LSAC-Calculated GPA

[clarawater]

I just listened to the Admissions Components Virtule Module with Anne and Dave and found it very helpful. However, I still have a question regarding the LSAC-Calculated GPA that I was hoping you could help me with.

It was said that your GPA will not neccessarily be the same as what is reported by your school; if there are "odd" grading practices that also will affect the GPA determined by the LSDAS.
My question is this: My college does not give out A+'s. Anything from a 93-100 is considered an A, 90-92 is A-, 86-89 is B+, etc, etc.
I am worried about this because I have received many A's on my transcript: the highest letter grade available. Will the LSDAS count these as an A on an A+ scale, or as an A+ because it is the highest grade possible?

Also, should I include an addendum about this to law schools on my applications? Basically, I am not even sure if this would happen, but if it might, what should I do?

Thank you!

[Anne Chaconas]

Hey clarawater,

I'm glad you enjoyed the module and found it helpful! I'm certainly glad to address your questions regarding the LSAC GPA.

Since the grades on your transcript are reported as As, that's what LSAC will consider them as: As. This means that no grade as converted by LSAC will be higher than a 4.0. LSAC will not convert your As to A-pluses, because the grades on your transcript are reported on an A-F scale, not a 0-100 scale (at least, that is my assumption based on the information on your post. Please correct me if I'm wrong). They would have no reason to assume that your As are actually A-pluses.

If you're concerned about how this will appear to law schools, you could write a brief addendum explaining the fact that your school does not hand out grades of A+; however, unless you know which specific classes you obtained grades of 98-100 on (i.e., an A+, in LSAC terms), I would shy away from this. You run the risk either confusing the issue, or looking like you may want to take advantage of your school's grading policies to potentially increase your GPA in the eyes of the admissions committee.

In any case, even if you DO have a list of the classes in which you obtained a grade of 98-100/A+, I would still keep the addendum very brief. Simply explain that your school does not hand out grades of A+, but that the following classes (and then include the list) were given grades of 98-100, which would be considered as an A+ in LSAC conversion. Do not re-calculate the LSAC GPA; this would only muddle the issue. Admissions committee members can definitely take the information and apply it to what they see as the LSAC GPA without needing you to recalculate it (you also don't want to run the risk of seeming like you're telling them how to interpret information or how to do their job).

I hope that helps! Let me know if I can be of further assistance!

[clarawater]

That definitely does help Anne, thank you!

This may seem like a silly question, but is an A considered a 4.0 on the LSAC's scale? If it is, then I am not as concerned.
I was thinking before that perhaps an A would count as less than a 4.0 if other people were factoring in A+'s. Or is an A+ greater than 4.0 on that scale?

I am just being tedious because for some of the schools I want to apply to every little point counts!

[Anne Chaconas]

Yup, As are considered 4.0s on the LSAC scale. Check it out: http://www.lsac.org/JD/Help/faqs-cas.asp#gpa-different -- that's straight from the horse's mouth!

An A+ is actually considered a 4.33.

I completely understand your concerns--every little bit does definitely help! Make sure to let me know if you have any additional questions.

[clarawater]

Thanks for all of your help Anne. I have another question about the LSAC GPA I was hoping you could help answer...

What does Transfer credit on a transcript factor in as on the LSAC GPA? Do they consider it at all?
I understand that I need to send transcripts from all institutions that I receieved credit from (including during high school) but I have heard that if you participate in a study abroad at a foreign institution for only a semester, then you do not have to request a transcript from there for LSAC. However, on my home institution transcript, all of the courses I took abroad do not have a grade, only a "T" for transfer.
I just want to make sure that LSAC would not count this as a 0 in my GPA.

Thanks!

[Anne Chaconas]

Hey Clara,

That's a good question. Here's the deal. According to the LSAC website, if "the total amount of work you completed at all international institutions combined is equal to or less than the equivalent of one year of undergraduate study in the United States" (see here: http://www.lsac.org/JD/Apply/internatio ... cripts.asp), then you do not need to request a transcript from there to send to LSAC. Since you only studied abroad for a semester, then that rule applies to you.

About the Ts on your transcript: They won't count one way or another--they won't bring down your GPA, but they also won't boost it up. The total number of credits assigned to the each course (if this is noted on your transcript) will appear on your academic summary but will not be included in the GPA calculation. However, if you want to make sure that the AdComs know how you did in those courses, you can upload a copy of your study abroad transcript to each application, along with a brief addendum explaining the classes and the grades you got in them.

I also called LSAC just to make sure policies hadn't changed for this application cycle, and they told me I was correct. So you're good to go! Let me know if you have any additional questions!

[clarawater]

Ahh thanks so much again! I really appreciate the help!

[Anne Chaconas]

No problem! It was my pleasure. Let me know if I can help with anything else!