended up getting a B+ in the study abroad class...which lowered my GPA slightly (but i went to London, and a b+ there is pretty good, plus it was only one class..and i went during the summer)

1) That one month, taught me a lot. The life experience you get is invaluable, no-one's going to watch over your shoulder to make sure you get to bed and go to class, you cook/clean/laundry etc etc. Plus, you'll have to take care of yourself completely (for me that was a first time thing, because im a commuter for undergrad).

2) You'll meet amaaaaazing people, i still keep in tough with kids i met in London, those friendships can last lifetimes.

3) It's so.much.fun. People rarely go Study abroad for "education." They do it for parties/clubs/alcohol and etc. As long as you dont go overboard you'll have a blast.

4) It's a plus, maybe not to LS's in general, but you'll change as a person, usually for the better and you can reflect on that in your PS....also at the very least, it gives you a PS topic.

5) Study abroad is legitimately a once or twice in a life time experience, once you graduate college, and then LS, you'll never have the chance to spend a semester in a different country.

best of luck in whatever you choose to do =)

[tskela]

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[gatesome]

if you choose not to study abroad in order to marginally improve (or decrease) your GPA for potential law school reasons you are a huge loser idiot moron

live your life, friend

study abroad, get culture, embrace life while you are young and can afford to. you can be a suit wageslave in a few years...

[tskela]

if you choose not to study abroad in order to marginally improve (or decrease) your GPA for potential law school reasons you are a huge loser idiot moron

live your life, friend

study abroad, get culture, embrace life while you are young and can afford to. you can be a suit wageslave in a few years...

LOL. Yeah, I decided I'm definitely going.

[Ti Malice]

I agree with this for the most part. Still, my parents have done a lot for me thus far. I think a level of respect is due here, and it's important to me to take their wishes into consideration. I'm a 1.5-gen immigrant; we're parent pleasers.

It's also important to educate your parents when their wishes are based on mistaken assumptions, and when following those wishes could leave you at a disadvantage when it comes to finding a job as a lawyer. All else being equal, work experience makes a significant difference in legal hiring. For obvious reasons, legal employers feel more comfortable with more mature people who have actually worked in a real job before. (And that's to say nothing of the inherent value of work experience.) For purely utilitarian considerations alone, your parents should understand that waiting until you're at least two years out of college to attend law school is a smart move.

Glad to see you're going. No one should ever pass on an experience like studying/living abroad for a small GPA bump.

[tskela]

I agree with this for the most part. Still, my parents have done a lot for me thus far. I think a level of respect is due here, and it's important to me to take their wishes into consideration. I'm a 1.5-gen immigrant; we're parent pleasers.

It's also important to educate your parents when their wishes are based on mistaken assumptions, and when following those wishes could leave you at a disadvantage when it comes to finding a job as a lawyer. All else being equal, work experience makes a significant difference in legal hiring. For obvious reasons, legal employers feel more comfortable with more mature people who have actually worked in a real job before. (And that's to say nothing of the inherent value of work experience.) For purely utilitarian considerations alone, your parents should understand that waiting until you're at least two years out of college to attend law school is a smart move.

Glad to see you're going. No one should ever pass on an experience like studying/living abroad for a small GPA bump.

I have talked to my parents further about this, and it seems that they're just doubtful I'll be able to find a meaningful job after graduation. I don't think they would continue to disagree with the idea of sitting out a year if I were to get a decent job offer or have some other worthwhile plan beyond just "taking the year off". As it stands, I will probably apply fall of senior year as planned and reapply the next cycle if things don't work the way I'd like them to.