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I just got my LSAC academic report back, and was disappointed that my GPA is only 3.38. This includes some 2.* semesters when I was fresh out of high school and also a bad semester when my parents passed away. Here is the breakdown: How bad will this affect me? I am planning on attending a state law school (ranked in the 70s) as an in-state student.

SaulGoodmansEvilTwin wrote:I just got my LSAC academic report back, and was disappointed that my GPA is only 3.38. This includes some 2.* semesters when I was fresh out of high school and also a bad semester when my parents passed away. Here is the breakdown:

Code: Select all

Year	Total Hours	89-90	90-90	00-11	97-12	12-12	13-14	14-15	15-15
Semester Hours	 	31.0	 7.0      5.0	 64.0	 14.0	  12.0	15.0	  3.0
GPA	 	           2.06    4.00	  3.60	3.78	  2.8     4.00	4.07	  3.33

How bad will this affect me? I am planning on attending a state law school (ranked in the 70s) as an in-state student.

Use mylsn to gauge your chances. There are plenty of people with a "disappointingly low" GPA like yours so there should be plenty of data...

You can try to contact your old school and see if they will retroactively withdraw you due to hardship. But it's unlikely.

you would probably be close to the median for many schools in that range. check their numbers for a better idea.

3.38 is not that bad at all - certainly not for the range you're looking at (AU, ranked #71 in a four-way tie, has a median of 3.37).
For most of the schools in the 70s, if your LSAT cracks 160 then you're on pretty solid ground. Add to that 20+ years of work/life experience, and I'm sure your application will stand out.

Good luck!

ltbenn wrote: Add to that 20+ years of work/life experience, and I'm sure your application will stand out.

Seriously though.

Your GPA will affect your admissions in the sense that it's your GPA - from 20 years ago/upward trend/family issues and all. For better or worse, the facial reason why GPA is important for admissions (predictor of how good of a law student you'll be) is outweighed by the practical reasons why GPA is important (prestige, advertising, rankings).

Now that you've come to terms with the fact that your GPA is what it is, move on to more pressing issues like the LSAT.

It'll have the same effect on you as it does on students with the same GPA who are fresh out of college.