Will law schools take improvement into account or is the overal GPA all that matters?

<p>I'm about to start my sophomore year in college and I screwed up my first semester at got an F in a calc class. I retook it this summer and got an A. My college replaces the original failing grade so my overall GPA rose from a 3.3 to a 3.7. However, I know that LSAC will still count that F since it stays on my transcript. I calculated it and even if I get straight A's my entire sophomore and junior year, the highest my GPA can go is 3.7 or a 3.5 if I get straight A-'s because of that one stupid F. If I finally buckle down and get all A's for the next two years, would a T5 law school overlook a 3.5-3.7 GPA if my only bad grade was in my freshman year of college?</p>

<p>Yeah, they’ll overlook it IF your LSAT scores are exceptional. Your LSAT scores have to be good enough to get you in the ballpark, and then they will dig deeper into your record. A close friend of mine had almost a C average in his freshman year because he wanted to major in Chemistry. Switched majors in his sophomore year and proceeded to get close to straight As. Ended with a 3.6 gpa. But he scored a 174 on his LSATs and got accepted to Harvard Law.</p>

<p>Bottom line, your lsats have to be stellar for them to give you a pass on on your F.</p>