<p>I was just admitted to UCLA as a transfer student for Fall of '09.
I'll be studying philosophy and hope (just like everyone else) to apply to T18s.
My GPA is 3.55 from a California Community College, and I'm fairly certain that I'll be able to get it higher than that by the end of undergrad. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, i've got 5 F's, 1 D and 9 W's on my record, all accumulated during the first two (of four) years at community college, immediately followed by nearly straight A's. </p>
<p>So... I'm curious what you guys -- having looked into this whole 'law school thing' in what I can only assume to be a hell of a lot more detail than I have -- think my chances might be.
Let's say 162-170 LSAT. </p>
<hr>
<p>Also, have any of you applied with a similar sort of transcript?</p>
<p>Results?
Advice?
Difficulties?
Etc?</p>
<p>Any replies are appreciated.
Thanks</p>
<p>To be honest, it will nearly kill your chances. Unless you can explain to them that something dramatic happened to you during that time period, it is inexcusable.</p>
<p>^ I disagree. One thing you fail to realize is that law school look at that as a sign of progress. They see a student who F%$ up their first year of college but then got there head on straight. As long as you continue to improve your grades you will just about the same chances if not better of someone who did average every year and still come out with a 3.5. Look at that as a learning experience and a blessing. You know have something to write about in your PS that will make you look like a better student. Now just focus on doing EC and getting work experience.</p>
<p>^But you will never really know what you chances really are until you take the Lsat and get a real score.</p>
<p>@UGAdawg… that’s encouraging. and yeah, i’m aware that i won’t know til i try, but i do well with the practice problems that have been assigned to me by profs in the past. i’ve also messed around self-timing sections of past tests at home. based on those, i’m fairly confident that i’ll do alright. </p>
<p>any advice on what type of EC’s to get involved in right off the bat? same question regarding work experience.</p>
<p>@ philo… i’d probably be able to embellish a little and make my ‘story’ more dramatic than it really was, but i feel like they’ll see through that. on my UC application, i took the honest ‘i’m responsible for my actions’ approach and i guess it worked out well enough. </p>
<p>also, isn’t it true that a high LSAT can often counterbalance a sub par GPA?</p>
<p>Yes that is true. If you get a high enough LSAT score, you can counterbalance the GPA. </p>
<p>You’ll definitely need to explain those grades, though. Those will be an eye opener, and not in a good way.</p>
<p>is your 3.55 based on grade replacements (you took the course, passed and the F was not factored in) or are the F’s included in your 3.55 gpa. If not, remember the LSAC will factor them in meaning your GPA could drop.</p>
<p>You should also be prepared to write a pretty good addendum explaining what happened, what you’ve learned and how you have grown</p>
<p>yeah… the 3.55 is with replaced grades… but for every class in which i received an F, i received an A the second time around… for what it’s worth.
and yeah, i’m aware that the Fs will get factored in, but how exactly does that work? will they average the A and F and come up with a C (2.00)? or will the F just count as (let’s say) 3.0 units worth 0.00 grade points added to my cum.?
ugh… i wish i could go slap my 18 year old self in face.</p>
<p>Minuscule to no chance unless you have some extraordinary soft factors, sorry.</p>
<p>Wait you retook those classes, and that is what your GPA is now because of it? Yea, those F’s will count in your LSAT GPA.</p>
<p>Why did you get the Fs?</p>
<p>The F and the A will each count as a course, almost as if they were separate. Say there’s a 3-unit class which you retook and got an A in. LSDAS will assign you 3 units of an F and 3 units of an A. (Or, if you like, six units of a C.)</p>