Chances of T14 with one bad semester Forum

[derekne]

kkkkkkkkkk

[lymenheimer]

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 9&t=245107

You can probably get your admissions question answered by going to mylsn and playing around with numbers...

Your gpa will be viewed as what your gpa is.

[jnwa]

Everyone and their mom has an upward trend. GPA is what it is..ive heard of a small bump for elite undergrads and STEM majors.

[cdotson2]

Hi everyone,

I am currently a rising sophomore at a top ten public university. I am wondering how t14 law schools view people who have GPA's that are lower than the median simply because of one poor semester? I entered college as a physics and math double major and quickly realized that those areas weren't for me. I took Honors Gen Chem, Differential Equations and Honors Physics and ended up with a 2.89. I switched my Major to political science and just learned that I got a 3.9 with a courseload of upper level, writing intensive political science courses. Assuming I keep this up,(which I think I can as long as I stick with poli sci), by the time I apply to t14's are admissions officers going to view my transcript in light of this continued success,(i.e if I get 3.9's for the next two years will they see me as a 3.9 student?), or will they simply take my GPA at face value and not seriously consider extreme upward grade trends? Let's assume that when I apply I have average softs and an LSAT in the low 170's,(i.e median stats except for my GPA). In closing, will this one bad semester seriously hurt my chances at getting into a t14 law school despite serious upwards grade trends?

Your cumulative GPA is most important. However, I had a sub 3.0 first semester and am going to graduate with around a 3.7-3.8. If you keep getting 3.9 semesters, by the time you apply your first semester will not matter. If you have a 170+ and above a 3.7 gpa you will have lots of t-14 options. don't worry too much, just make sure you keep getting 3.9 semesters.

[derekne]

I have looked at mlsn but that doesn't necessarily reflect my situation,(i.e lower GPA because of hard STEM classes in my first semester in college and a significantly higher GPA after that as a poli sci major) and it's influence on how admissions officers will view my GPA. Just looking at mlsn my conclusion would be that I'd have to get an LSAT score in the mid to high 170's to make up for the deficit.

[jnwa]

I have looked at mlsn but that doesn't necessarily reflect my situation,(i.e lower GPA because of hard STEM classes in my first semester in college and a significantly higher GPA after that as a poli sci major) and it's influence on how admissions officers will view my GPA. Just looking at mlsn my conclusion would be that I'd have to get an LSAT score in the mid to high 170's to make up for the deficit.

This is true if your GPA stays where it is.

[derekne]

I understand that. But I'm assuming that come time to apply I'll have a mid 3.7,(lower than the median GPA at virtually all t14 law schools), simply because I had one bad semester. My real question is whether or not admissions officers will take things like this into account when they view my GPA.

[cdotson2]

I understand that. But I'm assuming that come time to apply I'll have a mid 3.7,(lower than the median GPA at virtually all t14 law schools), simply because I had one bad semester. My real question is whether or not admissions officers will take things like this into account when they view my GPA.

mid 3.7 is the median for almost half the t-14.

[derekne]

Really? The only one's I remember that had GPA's at or below the mid 3.7 range is Michigan and Columbia. I could be wrong though

[cdotson2]

for 2018 they went up slightly, but if you look at the past four years. Columbia, NYU, Cornell, Georgetown, Michigan, and NU are all around or below a 3.75

[A. Nony Mouse]

I understand that. But I'm assuming that come time to apply I'll have a mid 3.7,(lower than the median GPA at virtually all t14 law schools), simply because I had one bad semester. My real question is whether or not admissions officers will take things like this into account when they view my GPA.

People have answered this already. Your GPA is what it is; that's what schools have to report tO USNWR. Adcomms will see the upward trend and it's better than a downward trend, if they're comparing you to a candidate with similar the same
numbers. It's not going to make you comparable to someone with a higher GPA.

And starting off poorly in STEM and switching to poli sci and doing better is INCREDIBLY common.

[lymenheimer]

I have looked at mlsn but that doesn't necessarily reflect my situation,(i.e lower GPA because of hard STEM classes in my first semester in college and a significantly higher GPA after that as a poli sci major) and it's influence on how admissions officers will view my GPA. Just looking at mlsn my conclusion would be that I'd have to get an LSAT score in the mid to high 170's to make up for the deficit.

Reported gpas to mylsn arent based on semester gpa. They are based on final gpa. Enter your final (expected) gpa (3.7?) and a mid-high 160s lsat and you will see acceptances at t14 schools.

Also, why Nony said...aka "your gpa will be viewed as what your gpa is", as mentioned above

[BigZuck]

A 3.7 is a 3.7 is a 3.7. Doesn't matter what the major is, doesn't matter if you got a 3.7 every single semester or a 2.0 first semester and a bunch of 4.0s after that. Your GPA is what it is. Basically all they care about is your GPA and highest LSAT.

[Broncos15]

Reaching a school's GPA median is far less important than the LSAT median.

If a school has a 3.75 median and you have a 3.73, the .02 difference won't make any difference in terms of scholarships or acceptances.

[postard]

In re "your gpa is what your gpa is," I would note that one more reason for you (and anyone with an upward GPA trend) to take at least a year off after undergrad is that when you apply they will actually be seeing your GPA as it is when you apply.