How will LSAC weigh transfer classes (5 class/semester) vs my current university's system (4 class/semester)? Forum

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someidiotstudent

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How will LSAC weigh transfer classes (5 class/semester) vs my current university's system (4 class/semester)?

Post by someidiotstudent » Wed Jul 18, 2018 1:59 am

I wouldn't ask this unless I had done my research, I can't find anything online and I'm super confused. Hoping somebody can help me out!

I transferred from a top public college to a top ten private university after my freshman year. At the public university, they followed a standard 5 courses a semester for 3 "credits" each system where you needed 120ish credits to graduate.

At my current university, you take 4 courses a semester. Each course is worth 1 "credit" (with physed courses counting for a 1/2 credit) and you need 30-something credits to graduate.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how this will all be weighed out.

DerKatze

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Re: How will LSAC weigh transfer classes (5 class/semester) vs my current university's system (4 class/semester)?

Post by DerKatze » Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:27 am

someidiotstudent wrote:I wouldn't ask this unless I had done my research, I can't find anything online and I'm super confused. Hoping somebody can help me out!

I transferred from a top public college to a top ten private university after my freshman year. At the public university, they followed a standard 5 courses a semester for 3 "credits" each system where you needed 120ish credits to graduate.

At my current university, you take 4 courses a semester. Each course is worth 1 "credit" (with physed courses counting for a 1/2 credit) and you need 30-something credits to graduate.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how this will all be weighed out.
LSAC in there own words: "All credits are reported in terms of semester hours. All earned credits not reported in semester hours are converted to that system. Trimester hours are treated as semester hours; quarter hours are multiplied by .67 to arrive at semester hours. Credits recorded in other units are converted to semester hours using the formula supplied by the college issuing the transcript."

I know Duke does this. Each course is 1 credit, and you need 34 to graduate there. Duke's Registrar's FAQs explain that "One semester-course credit unit is equivalent to four semester hours." So assuming you go to Duke, each class will be worth 4 credits, meaning they will be worth 1/3 more than most classes at your old university. If you don't go to Duke, I would assume your school does something similar.

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