Put off applying for boost in gpa? Forum

[superpatton]

Hey guys, I am currently preparing for the September LSAT, my first attempt, and I had a question about how much my gpa would effect scholarship opportunities. I currently have a 3.85 gpa with 2 semesters left in undergrad, and this would be the gpa I apply with this fall. However, if I waited to apply for a year my end of degree gpa should be a 3.87. My question is whether or not it would be worth sitting out this cycle so that I can have the slight boost in gpa. Secondly, how will this gpa effect any scholarship chances I have. I know this is hard to tell without an LSAT score, but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[whitespider]

I don't think waiting would help much.

You're already over/at every school's median (HYS included).

Just nail the LSAT.

[superpatton]

Thanks for the response!
Yea I've looked at the medians and I guess I'm just freaking out about trying to get to the 75th percentile for some of the top tier schools in order to lock down some scholarship money (200k+ in debt terrifies me). In any case I guess I'll just see how the LSAT goes and move from there. That and I think I've just about driven myself crazy from all the test prep and stress . I appreciate the feedback!

[LoganCouture]

If you're thinking about sitting out for a cycle (or more), it could be good to get some WE, travel, and just enjoy life after undergrad.

But slightly boosting your GPA (it's a negligible difference in your case) would not be a reason to sit out IMO.

[Rigo]

Harvard, Yale, and Stanford all give need-based financial aid. This is different from merit-based aid, which seems to be your primary goal with submitting a 3.93 instead of a 3.91. So for purposes of scholarships at HYS, the difference won't matter.
An outstanding LSAT score and and being a superhero should be your priority now.
Good luck and bravo on the awesome GPA!

[superpatton]

Thanks you guys for your responses, that makes me feel a ton better about the whole situation! lc39, I'll definitely consider doing something similar based on how my LSAT turns out it's nice to hear that taking a year off can actually be a good experience. I'm hoping for a decent LSAT to get right into law school, but I won't hesitate to take a year off and retake if it comes to that.
Thanks again everyone for the help!