4 replies to this topic

[Jyeatbvg]

1. How do law schools look at retaking courses to get a better mark? Would both tries show up on my transcript?

2. I went on exchange my first semester of 4th year, how will schools look at this? Does this mean for schools which look at 2 best years, my 2nd semester marks of 4th year don't mean anything?

3. If I stayed 1 whole year (for a 5th year), would schools who look at top 2 years look at my 5th and 3rd years, if they were my top 2 years?

4. Realistically, what do I need on the LSAT to get into law school (any). Say with a 3.35 cGPA, I'm probably aiming for anything above 165, correct?


Thanks guys

[staffer]

Jyeatbvg, on 15 February 2012 - 11:37 AM, said:

1. How do law schools look at retaking courses to get a better mark? Would both tries show up on my transcript?

2. I went on exchange my first semester of 4th year, how will schools look at this? Does this mean for schools which look at 2 best years, my 2nd semester marks of 4th year don't mean anything?

3. If I stayed 1 whole year (for a 5th year), would schools who look at top 2 years look at my 5th and 3rd years, if they were my top 2 years?

4. Realistically, what do I need on the LSAT to get into law school (any). Say with a 3.35 cGPA, I'm probably aiming for anything above 165, correct?


Thanks guys

1. They will count both marks seperately. So if you failed it once and got a B+ once, that will count as 0.0 and 3.3. There's no real advantage to re-taking a course.

2. Different schools will look at in in different ways. If it's outside the US or Canada, most Ontario schools will not really take the exchange marks into consideration. Some schools outside Ontario will. As such, your L2 will probably include 2nd year as well as your in-Canada marks from 4th year (Last 2 should really be called Last At Least 2)

3. No, they will still factor in your semester in Canada from 4th year.

4. Varies by school. GPA alone probably eliminates you at U of T, U Vic, maybe Ottawa. With a 160 you'll probably get into a couple schools if you apply everywhere. A 165 will get you into more schools, 170 into even more. It's hard to give a specific answer because every school has different admissions standards. I'd shoot for 164 or higher; that's 90th percentile.

Make sure you have good "softs" because you're not going to be a presumptive admit anywhere (except maybe Manitoba if your LSAT is high enough).

[Phoenix-Wright]

1. I think it depends on how your home institution deals with retakes. If your schools replaces the original grade with the new superior one, law schools might not have access to it. If your school reports both grades, then some Law schools (Uvic, maybe others) will use both grades in your gpa calculation. Someone might know more about this than I do.

2. If there is an easy conversion to canadian grades, some law schools will take your exchange grades, so your 4th year might count as a year at some schools, I believe. Others might not count it as a full year of calculable marks.

3. A school like Osgoode which takes Best two would indeed use your 3rd and 5th year, provided each year was at least 10 credits (30 credit hours)

4. What are your softs/ecs like? Schools which take a B2/L2 approach might be feasible if your last two/best two are more competitive than 3.3. To be "safe" (hard to say if that is even possible with a low cGPA apparently) aim for 165+.

[Jyeatbvg]

Thank you for both of your quick responses.

Phoenix-Wright, my softs are OK but not exemplary. I am in a business program with co-op, so coming graduation I will have 3 work terms at reputable companies (not that it matters). I think my work experience is the soft which stands out the most. In addition to that and my exchange, nothing else really stands out. I have placed in a few business competitions, but that is all. I joined some clubs in university and did a bit of volunteering, but nothing worth mentioning.


For the holistic schools, would it be beneficial to start volunteering somewhere? Perhaps it might help my profile to add half a year of volunteering.

Edited by Jyeatbvg, 15 February 2012 - 12:15 PM.

[staffer]

Softs don't need to be volunteering.When you're thinking about softs, remember that you'll be expressing them in a lengthy personal statement that discusses your application as a whole. Try to find softs that tie into the broader theme you're arguing in your PS.

If you're PS is all about you wanting to pursue social justice, then you'd better have volunteer and NGO experience showing your history with that. If you're talking about academic excellence, then your softs should be things like publications and attendance at conferences. It sounds like your angle is your experience in the buiness world; you should look to strengthen that area by gaining more significant experiences.

Yes, it's important to be well rounded, but your PS isn't just a list of things you've participated in. You've got to carve yourself out as a distinct candidate that's worthy of overlooking a mediocre GPA.