Understand how LSAC will count this "W" Forum

[ig88250]

I have read LSAC's guidelines and they indicate a withdraw will not be used to calculate LSAC GPA if the withdrawal is 'non-punitive'.

My school indicates verbally that the W is not punitive, but the way it is displayed has me concerned. It shows attempted hours of "3" and earned hours of "0" with "0" GPA points. My undergrad institution does NOT use it in calculating GPA.

Will LSAC consider this "W" non punitive or will they count it as a failing grade in their calculation?

[Mikey]

It won't count as a fail. If it's just a "W", you should be fine. When they mean punitive, they mean if it specifies a failure with it like a "WU or WF". The credits that the class was worth was 3, but since you dropped it, you got 0 credits. Don't worry about it!

[somethingElse]

You won't know for sure until it is in LSAC's hands. I could honestly see it going either way. Be prepared to ask your school to remove that 0/3 thing if need-be.

[KissMyAxe]

Post Deleted

[JFO1833]

Sorry to cross post this,

LSAC shouldn't count W's, but I think if you go here:
http://www.lsac.org/lsacresources/publications/igugs you can search for your undergrad and see for sure how the grades will translate.

[somethingElse]

You won't know for sure until it is in LSAC's hands. I could honestly see it going either way. Be prepared to ask your school to remove that 0/3 thing if need-be.

Could not disagree more. Of course it says 0 out of 3 hours earned. OP attempted 3 hours, and withdrew, of course he earned 0 of the 3. I had quite a few W's for medical reasons and all of mine were marked that way. I cannot see this going either way. Some schools make notes on their transcripts showing a withdrawal is punitive, like WF, WD, WU, or NC. Usually it's also represented in the GPA on the school's transcript. I'm not going to say there's 0 chance OP won't get an ass LSAC reviewer who counts it as failing, in which case, they should just appeal. However, it's extremely unlikely it will be counted as anything on their transcript, and I say that from personal experience.

Fair points sir, but may I first point out this is the LSAC we are dealing with here. I do know that the LSAC doesn't give a shit if the school says it doesn't count towards the GPA, nor if the school says it's non punitive. That's what the rep told me over the phone/email. I don't know exactly what the OP's transcript says, but I think that the "0 GPA points" thing could be the issue. Probably not, assuming that the actual mark is merely a W and there's nothing else to it in footnotes or something like that. So you're probably right, and really at the end of the day my post was just saying to prepare for the scenario that LSAC doesn't take it, i.e. prepare to appeal it rather than accept it in the event that happens.