Upward Trend Analysis Forum

[stinkygpa]

Hey Guys,

So I'm a senior at top 25 UG in the US and I was wondering if people could give me their opinions as to the following upward trend in grades:

Freshman fall: 3.37
Freshman spring: 3.1
Sophomore fall: 3.1
Sophomore spring: 3.3 (due to a C in an impossible philosophy class)
Junior fall: 3.5
Junior spring: 3.8
Summer courses of all A's
Senior fall: 3.8

So it all averages out to a meagre 3.50. I'm a double major in English and Economics with a minor in philosophy and planning to write an honors thesis for both departments.

Should I write an addendum explaining how I took on economics as my major after my junior year and how that made me work hard? Do the honors these help at all?

I'm trying to target Columbia, Chicago and NYU and I was wondering if any of these factors will boost my 3.5 cumulative in anyway. Thanks

[stinkygpa]

Oh and I'm also applying after graduation so my transcript would be able to show the upward trend all the way to graduation.

[MrAnon]

Law schools don't care about your upward trend for a variety of reasons.

1. U.S. news only recognizes final GPA, not upward trend.

2. Your GPA suggests that you don't do well in classes that are required at the start of college but that may not mesh with your likes/interests/or understanding. Law school is filled with classes like that. Want to be a corporate lawyer? You'll have to take 60 some non corporate law credits in order to graduate. Think you like immigration law? guess what there's only one or two classes offered on that subject at the most.

Difficult philosophy course? Law school is all about the merits of debating what is right and just and blah blah blah in society. You are in for a world of hurt if you had difficulty with a college philosophy class.

3. Maybe #2 isn't true. Maybe you took a ton of courses you liked as a freshman or sophomore, but you weren't mature enough to know you had to do well in college. Well, what exactly does that say about you?

No, don't write anything telling them that economics courses suddenly made you work hard. why weren't you working hard earlier? It just opens a can of worms. You got the grades you got, that's all.

[zdamico]

Hey Guys,

So I'm a senior at top 25 UG in the US and I was wondering if people could give me their opinions as to the following upward trend in grades:

Freshman fall: 3.37
Freshman spring: 3.1
Sophomore fall: 3.1
Sophomore spring: 3.3 (due to a C in an impossible philosophy class)
Junior fall: 3.5
Junior spring: 3.8
Summer courses of all A's
Senior fall: 3.8

So it all averages out to a meagre 3.50. I'm a double major in English and Economics with a minor in philosophy and planning to write an honors thesis for both departments.

Should I write an addendum explaining how I took on economics as my major after my junior year and how that made me work hard? Do the honors these help at all?

I'm trying to target Columbia, Chicago and NYU and I was wondering if any of these factors will boost my 3.5 cumulative in anyway. Thanks

Above is not true, law schools do care about upward trends. However, no upward trend will help a 3.5 get into CCN without an LSAT in the HIGH 170s, and even then there is no guarantee for a 3.5, even with a 180.

Good luck though

[Grizz]

Your addendum would be stupid (no legit reason), upward trends are a dime a dozen, no one cares, also:

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 9&t=170051

[maximator]

I'm not exactly sure how helpful an addendum will be for you. Your GPA isn't really that bad and it seems like you just screwed around your first two years which isn't really an explanation. An addendum would be more appropriate if for example you were really sick one semester and did poorly for just that semester. Also, whatever you do, don't try to draw attention to a "hard" philosophy class - that will seem like complaining.

None of these other factors are going to help much either. Many (most?) people that apply to law school graduated with honors, double majored, attended good schools, etc.

Instead about worrying about this kind of stuff, focus on crushing the LSAT.