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| AdmissionsConsultants |
Posted - 09/06/2003 : 14:18:28
On behalf of AdmissionsConsultants, Renee Post will be available to answer questions and offer insight into the law school admissions process. Renee holds a graduate degree in education from University of Pennsylvania. After joining University of Pennsylvania as a law school admissions officer in 1999, Renee was promoted to Associate Director of Admissions in 2000, a position she held for 2 additional years. She served Penn’s law school this past year (2002-2003) as both a consultant and Interim Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid before joining AdmissionsConsultants. Renee has literally made thousands of accept, reject, and waitlist decisions for Penn over the course of her career.
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| ldauchy |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 07:55:59
Hello and thank you for your inquiry!
You are correct in that the Admissions Office will see the grades from your "poor" semester, and they will be calculated into the GPA calculated by the LSAC and reflected on your LSAC report. Although most school will look beyond that number and review your transcript as well, that is still the primary number they rely on. I am not really sure I see the benefit of taking classes at another school and not transferring the credits to your undergraduate institution - this is something we would need to speak in more detail about. However, when calculating a GPA, the LSAC will pull all grades from any undergraduate institution to attend into their calculation.
Whether or not to retake the classes in a personal decision. As I said above, even retaking the classes will not eliminate the lower grade from your LSAC GPA. That having been said, not retaking the low grade classes has repercussions of its own, and may make the Admissions Offices question why you were satisfied with those grades.
One other point, I notice that you said you planned to address the poor grades in your personal statement. You should NOT do that. Personal Statements are all about the positive. If you want to address those grades/that semester, that is fine, but do it through a supplemental statement.
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by minorth1ng
How do law schools, especially top tier law schools, view a semester of academic renewal? Academic renewal is a process by which grades from a given semester are "thrown out" by the institution, and this is noted on official transcripts though the grades from that semester still appear on the transcript. Would it be necessary for me to retake the classes of the academically renewed semester, or will the academic renewal be honored by the law school?
Thank you,
Alex
P.S.- I will address the grades from that semester in my personal statement, but I'm more worried about the consequences that the semester will have on my GPA in the eyes of the admissions office.
Edit: I've now seen that the detrimental grades are factored in. In that case, would it be beneficial for me to continue my undergraduate coursework, take summer classes at a separate institution, and not transfer the summer coursework to my primary institution- in order to gain gpa points without advancing towards my B.S.? Would this be an acceptable method to bring myself up to par?
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| minorth1ng |
Posted - 08/23/2010 : 19:19:35
How do law schools, especially top tier law schools, view a semester of academic renewal? Academic renewal is a process by which grades from a given semester are "thrown out" by the institution, and this is noted on official transcripts though the grades from that semester still appear on the transcript. Would it be necessary for me to retake the classes of the academically renewed semester, or will the academic renewal be honored by the law school?
Thank you,
Alex
P.S.- I will address the grades from that semester in my personal statement, but I'm more worried about the consequences that the semester will have on my GPA in the eyes of the admissions office.
Edit: I've now seen that the detrimental grades are factored in. In that case, would it be beneficial for me to continue my undergraduate coursework, take summer classes at a separate institution, and not transfer the summer coursework to my primary institution- in order to gain gpa points without advancing towards my B.S.? Would this be an acceptable method to bring myself up to par? |
| ldauchy |
Posted - 08/19/2010 : 06:22:48
Hello and thank you for your inquiry!
There are a lot of factors that will play into this decision:
1.) Why did you grades drop?
2.) How long were they dropping? How long were they increaseing again?
3.) What is your major? How competitive is your school?
4.) What can you tell the Law Schools that will convince them this is not the type of student you are?
5.) What schools are you considering?
6.) What do you reasonable expect to get on the LSAT?
And there are many more that will stem off these.
Once you have an answer to those questions, you will better be able to decide which strategy to pursue.
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by Folami
Hello,
I am a senior English major from Virginia Union University whose GPA does not reflect the student I really am. My GPA did drop from a 3.8 to a 3.2, but I hope to obtain at least a 3.4 by the time I graduate. I do not know whether to study as much as I can for the LSAT now and try for early decision, or wait until my GPA is as high as possible and apply after graduation. Should I prepare as hard as I can for the LSAT and apply for early decision, or wait until my GPA is as high as it can be to apply?
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| ldauchy |
Posted - 08/19/2010 : 06:16:22
Hello, and thank you for your interest!
Your advanced education and degree will not negatively affect your application. Depending on what type of law you wish to pursue, it could even help you.
Typically, your Letters of Recommendation are best coming from professors. It is fine if they are in the sciences.
There are many ways to make your application strong, but a good rule of thumb is to make sure you create a whole picture of yourself while showing a cohesive story.
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by Accenda
Hello Ad Cons,
I graduated in 2009 with a BS in Biochemistry (GPA 3.51) from University of Texas at Dallas. I am currently earning a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. I am considering pursuing a law degree when I have finished here, but am unfamiliar with the LSAT score required to be competitive at top law schools. Will the fact that I have pursued another graduate degree detract from my application? All the recommendation letters I would have would concern a research perspective, is this detrimental as well? I am also hoping to put in volunteer hours at local schools once Qualifying Exams settle down. Do you have any advice on how to make my application strong?
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| Folami |
Posted - 08/18/2010 : 17:44:57
Hello,
I am a senior English major from Virginia Union University whose GPA does not reflect the student I really am. My GPA did drop from a 3.8 to a 3.2, but I hope to obtain at least a 3.4 by the time I graduate. I do not know whether to study as much as I can for the LSAT now and try for early decision, or wait until my GPA is as high as possible and apply after graduation. Should I prepare as hard as I can for the LSAT and apply for early decision, or wait until my GPA is as high as it can be to apply? |
| Accenda |
Posted - 08/04/2010 : 16:39:29
Hello Ad Cons,
I graduated in 2009 with a BS in Biochemistry (GPA 3.51) from University of Texas at Dallas. I am currently earning a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. I am considering pursuing a law degree when I have finished here, but am unfamiliar with the LSAT score required to be competitive at top law schools. Will the fact that I have pursued another graduate degree detract from my application? All the recommendation letters I would have would concern a research perspective, is this detrimental as well? I am also hoping to put in volunteer hours at local schools once Qualifying Exams settle down. Do you have any advice on how to make my application strong? |
| ldauchy |
Posted - 08/04/2010 : 09:38:51
Hello again!
I think that generally speaking, you are targeting the rights schools. You may be able to look a little higher for your "reach" schools and a little lower if you are looking for some serious scholarship offers. It is hard to say much beyond that without doing a full and thorough review of your specific situation.
Best of luck!!
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by thedoctor11
Hello again,
I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I have a few more quick inquiries which I will keep brief since I know you are quite busy.
I'm currently using the USNW rankings as a general guide to pare down my list of prospects. Basically I make the schools where my stats (3.61 GPA, 171 lsat) would be a 'fit' a starting point and then handicap myself 15 or so spots because of my past issues. Do you think schools ranked ~30 to ~60 are an appropriate range? Also, just for some clarification on your last response, I was wondering how low in the 2nd tier I should look in your opinion?
Thanks in advance for any reply!
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| thedoctor11 |
Posted - 08/03/2010 : 20:25:32
Hello again,
I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I have a few more quick inquiries which I will keep brief since I know you are quite busy.
I'm currently using the USNW rankings as a general guide to pare down my list of prospects. Basically I make the schools where my stats (3.61 GPA, 171 lsat) would be a 'fit' a starting point and then handicap myself 15 or so spots because of my past issues. Do you think schools ranked ~30 to ~60 are an appropriate range? Also, just for some clarification on your last response, I was wondering how low in the 2nd tier I should look in your opinion?
Thanks in advance for any reply! |
| ldauchy |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 18:16:36
Hello, and thank you for your inquiry!
First, let me tell you that you are not alone. There ARE other applicants out there who have similar stories to your own.
That having been said, you will want to address this time in your life with a brief addendum explaining how you corrected the problem and how it will not affect you in the future.
If you include a strong personal statement, effective addendum and persuasive Letters of Recommendation you will likely be successful in gaining admission to many 2nd tier school (possibly with scholarships) and maybe even some mid - low first tier schools.
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by thedoctor11
Hi Ad Cons,
I've scoured the internet and have yet to find a similar situation to the one I'm in.
I'm entering my final year as a Political Science major/ Philosophy minor at the University of Florida. Stats are a 3.61 GPA/171 on the June LSAT. ECs include (but are not limited to): involvement with Pi Sigma Alpha/NSCS, an internship with the county's Chamber of Commerce and work as a research assistant.
Unfortunately I had some medical issues and subsequently developed an addiction to pain killers. My record is completely clean but during this time I received an "E" (which is calculated in my 3.61) for not attending class and 3 semester withdrawals/2 class drops. I feel that the long list of W's is not representative of what I can do when in the right frame of mind. I've been sober 1.5 years now and since returning to school have made all As in upper division courses.
I planned on applying to schools after I graduate so I can gather some more life experience. However, is it even worth entertaining the idea of law school? Am I an automatic "DQ" considering the addiction and numerous withdrawals? If not- is it possible for me to be accepted into any low ranked Tier 1/high ranked Tier 2 universities? I'm interested in Utah, UF, FSU, Tulane, UGA, UMiami and many, many other schools.
Thanks for any input and apologies for the long-winded inquiry!
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| ldauchy |
Posted - 08/02/2010 : 18:12:44
Hello and thank you for your inquiry! It is a pleasure helping you guys out!
The best time to submit application is usually in the early part of the cycle - particularly if the school to which you are applying has a rolling admissions process. Of course, you never want to sacrifice quality for speed, so make sure you are 100% happy before you submit.
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by cathy3
Hi Laura,
Thanks for providing this great service!
I took the June LSAT and am happy with my score. I think I can get the rest of the application put together by end of summer. When is the optimal time to submit it?
Thanks again!
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| thedoctor11 |
Posted - 07/31/2010 : 20:58:17
Hi Ad Cons,
I've scoured the internet and have yet to find a similar situation to the one I'm in.
I'm entering my final year as a Political Science major/ Philosophy minor at the University of Florida. Stats are a 3.61 GPA/171 on the June LSAT. ECs include (but are not limited to): involvement with Pi Sigma Alpha/NSCS, an internship with the county's Chamber of Commerce and work as a research assistant.
Unfortunately I had some medical issues and subsequently developed an addiction to pain killers. My record is completely clean but during this time I received an "E" (which is calculated in my 3.61) for not attending class and 3 semester withdrawals/2 class drops. I feel that the long list of W's is not representative of what I can do when in the right frame of mind. I've been sober 1.5 years now and since returning to school have made all As in upper division courses.
I planned on applying to schools after I graduate so I can gather some more life experience. However, is it even worth entertaining the idea of law school? Am I an automatic "DQ" considering the addiction and numerous withdrawals? If not- is it possible for me to be accepted into any low ranked Tier 1/high ranked Tier 2 universities? I'm interested in Utah, UF, FSU, Tulane, UGA, UMiami and many, many other schools.
Thanks for any input and apologies for the long-winded inquiry! |
| cathy3 |
Posted - 07/25/2010 : 17:44:57
Hi Laura,
Thanks for providing this great service!
I took the June LSAT and am happy with my score. I think I can get the rest of the application put together by end of summer. When is the optimal time to submit it?
Thanks again! |
| ldauchy |
Posted - 06/12/2010 : 15:39:33
Hello and Thank You for your inquiry.
This board is actually about law school. You can try our board on MBAs at: http://www.admissionsboards.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by gaganarneja
helllo sir actuslly i have been looking for mba in harvard university can anybody plzzz tell me that where can i get the forms for this and which test i have to give to take admission in harvard university
and plz could u also tell howwz this uni. bcoz i dont know much abt this university......
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| ldauchy |
Posted - 06/12/2010 : 15:32:21
Hello and Thank You for your inquiry!
A 308 from Westpoint will be considered a "strong" GPA by many schools, as the military academies do not see the same grade inflation as many other undergradute institutions. Likewise, Engineering is a difficult major in and of itself, so that will also be a benefit to you.
How high you need to score on the LSAT depends on which school you want to apply to. Obviously, the higher you score, the better the schools you will be competitive for. I am not sure the T14 will take a 3.08, but, with a strong LSAT and personal statement, you may find yourself competitive at some (bottom of the) top tier schools.
Best of luck,
Laura
quote:
Originally posted by armygirl
Hi
I graduated from West Point with a 3.05 GPA in Civil Engineering and later, I received a Masters Degree (3.80 GPA) in Engineering Management from a state university. I have served over 19 years in the military and after I retire next year, I would like to attend law school as a part time student. I have not taken the LSAT yet. How competitive would I be with these grades and would my long work experience possibly offset my low undergraduate GPA? Also, what should I try to score on the LSAT to maybe make up for my GPA? Thanks for any advice you can give.
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| gaganarneja |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 05:38:47
helllo sir actuslly i have been looking for mba in harvard university can anybody plzzz tell me that where can i get the forms for this and which test i have to give to take admission in harvard university
and plz could u also tell howwz this uni. bcoz i dont know much abt this university...... |
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