Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum so bear with me. I’m stressing out a little because the time to apply to law school is fast approaching for me. I’m worried that a mistake I made a few years ago will cost me a shot at any respectable law school. In my freshman year, I had a lot of personal issues going on that made school take the backseat. My GPA suffered, as I received a D average for that semester. The next semester, I was a little smarter, and withdrew from my courses because I realized that I could not properly dedicate the time for school. After 3 semesters had passed, the school allowed me to come back fresh, with a new GPA. The only catch is that the grades are still visible on the transcript. Does this mean law schools can hold this against me even though I started fresh? Otherwise, I now have an overall GPA of a 3.9, I’m enrolled in my school’s honors program, I’m involved with many clubs involving leadership and pre-law, I’ve had several internships with local law firms, and I am heavily involved with community service. I got a 170 on the LSAT, which I was pretty proud of. I guess my overall question is this: Will that first year kill any chances I had? Even with the grades not being calculated into my GPA? Could a strong personal statement explaining how it happened help? Thank you!
Unfortunately, law schools look at the LSAC-calculated GPA, which includes all classes you took before obtaining your BA. Do you know what that GPA would be? The good news is you have a strong LSAT score, so you should still have a shot at some good schools. There are a lot more people with great grades and mediocre LSAT scores than the other way around, so that helps you.
Law school admissions is primarily a numbers game. But if you have a good addendum and an upward grade trajectory, I think that can help. Getting some work experience and even more distance from the bad semester might not be the worst idea either.
Question, I would like to confirm.
Does LSAC count AP Exam Scores too?
I read somewhere that it doesn’t count AP Exams into the UGPA, but I’d like confirmation.