<p>This is common among the getting into undergrad questions, but for Law School, would comparatively poor freshman years grades destroy someones chances at admission into a top law school, even if sophomore and junior years were really good? Or does the upward trend give a boost?</p>
<p>I really don't be one of those guys that calls how I did in my freshman year poor, because I actually had a 3.5 at an Ivy League School. But I know that if I kept that 3.5 GPA up and didn't improve it, I wouldn't be a candidate for the top echelon of law schools, except for my undergrad's Law School at best, unless I managed to score a 180 or something. I think my highschool didn't prepare me well, and the College classes I attended in highschool was just so easy it made me think all college was. But I really should blame myself, first semester I messed up on a final terribly and it cost me. Oh well.</p>
<p>Also, how much of a boost is having a rigorous schedule? For example, would taking 6 classes and getting a 3.68 be better than taking 5 and getting a 3.7?</p>
<p>Tell me there's still hope about the GPA. Thanks.</p>
<p>LSDAS does not calculate your freshman grades separately. It's your total GPA at the time you apply that matters most. If freshman year was a fluke, you might think about applying a year after you graduate rather than at the beginning of senior year, so that the high senior grades go into your LSDAS GPA.</p>
<p>Assuming that the total GPA is within a law school's acceptable range, so that other factors come into play, an upward trend is a factor in your favor. But if the total GPA is too low, it's just too low; a 4.0 junior year is not going to get a 3.5 into HLS.</p>
<p>I just read this book lol, "law school for dummies" and it stated how after your freshman year students will be elected to participate in interships over the summmer soley on they're grades which has the domino affect because the year after that those same students will be part of the internship again so freshamn year is prob. the most important, from what I read.</p>
<p>^What are you talking about? Freshman year grades obviously impact your GPA as much as any other year, but they're probably not going to be scrutinized as closely, since adcoms realize that some schools have required courses in things you might not be good at and that some people have a difficult transition to college. A strong upward trend is always a plus, and good grades in upper-level courses are more impressive than good grades in intro courses.</p>
<p>"I just read this book lol, "law school for dummies" and it stated how after your freshman year students will be elected to participate in interships over the summmer soley on they're grades which has the domino affect because the year after that those same students will be part of the internship again so freshamn year is prob. the most important, from what I read."</p>
<p>How do law schools know if you are choosing hard/easy courses? What if say Biology was a hard course at one school but easy at another how would law schools know the difference? I am confused when people say Law school look at the difficulty of classes you pick, how do they know?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am confused when people say Law school look at the difficulty of classes you pick, how do they know?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Usually a transcript contains course-numbers and titles. Dartmouth's transcripts also contain the average grade for a course.</p>
<p>Course numbers are indicative of the difficulty of the course, for most cases. Georgetown's transcript actually deciphers our course numbering system. For such, the course-numbering is as follows:</p>
<p>Rolen 27: They don't, that's where reputation of school comes in. Standard courses are pretty similar, at least in content, among institutions; the sciences tend to be pretty standardized, as well. When schools say rigorous vs. easy, blah-blah-blah, they mean regular courses vs. saturday night movie analysis type courses. Think Calculus vs. Ceramics.</p>
<p>In reality, however,courses don't matter. Most law schools won't care about your coursework. Have a high GPA and LSAT and you'll be fine. Nevertheless, I agree with nspeds, it should be emphasized that HYS are the exception.</p>
<p>Also, HYS are against preprofessional and easy majors. So even if you see yourself doing upper-level work in, say, business or American studies, do not assume that they match the rigour of, say, Quantum Physics III.</p>
<p>There are few finance majors at YHS because only a few of the major feeder schools even offer a finance major (Wharton, Berkeley), and finance majors are more likely to choose business schools.</p>
<p>In general, statistics about nationwide law school acceptance rates tell you zilch about YHS. They occupy a different universe than the one where statistically average law schools live.</p>