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does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:26 am
by j82dg
i attend 2 full summer terms at UNM (24 credits) but never transferred the credits to my school, UCSB, where i earned my degree.

i didn't take the courses at UNM seriously (failed a few and got c's in the rest). My gpa at UCSB is 3.4 and shows no transfer credits.

i don't want to submit the credits from UNM to lsac. if i do that, do they have a system to verify admission to other schools? will they find out i took classes at UNM??

how do they verify transcripts we don't submit? thanks guys =)

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:24 am
by bunty99
You will be in trouble when you attempt the bar for failing to disclose all schools and grades. It's best you submit the transcript and write an addendum about it.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:54 am
by Cowboy
j82dg wrote:i attend 2 full summer terms at UNM (24 credits) but never transferred the credits to my school, UCSB, where i earned my degree.

i didn't take the courses at UNM seriously (failed a few and got c's in the rest). My gpa at UCSB is 3.4 and shows no transfer credits.

i don't want to submit the credits from UNM to lsac. if i do that, do they have a system to verify admission to other schools? will they find out i took classes at UNM??

how do they verify transcripts we don't submit? thanks guys =)
You are REQUIRED to submit transcripts for ALL classes taken regardless of whether or not you took them seriously. Failure to do so may not be caught by LSAC. But failure to disclose this WILL come up at your bar hearing and may very well prevent you from practicing law.

Disclose them or you will regret it!

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:30 am
by tziporahc
I would agree that you should disclose them, but why is everyone so positive that the bar will discover it?

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:50 am
by Cowboy
tziporahc wrote:I would agree that you should disclose them, but why is everyone so positive that the bar will discover it?
None of us REALLY know the extent of the background investigation that is done by a given state or the data that is available to them. But I have to imagine that there are any number of ways that this data might have been captured. For example, if the OP submitted a FAFSA for the second institution then that would be VERY easy to check.

In any case, the real question is ... Why would you take the risk?

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:15 am
by The Agitator
The bar is supposedly one of the most thorough background investigations you will go through, and like Cowboy said, I'm sure there is an easy way to find out about this. (You can be damn sure the bar has a way too, since this is probably one of the most common dishonesties on law school apps).

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:23 am
by brokendowncar
You should submit them. You don't want to spend the next three years of your life wondering if the bar is going to find out about you.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:28 am
by augustlights
Yeah....my background check just for work brought up the fact that I had taken a summer course at UCLA (it wasn't something I was supposed to disclose, it was just interesting that they dug that up).

So yeah, my guess is the bar check will find it.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:38 am
by The Agitator
Also it would be a serious violation of ethics for personal gain (getting into a better law school). Anything involving dishonesty for personal gain is HIGHLY frowned upon when facing the bar.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:02 pm
by mzing12
what about classes that you took after you graduated, but didn't receive any credits for? I did that, but a transcript doesn't even exist for it

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:10 pm
by ari20dal7
A transcript probably does exist - if not, contact LSAC. If there's no transcript, I'd write an addendum describing the circumstances and the courses.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:12 pm
by mzing12
....

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:23 pm
by j82dg
Thanks for the replies. i guess i should include them even tho it will lessen my gpa significantly! damn honesty.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:28 pm
by mzing12
Hmmm... the program I took says "qualified students will earn 12 credits for this program", but I'm pretty sure I wasn't qualified since I wasn't attending any institution at that point.

Also, since it was after I graduated, where would it go on LSAC? It's not graduate or undergraduate. My applications are in and done, so what do I do now?

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:32 pm
by Rayster
j82dg wrote:i attend 2 full summer terms at UNM (24 credits) but never transferred the credits to my school, UCSB, where i earned my degree.

i didn't take the courses at UNM seriously (failed a few and got c's in the rest). My gpa at UCSB is 3.4 and shows no transfer credits.

i don't want to submit the credits from UNM to lsac. if i do that, do they have a system to verify admission to other schools? will they find out i took classes at UNM??

how do they verify transcripts we don't submit? thanks guys =)

Sorry to hear about this. Those summers in ABQ sure are fun, et?

There is no way around it, you need to submit them and write an addendum to your applications to explain why UNM pwned you.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:07 pm
by AKMAN
What about this sitaution?

I thought I was going to take classes at a community college one summer, so I went through the trouble of applying and getting into their system, but never registered or took a class there, yet I still get occasional emails and and a letter in the mail from them.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:10 pm
by Rayster
AKMAN wrote:What about this sitaution?

I thought I was going to take classes at a community college one summer, so I went through the trouble of applying and getting into their system, but never registered or took a class there, yet I still get occasional emails and and a letter in the mail from them.

Call them to see if you have an actual transcript. If you didn't take courses then probably you don't, and it won't matter.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:22 pm
by mzing12
I took a German class where you don't get a grade or credits, but a "certificate of participation" after you pass the exam. What do you do about that?

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:28 pm
by Rayster
The same, call to see if you have a transcript. If so, have it sent. If there is no grade it won't affect your LSAC-GPA.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:30 pm
by Katkins
:lol:

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:32 pm
by mzing12
I mean, how could there be a transcript when it's not an actual degree-issuing institution you're attending?

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:34 pm
by Rayster
The school could count it as pass/fail,

If the transcript doesn't exist then it doesn't matter.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:39 pm
by mzing12
It was at a Goethe Institut affiliate ... they just do classes that lead up to earning a language certification. That's what I assume that other summer language class I took was ... I just got a certificate when I finished it. Does LSAC want an uploaded .jpg or something?

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 3:52 pm
by Nena_a
well i know this is an old post. there is no question on whether i am submitting all FIVE transcripts to lsac. thats a given. when i registered, it asked me whether i was able to obtain all of my transcripts. it lists "financial obligation' as a reason for not being able to obtain all of them. this is a situation i am in right now. i am paying two schools off so that i can send lsac all of my transcripts. i did not get any bad grades; i got no credit at those schools. they were all non punitive w's. heres my question: i didnt disclose these two transcripts to two of my ug schools. one school im positive they didnt care. they arent an accredited institution. it was a private, small religious university. the other, my current CC, made it seem as if you only needed to disclose a transcript if you wanted to transfer credit. although i did sign some stuff that said "LIST ALL SCHOOLS ATTENDED" i didnt put the ones i owed money to because they wouldnt release transcripts. its not as if i was hiding F's or something, kwim? ANYWAY, would law schools, or the Bar for that matter notice that I didnt disclose two transcripts to two of my ug schools? would they care as long as I submit all of the transcripts to them? am i being paranoid?

Edit: I just noticed this post is two years old. still relevant.

Re: does lsac verify what undergrad schools you went to?

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:07 pm
by Sangiovese
Holy thread necromancy!
Nena_a wrote:ANYWAY, would law schools, or the Bar for that matter notice that I didnt disclose two transcripts to two of my ug schools? would they care as long as I submit all of the transcripts to them? am i being paranoid?
Yes... they will care. The LSAC instructions clearly state to submit transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate schools attended.

Here's another thread with additional information about transcript disclosure.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=111870