UK First to GPA? Forum

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inq12

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UK First to GPA?

Post by inq12 » Tue May 17, 2016 12:40 pm

Hi,
I am trying to play with some probability calculators. My problem is that I finished my undergrad degree in the UK and I do not have a GPA, hence making law school numbers and others practically useless to me.
Does any of you have any idea how I should convert a UK First Class Degree to a GPA for these purposes? The median for my degree was 72% and LSAC evaluated it as 'Superior'. I used a GPA calculator according to which this translates to about 3.5 GPA which sounds insanely low as a First in the UK is the highest classification and achieving above 75% in a humanities subject is pretty much unheard of in my university. Still, I think considering it a 4.0 is too much as my transcript consists of 2.1s, not just 1st's.
Do you have any experience/advice how to approach that and generally how this foreign degree will play out for me?

grades??

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Re: UK First to GPA?

Post by grades?? » Tue May 17, 2016 12:44 pm

There isn't like a good grade cutoff. With a superior, you will be set. Don't worry about the comparative number to a US gpa. A superior is like a 3.5-4.0 on a US gpa scale. I know multiple people who got firsts and are at either Yale or Harvard with a 172 and 171, respectively. Just crush the lsat and the gpa wont be an issue. It is also beneficial to you because the school doesn't have to report your gpa for the data set as you don't have one. So be pumped you got a first and now crush the lsat.

inq12

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Re: UK First to GPA?

Post by inq12 » Tue May 17, 2016 12:47 pm

grades?? wrote:There isn't like a good grade cutoff. With a superior, you will be set. Don't worry about the comparative number to a US gpa. A superior is like a 3.5-4.0 on a US gpa scale. I know multiple people who got firsts and are at either Yale or Harvard with a 172 and 171, respectively. Just crush the lsat and the gpa wont be an issue. It is also beneficial to you because the school doesn't have to report your gpa for the data set as you don't have one. So be pumped you got a first and now crush the lsat.

You are fantastic! Thank you very much for the info, you made my day.

grades??

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Re: UK First to GPA?

Post by grades?? » Tue May 17, 2016 12:50 pm

inq12 wrote:
grades?? wrote:There isn't like a good grade cutoff. With a superior, you will be set. Don't worry about the comparative number to a US gpa. A superior is like a 3.5-4.0 on a US gpa scale. I know multiple people who got firsts and are at either Yale or Harvard with a 172 and 171, respectively. Just crush the lsat and the gpa wont be an issue. It is also beneficial to you because the school doesn't have to report your gpa for the data set as you don't have one. So be pumped you got a first and now crush the lsat.

You are fantastic! Thank you very much for the info, you made my day.
No problem. Enjoy the first. Many people would be jealous of that grade.

Also just as a heads up- apparently for the really top schools, like Harvard, Yale and Stanford, it does matter where you got your first. Oxbridge/St Andrews/LSE/Edinburgh. Outside of those kinds of schools, they may value the first as a little less. All you can control now is crushing the lsat.

inq12

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Re: UK First to GPA?

Post by inq12 » Tue May 17, 2016 1:06 pm

grades?? wrote:
Also just as a heads up- apparently for the really top schools, like Harvard, Yale and Stanford, it does matter where you got your first. Oxbridge/St Andrews/LSE/Edinburgh. Outside of those kinds of schools, they may value the first as a little less. All you can control now is crushing the lsat.
Yep, it's G5 university, this is why I was so startled that graduating with honors there would translate so badly in US admissions.
THANK YOU so much!

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