Straighterline Forum

[amynyan]

I took a Straighterline course a while back to fulfil a requirement. Anyone here ever took one of those? When you sent them to LSAC, did they change your uGPA?

I'm asking because I got a B on that course, but since they're self-paced I can go ahead and churn out about 20 A courses in a week right before I graduate this May.

[cavalier1138]

I didn't know what Straighterline was before this post, so that's a thing...

If your university is one of the "partners" that accepts Straighterline courses for credit (and also transfers the grade to your transcript), then I assume it would be treated like a regular grade from your university. If that isn't the case, there's no way in hell LSAC is going to let you game your GPA like that.

[amynyan]

I didn't know what Straighterline was before this post, so that's a thing...

If your university is one of the "partners" that accepts Straighterline courses for credit (and also transfers the grade to your transcript), then I assume it would be treated like a regular grade from your university. If that isn't the case, there's no way in hell LSAC is going to let you game your GPA like that.

No, they only transfer, thank goodness. It would cost thousands to transfer that B along with a bunch of other grades to a 'real' transcript, and it probably would end up getting credited after I graduate anyway.

[amynyan]

I spoke with LSAC over the phone and confirmed that SL courses count. Confirming via email.

[KunAgnis]

I felt pissed reading this because I wished I'd thought of this to "fix" my uGPA. Then I looked it up and realized my undergrad doesn't accept Straighterline for credit.

[QContinuum]

I felt pissed reading this because I wished I'd thought of this to "fix" my uGPA. Then I looked it up and realized my undergrad doesn't accept Straighterline for credit.

Didn't OP get a B in the only Straighterline course she's taken so far? Not sure how she can guarantee the ability to "churn out about 20 A courses in a week" right before she graduates (and further, would credit for those courses even transfer in time to be counted as pre-Bachelor's credits? Credits conferred after the Bachelor's is conferred won't be factored into OP's LSAC GPA, even if they would otherwise be eligible for inclusion).

Maybe Straighterline courses really are a joke and give As to everyone who pays, but if so then I'm not sure why OP would've gotten a B in that first class.

[cavalier1138]

I spoke with LSAC over the phone and confirmed that SL courses count. Confirming via email.

Even if you don't officially transfer the credits to a real school?

[amynyan]

I felt pissed reading this because I wished I'd thought of this to "fix" my uGPA. Then I looked it up and realized my undergrad doesn't accept Straighterline for credit.

Didn't OP get a B in the only Straighterline course she's taken so far? Not sure how she can guarantee the ability to "churn out about 20 A courses in a week" right before she graduates (and further, would credit for those courses even transfer in time to be counted as pre-Bachelor's credits? Credits conferred after the Bachelor's is conferred won't be factored into OP's LSAC GPA, even if they would otherwise be eligible for inclusion).

Maybe Straighterline courses really are a joke and give As to everyone who pays, but if so then I'm not sure why OP would've gotten a B in that first class.

Because I don't speak Spanish.

[amynyan]

I spoke with LSAC over the phone and confirmed that SL courses count. Confirming via email.

Even if you don't officially transfer the credits to a real school?

That's what the dude said. I'm holding off on churning until I see my uGPA go down.

[QContinuum]

I spoke with LSAC over the phone and confirmed that SL courses count. Confirming via email.

Even if you don't officially transfer the credits to a real school?

I feel like TLS needs to investigate this ourselves. If true, we are going to have to rethink our usual advice to applicants that they can only work on their LSAT, as their GPA is more or less set in stone. We may have to add SL churning to the list of suggestions we offer 0Ls!

[AJordan]

I spoke with LSAC over the phone and confirmed that SL courses count. Confirming via email.

Even if you don't officially transfer the credits to a real school?

I feel like TLS needs to investigate this ourselves. If true, we are going to have to rethink our usual advice to applicants that they can only work on their LSAT, as their GPA is more or less set in stone. We may have to add SL churning to the list of suggestions we offer 0Ls!

I completely agree with you. My only hangup is that if it were indeed this easy, and this cheap, to dump 30 credits of 'A' to your uGPA I highly doubt it would be past the collective wisdom of all the folks who more or less obsess over this process, including consultants getting paid thousands of dollars, for advice like this.

[amynyan]

I spoke with LSAC over the phone and confirmed that SL courses count. Confirming via email.

Even if you don't officially transfer the credits to a real school?

I feel like TLS needs to investigate this ourselves. If true, we are going to have to rethink our usual advice to applicants that they can only work on their LSAT, as their GPA is more or less set in stone. We may have to add SL churning to the list of suggestions we offer 0Ls!

I completely agree with you. My only hangup is that if it were indeed this easy, and this cheap, to dump 30 credits of 'A' to your uGPA I highly doubt it would be past the collective wisdom of all the folks who more or less obsess over this process, including consultants getting paid thousands of dollars, for advice like this.

The strange thing is that I asked them, "so accreditation doesn't matter? If I got my friend to start a 'school' and have him write me a transcript for ten A+es, it would be counted?", the customer service representative said 'yeah, as long as there's a transcript'. So I'm not sure. Just waiting for them to process the transcript and give me a real answer so I can plan my final semester accordingly.

[amynyan]

Update: transcript accepted but no change in LSAC GPA. Whew.

[QContinuum]

Update: transcript accepted but no change in LSAC GPA. Whew.

Thanks for the update! So, SL courses are officially recorded by LSAC, but are not factored into calculating an applicant's LSAC GPA. Makes sense.