Heres the deal. I am facing mounting pressure from a particular class in the midst of 4 classes and having to work. This professor is just terrible. He bounces around from one topic to another and then after going on and on for 10 minutes on his tyrade..he returns to the lecture. I honestly do not think it wise to risk a C or C+ in this guys class because i have a 2.30 gpa. I had a bad first semester...where i ended up with a 1.65 gpa. the second semester i made good grades to pull it up to a 2.30. I cannot risk anything less than a B+ in my classes. The question is, if you were in my position and wanted to get in to law school...would you drop a class and salvage the other classes with higher grades, or would you risk accepting less than a B just to hurry up and finish? Do law schools frown more on lower gpa's or withdrawls? help!
2007-03-19 07:37:37 · 5 answers · asked by trapper 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
95% of law schools require you to fill out applications through LSAC. You send your college transcript to the LSAC and they convert everything to their grading scale.
I was surprised to learn that a "W" actually hurts your LSAC GPA slightly, even though it didn't at my undergrad (or else I wouldn't have dropped the course). However, law schools will also get to see your regular transcript. They can also take into account ascending GPAs as well as excuses as to why you didn't do well in a particular semester (ex. sick grandmother).
So my advice (without knowing exactly how much a W impacts your grade) is to drop the course if you think you'll do worse than a B- or C+.
Law schools consider your overall GPA first. That's the number that can affect their US News and World Reports ranking. Think big picture. You need to get up to at least a 3.0 by the time your graduate unless you can either ace the LSAT or don't mind attending a 4th tier school.
To improve your grades, try taking classes that you're already familiar with. For example, I was a psych major. I got Bs and B+s in my freshman psych courses. But by my junior and senior year, any psych class I took, I got at least an A- because I was already familiar with some of the material from my past classes. When I tried to take cognitive anthropology or a science course, I had to work for a B. Just something to keep in mind if you're trying to boost your GPA (which you need to do!)
Good luck.
P.S. You'd better get used to professors going off on tangents if you're interested in law school!
2007-03-21 19:32:45 · answer #1 · answered by James W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can't argue with a low grade. Easier to explain away a W. Bring up those grades in later semesters, the less important that W will become.
I ain't gonna lie though. You really do need to aim for a B+ or higher in EVERY class out. 1 bad year won't kill you, but ya wanna go for about a 3.0 if you wanna attend an ABA approved law school.
2007-03-19 07:45:02 · answer #2 · answered by Linkin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think having a W on your transcript would be a red flag for a law school. You should stick it out unless you're going to get below a C, then try to raise your GPA later.
2007-03-19 07:48:56 · answer #3 · answered by brwag80 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are really concerned about your GPA, you could consider trying to get tutoring for that class in order to boost it, or withdraw. If no one is available to help you with the class, I would drop it, and cut my losses. I also had a bad 1st semester starting out, and am slowly working to bring my GPA up. It's currently at about 2.55, and climbing. :)
2007-03-19 07:46:54 · answer #4 · answered by Souris 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a law school expert but a "W" is a "W" it's just a withdrawl from a class and I'm sure any addmissions person will see it as just that.
2007-03-19 07:50:18 · answer #5 · answered by David P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋