LONG POST! Non-traditional student, 3.8 GPA Forum

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Sassysepi

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LONG POST! Non-traditional student, 3.8 GPA

Post by Sassysepi » Mon Aug 20, 2018 12:21 pm

I’m applying to law schools next summer, I currently have 3.8 GPA and I’m graduating this fall. However I have been in school for a very long time. I graduated high school in 2008, started in community college and that was when my mom was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. My life really changed during that time I was working, taking care of her and went to school and I did really bad in school (withdrawals, a few D’s, and 2 F’s) for some reason I really wanted to be in school even though I was not doing good. Maybe it was because my mom felt guilty that because of her I couldn’t focus on my life and school or maybe it was my way of feeling safe. I was in commit College for 3 years then I went back home with her and I was there for 2 years( I was taking classes with Harvard extension) when she passed away I came back to US and continued taking classes at Harvard extension. (One of the failed classes was there, I failed one class) I was dealing with a lot and I was dealing with the griefe and trying to bring my husband who I met back home to US. So anyways I started college as a management major student in 2016 when my husband was here after 3 years of trying! I gave it my all and as of right now have a 3.8 GPA but when I combine all my grades from past it comes to like 2.5 .

So if I get a good LSAT score 175-180 what are my chances of getting to a good law school?

I really don’t want to settle for any school, because I have worked so hard to get where I am (I worked two jobs full time and full time school). Top 20 is my goal, Is this a possibility?

DerKatze

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Re: LONG POST! Non-traditional student, 3.8 GPA

Post by DerKatze » Mon Aug 20, 2018 1:56 pm

First I would make sure that you actually have a 3.8. When You Apply to Law School, you have to submit all your transcripts to LSAC, and they recalculate your GPA. You have a lot of F's and D's for me to believe you really have a 3.8. A lot of people get screwed applying to law school because they bomb a class, then they retake it, and their school only counts the most recent grade in their GPA. LSAC counts both. So unless these grades don't show up on any transcript you submit to LSAC (and you have to submit them all), your GPA is likely lower than you think.

You're also in for a rude awakening on the LSAT. 173 puts someone in the 99th percentile, so just assuming you are going to get a 175+ is just assuming you are going to be in the top ~.5%. You just can't assume that. And of the people who do score that high, most of them spend months studying.

I was about to submit when I saw that you said you have a 2.5 including past classes. Law schools will use the 2.5, but you can write an addendum that will help marginally. You will need a 170+ to get into a good law school. Look at the 75th percentile LSAT scores for the law schools you want to go to, and you will generally need above that to get into that school. Top 20 is definitely a possibility, but you have to crush the LSAT. Have you even taken a practice test?

Sassysepi

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Re: LONG POST! Non-traditional student, 3.8 GPA

Post by Sassysepi » Mon Aug 20, 2018 2:00 pm

DerKatze wrote:First I would make sure that you actually have a 3.8. When you apply to law school, you have to submit all your transcripts to LSAC, and they recalculate your GPA. You have a lot of F's and D's for me to believe you really have a 3.8. A lot of people get screwed applying to law school because they bomb a class, then they retake it, and their school only counts the most recent grade in their GPA. LSAC counts both. So unless these grades don't show up on any transcript you submit to LSAC (and you have to submit them all), your GPA is likely lower than you think.

You're also in for a rude awakening on the LSAT. 173 puts someone in the 99th percentile, so just assuming you are going to get a 175+ is just assuming you are going to be in the top ~.5%. You just can't assume that. And of the people who do score that high, most of them spend months studying.

I was about to submit when I saw that you said you have a 2.5 including past classes. Law schools will use the 2.5, but you can write an addendum that will help marginally. You will need a 170+ to get into a good law school. Look at the 75th percentile LSAT scores for the law schools you want to go to, and you will generally need above that to get into that school. Top 20 is definitely a possibility, but you have to crush the LSAT. Have you even taken a practice test?
Thank you for your feedback. I am planning to take the lsat in February 2019, and I am now studying for it 4-5 hours per day, to hopefully get the desired result.

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