LSAC GPA versus UGPA

[lti13]

I live in Florida, so naturally my top choice for law school is University of Florida Law for many reasons such as affordability, prestige within the state (since I most likely will want to practice in Florida), networking, etc.
The stats for UF Law’s LSAT and GPA are:
Median LSAT : 157
75% LSAT: 160
Median GPA : 3.50
75% GPA: 3.68
Acceptance Rate : 62%
My numbers currently fall within the higher end of the spectrum, my LSAT being a 161 with a few weeks of prep, and my GPA being a 3.667 at Florida State University. I am deciding whether to take the LSAT again with a goal of getting a 165, but what I want to know is do you think currently I have a pretty good shot of acceptance? At first it seems like I do, but here’s the thing that I’m worried about: I have a late drop of a class on my transcripts. Had no idea at the time that the LSAC would convert that into a Failing grade in my GPA, otherwise I would have never done it (literally I dropped it cause I had a strong likelihood of getting a ”C” in a class and the adviser said I had it as an option if I was that upset with getting a C). So my question is how bad does this hurt my chances with the numbers I have now? Would filling out an addendum help with this, or is UF law going to see the LSAC GPA and not even look at my college GPA? Essentially what I’m asking is without a retake on the LSAT to bring my score up to overshadow the Late Drop, will my chances of getting in be slim even if my LSAT is currently well above their median? Any input would be much appreciated, since UF is my top choice I want to make sure I have a high likelihood of acceptance and want to know an experts advice on whether a LSAT retake is necessary to make certain I get in!

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi lti13,

Thanks for your question. Happy to weigh in

With an LSAT score of 161 and UGPA 3.67, you are virtually guaranteed admission at Florida Law. What your post left unclear is whether the 3.67 GPA is your UGPA or your college-reported GPA, i.e. does it take into account the dropped class as "zero" or not? If your LSAC UGPA is 3.67, you have nothing to worry about - with your LSAT score you will most likely be auto-admitted to Florida Law. If not, your chances would be slightly lower, but not by much. And yes, you will need to attach an addendum either way.

Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

First, LSAC excludes non-punitive withdrawals from your UGPA:

Grades Excluded from Conversion

Withdrawal grades that signify failure (such as WF=Withdraw/Fail, WU=Withdrew Unsatisfactory, WNP=Withdrew Not Passing) if the issuing school considers the grade nonpunitive. The total number of credits assigned to these grades will appear on the applicant’s academic summary, but will not be included in the GPA calculation.

LSAC.org, Transcript Summarization

So, for the folks at LSAC to interpret your Withdrawal as a failing grade, they must have been notified by Florida State that your school considers the grade "punitive." Sorry to say, but your advisor should have known better. If, for some reason, the grade is not actually considered punitive by FSU, you need to have your dean get in touch with LSAC and ask that they exclude the non-punitive withdrawal from consideration. This has been done before, and it requires a little bit of paperwork, but it's certainly worth it.

One last thing to consider: whether your current numbers are sufficient to get you admitted to Florida Law is not under debate; assuming your UGPA is 3.67, they are. However, a higher LSAT score will significantly increase your chances of getting a merit-based scholarship there. In fact, with your GPA and a 165 LSAT score, you'd be competitive at several top-14 schools (Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, even Penn). Even if you're dead set on practicing in Florida, a degree from any national school will open the doors to a much wider range of opportunities (in Florida as well as nationwide). You will have a far better shot at BIGLAW firms in Miami, especially considering that most students attending national schools are typically headed to NYC/DC/SF/LA/Chicago markets and won't be much of a competition. By contrast, most of your classmates at Florida Law will be scrambling to get these coveted jobs, and you should ideally be in the top-20% of the class to have a reasonably good shot at Florida BIGLAW. If you decide against attending a national school, attending Florida Law with money is a far better proposition than paying out-of-pocket.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions

Thanks,

[lti13]

Thanks Nikki, your input helps a lot!