<p>What is a good GPA for getting into a good law/grad school? I just finished my first semester of college and unlike HS, I don't have a 4.0. I know courses will only get harder from this point and I'm taking an extra class next semester. I'm looking to either go to law school or get a Ph.D. in public policy/poli sci. What GPA should I aim for in college?</p>
<p>This is a frequently asked question. The answer is 4.0, unless your school gives A+, then it would be above that.</p>
<p>Would you hold back if someone said you needed a 3.5? Get the best grades you can. Don’t despair if you don’t get the maximum GPA every semester but since the question was what to aim for, that is the target.</p>
<p>What zd said. </p>
<p>S is applying to ls so I am living that vicariously. 1st cut on applicants is their LSAC-calculated GPS and LSAT score. The curve on the LSAT is very steep (a mid 160s out of 180 is 90th percentile). Schools may adjust GPA for the undergrad school attended and major but in general, the raw numbers rule. Two sites for real-world data (and waste time playing “what if games”) are [Law</a> School Predictor Target Acquired…](<a href=“http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com%5DLaw”>http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com) and [Welcome</a> to LawSchoolNumbers.com | Law School Numbers](<a href=“http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com%5DWelcome”>http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com). You can see school-by school where the drop-off is for GPA and LSAT score.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m trying my hardest, but this semester I got ~3.9 and grades will in all likelihood go south a bit. My school has slight grade deflation, and I’m planning on majoring in two departments with substantial grade deflation. Will that play a role in how adcoms look at my application?</p>
<p>Also, do law schools look at rigor of undergrad curriculum?</p>
<p>Rigor is at best a tiebreaker between two identical candidates. For admissions purposes, a 3.9 in a hard major is worse than a 3.91 in an easy major.</p>
<p>WOW!! That’s amazing. According to that I could get into Northwestern. If I could get into NU I would go to Law School.</p>