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Hi guys,

I've been lurking on these forums without actually making an account and posting; however, I do want your help and advice. I have a 3.1 GPA, scored a 176 on the LSAT, went to a top ten undergrad (If it means anything), and was VP of student government there, a senator on student government, interned at two different investment banks, and worked at a start-up. I do not know how or even if I should convey my story - I was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of blood cancer, prior to entering undergrad which has had an adverse effect on my GPA. Yet, I've managed to get all As during my senior year (Been working a year and a half so far). What are my chances at the T-14? Please me honest. Thanks.

Blanket the T14. If there's ever been a legitimate excuse for a low GPA, chemotherapy is it. Even without it, you're looking at decent money from the lower T14. Apply ED to NU. Make sure your applications are spotless. Apply early and hope for the best.

I'd honestly be shocked if any law school, including HYS, didn't let you in when your excuse for a low GPA is "the chemo distracted me from my work."

If you had any truly terrible grades, like Ds or Fs, you might want to look into a retroactive medical withdrawal for those classes.

Robaratheon wrote:Hi guys,

I've been lurking on these forums without actually making an account and posting; however, I do want your help and advice. I have a 3.1 GPA, scored a 176 on the LSAT, went to a top ten undergrad (If it means anything), and was VP of student government there, a senator on student government, interned at two different investment banks, and worked at a start-up. I do not know how or even if I should convey my story - I was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of blood cancer, prior to entering undergrad which has had an adverse effect on my GPA. Yet, I've managed to get all As during my senior year (Been working a year and a half so far). What are my chances at the T-14? Please me honest. Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your health related issues. Your soft factors won't separate you from the pack, but I think you've got a really compelling story. Put together a strong application, apply everywhere, and you'll probably get into at least one or two (if not more) T14s.

I think you will get in to multiple T-14s, not so sure about HYS. As another poster mentioned above, do you have any Ds or Fs you could potentially appeal to your undergrad for a medical withdraw for?

Yeah just apply to every T14 and see what you get.

go get 'em.

I had a 2.6 GPA and a worse but still very good GPA excuse. I got into several T14s with money, apply everywhere. Good luck.

Apply to all of the T-14 which are of interest to you. You should receive several to many acceptances.

Consider checking the admissions statistics of previous classes for the schools you're interested in. See how low they dip with GPA, though your excuse is sound and may be legitimate enough to excuse the circumstances. Also, any work exp?

I agree with the general sentiment here.. I mean if having leukemia isn't a good reason for explaining a low-ish GPA, nothing is.

Also, one random thought.. If there's one t14 that you're particularly interested in, it might be worth visiting and trying to meet with an admissions counselor and explain your situation in person. That way, you'd be on the top of mind for any admissions decisions (even though I'm pretty confident that your story would make you a pretty memorable candidate.)

Sadly, I have four terrible grades that I cannot get rid of, with one failure. Though my entire senior year was a 4.0, an upward trend. Thank you everyone.