<p>So it’s my first college semester and I’ve messed up pretty badly. I’m probably going to end up with a 3.0 in 10 credit classes, and I had to withdraw from a class. There are a few reasons as to why I’m doing poorly:</p>
<li><p>I’m transferring out of my institution because I haven’t been as comfortable with my choice as I thought. Because it hasn’t been as good of a fit, it’s been harder for me to retain a good GPA (lame excuse, but it does make a difference).</p></li>
<li><p>I was a pre-med, but I’ve realized now that those classes really aren’t my strong suit. Although I’m switching to EE (maybe CHE), which is harder, I think I’ll be more successful in classes that have less memorization (i.e. not chem and bio, but more math/physics types of classes), which means I’ll be more prepared.</p></li>
<li><p>College is different, and I’ve only now figured out how to study (and realized just how much I need to study!) if I want to be successful. It’ll be hard to pull up my grades more than what I’ve done so far (I had a 2.5 for the longest time!), and unfortunately my GPA is still really low for my first semester.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Now enough of the excuses. I’m not being cocky, but I know I can bring my GPA up. It’ll take work, but I think I’ve gotten a feel for what works and I think I can do it, so if I work my ass off from now on, can I still get into a good law school (I’m aiming for berkeley or UCLA btw), or will my lackluster first semester make those doubtful? I’m also looking at getting into patent law, so I hear that getting into a T14 isn’t desperately necessary, so given I do well on the LSAT, are those a possibility, or will all law schools look down on me?</p>
<p>A 3.0 in one semester is nothing to worry about. If your grades go way up, you can always write an addendum with the application, which would explain the reasons for that. The LSAT is important and there are people in the low 3.0's who get into T14 with 170+.</p>
<p>Changing majors and schools are considered good reasons for the addendum. And the LSAT is important (potentially more important than the GPA, although Berkeley is known for caring more about GPA than most schools in the top 14). But you will still be compared to students who have the same LSAT score as you and didn't mess up their first term. The only thing you can do is get the best grades and LSAT score you can and figure out once you know your numbers.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies, that answers my above questions.</p>
<p>Also, a few of my friends claim that since I'm transferring, my GPA resets and as long as I pass my classes, I'll be fine and don't necessarily need to shoot for As. Now I thought that the letter grade would still transfer to the other school, so it would behoove me to do as well as I can right now since law schools will still see how I did this semester, even if my GPA at the new school won't include these grades, but I was wondering if others have input on this.</p>
<p>cream... when you transfer from a california community college to a UC then your GPA resets, however that is completely different then going to law school. The law schools get your gpa information from all colleges including jr colleges and universities because the LSAC will calculate your GPA from all college transcripts. That being said, all your grades will have an impact on your LSAC gpa</p>
<p>When you transfer schools you transfer credits not grades . So yes, when you start your new school, you are starting with a blank slate and you will be a GPA at your new school. However, when you apply to law school, you must submit official transcripts from every college that you have attended. The LSAC will calculate a GPA based on all the grades you received before receiving your first bachelors degree.</p>
<p>As everyone else said, there is nothing you can do to get rid of those grades for LSAC. You are stuck with them for life.</p>
<p>Also, I am an EE, and I can tell you there is unfortunately still a lot of memorization. It is a very hard major to keep a high GPA in. I have had a unique combination of luck and skill to keep a 3.9, but it takes a lot of work. Prepare yourself to have absolutely no life outside of school. Also, you may want to hide a sleeping bag at the department now. :P Seriously though, just know what you are getting into.</p>
<p>That said, engineering majors are one of the few where a slightly lower GPA may be forgiven by your major choice. Remember though, the only time they will look at your major is if you are right on the border, so you still need to keep your GPA up.</p>
<p>It is true that if you just want to do patent law, T14 really doesn't matter as much. T14 really just offers you more options for the direction you want your law career to go. If you know you want to do patent law, you also might think about trying for a duel masters program when you apply for your JD. Good luck!</p>
<p>unless you pull a 4.0 rest of the way through, berkeley's a no-go. they love them some GPA</p>
<p>again, LSAT cures all. I had a sub 3.0 until junior year.</p>
<p>and for patent law, you can go outside T14 and do well. of course, it helps to have T14 numbers so that you can get some money from those schools. (and again, money loves LSAT)</p>
<p>well, the unthinkable happened: I pulled my GPA up to a 3.7, but I'm still really worried about that withdrawal I had. I'm trying to do better, but ugh! This is all just too stressful.</p>
<p>And just to be safe, I'm going to aim for nothing less than the T14, because I'm not sure how much lower you can go, even for patent law, especially since most people have said that you still should go to a T14 even if you want to be a patent attorney.</p>