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Much higher last 4 semesters, how much will it help?

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 4:26 am
by prelawTN
My first 4 semesters went awful. I suffered from depression through lots of it over personal issues (I know I can't go into that with law school admissions because they'll worry I won't be able to handle law school but I'm more than confident it's behind me) and took 2 years off because I felt I needed a break from it all. Long story short, I'll finish with about a 2.9, with a GPA over my last 4 semesters closer to a 3.25-3.5 in a higher volume of hours than I took my first two years. I know they'll likely weight my last 4 semesters higher than my first 4 but does anyone have any somewhat concrete idea in how much more? For instance, on say a site like mylsn, could I go as far as to search numbers at what I have my last 4 semesters? An average of that and my final GPA (thus, weighting the final 4 more)? Any input would welcomed. If at all it matters, my LSAT was in the mid-170's and I plan to attend in the South or DC area (not that I'd tell Harvard, Columbia, or Chicago no ha, but the West Coast is way too far away from my family and I'd never live there after graduation).

Re: Much higher last 4 semesters, how much will it help?

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 4:44 am
by Bigfish41
Your final GPA is all that matters, but an upward trend is obviously going to shed some positive light on your app. It's better than having a downward trend, other than that it's not going to have a huge impact.

You should consider NU, UVA, NYU maybe? From what I've heard on this site those schools tend to be splitter friendly (low GPA, high LSAt).

Re: Much higher last 4 semesters, how much will it help?

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 4:47 am
by Bigfish41
Say for instance someone with your LSAt score and same GPA has a downward trend and yours is the opposite, I would think that law schools would favor yours.

Re: Much higher last 4 semesters, how much will it help?

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 5:05 am
by prelawTN
Bigfish41 wrote:Your final GPA is all that matters, but an upward trend is obviously going to shed some positive light on your app. It's better than having a downward trend, other than that it's not going to have a huge impact.

You should consider NU, UVA, NYU maybe? From what I've heard on this site those schools tend to be splitter friendly (low GPA, high LSAt).
That's what I would assume about the GPA as well, unfortunately.

I will likely apply to everywhere from Yale through Notre Dame, save the West Coast and Minnesota, and likely Georgia and Tennessee as well and largely base my final decision on how the money stacks up. For instance, I'd attend Georgia with money over T14 at sticker. I'm from a middle class family that won't be helping me with the costs of my education and the idea of being $250,000 in debt a few years from now terrifies me haha. I'd go Memphis before I go to T14 at sticker unless it was Harvard or Yale to be honest.

Re: Much higher last 4 semesters, how much will it help?

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 11:00 am
by chuckbass
Ok well tbh with a 2.9 applying to HYSCC is a waste of money

Re: Much higher last 4 semesters, how much will it help?

Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 11:57 am
by TheSpanishMain
scottidsntknow wrote:Ok well tbh with a 2.9 applying to HYSCC is a waste of money
This. The positive trend is good, but it's not going to somehow cancel the first two years. You'll be treated more or less as a 2.9. A bunch of schools are out of the question, and would be even if you had a 180. You have a decent shot at NU, as they're friendly to splitters as far as admissions go, but I'm not sure if they are generous to splitters with money.

Good on you for not going at sticker, btw.