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You guys, I'm kinda upset.

So to make a long story short I am a non-trad student. Back in 2013 I withdrew (late) from two semesters back to back because I was kinda limping along in life, heavily depressed and I desperately wanted to be able to finish classes. I think I ended up with something like 19 "F" credits in the eyes of LSAC, with the rest of my professors taking mercy on me and giving me non-punitive withdrawal grades anyway. TL:DR, I coudn't handle schoolwork (or life at all) despite trying my best.

Before then, I was an excellent student with a 3.85 GPA. After then, I've since gone back to school and am on track to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. In the interim I built up a successful career and carved out a spot for myself as a consultant in a super niche industry. I'm leaps and bounds better and I was thinking of applying to T-14s, but imagine my surprise when I heard that LSAC counts aaaaaallllll grades in your GPA, not just ones counting towards you BA. Yikes!

I've been studying for the LSAT for the past 4 or 5 months very diligently, and I've been doing practice tests like it's my job: my range thus far has been 169 to my highest of 178. I know I can do this if they just give me a shot, but I'm really bummed out at the LSAC and I'm thisclose to just giving up on law school entirely. It seems like such an unfair thing to do, though I know they must have their reasons.

So... what are my chances?

There's no way of speculating about your chances without an LSAT score. If you can break 170, you have a solid shot at some of the T14, but you need an actual score to get any kind of real feedback.

Ugh I'm really just close to giving up.

I feel like even if I attempt the LSAT, it won't matter because my LSAC GPA is so bad. What a crappy position to be in.

You can overcome a bad GPA. Read around this site about splitters and see what their outcomes have been - that will give you a sense of what your options might be.

Thanks for the reply.

But correct me if I'm wrong: splitters usually don't get scholarships, right? I was really counting on one considering my GPA and my LSAT diagnostics. I realize that it's not the real test, but I was testing myself under test-like conditions and am confident I could pull a good grade.

I put in so much hard work through my BA and these past months studying for the LSAT because I don't want to pay sticker. It seems like all my hard work is for nothing now because of one year of bad grades at a previous institution.

It will depend on the school. Check out mylsn.info and see what kinds of outcomes people have had. No, you probably won't get a named scholarship at Columbia or NYU, but you may have some options.

Edit: meerkat scooped me on mylsn.

So, someone on the OLD SCHOOL thread graciously put in my stats and it looks like I won't get in almost anywhere in the T-14. Columbia and NYU are definitely out.

It's honestly shocking to me how GPA is calculated. What good is being a non-traditional student if the school won't take into consideration why you left school and came back in the first place? I hate to be a whiner, but I was depressed because my mom got cancer and passed away. It wasn't like I was some slacker trying to skip class. I couldn't be in two places at one time, even though I tried.

Before that, I had a 3.85 and after that I had a 4.0. I don't get it.

What is your lsac gpa with all of those credits included?

3.44.

If I didn't have the Fs, it would have been a 3.82. My saving grace is really the fact that I have only up until now gotten As and A+s at my current school.

I am seriously not opposed for studying for two more years and taking B.S. classes and trying for an A+ in all of them to bump up my LSAC GPA. I pay for tuition out of pocket and it's very reasonable.

Try contacting the school and swooning them into dropping some of the withdrawal Fs. Didn't work for me, but has for others. You'll need to really make them want to help you, though, so best to play up your situation with someone who can pull the strings.

a 3.44 is low but it's not that low to be honest with you. A killer LSAT (170+) will grant you admission into a number of schools. You can submit a GPA addendum as well to explain why your GPA is so low while also showing how well you've done recently.

Yeah, your GPA isn't going to kill your apps at all. I thought you were hovering around a 3.0-3.1.

And this isn't a system that punishes non-traditional students. "Non-traditional" doesn't refer to people who tanked a year of undergrad. What makes you non-traditional is your age and (maybe) your background.

You are absolutely competitive at the T-14 with a 3.4 and 172+.

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Forgive me for asking, but did you pay sticker?