CAS Foreign Transcript Evaluation

[jrafert]

Greetings,

I posted recently but did not address a specific question I have and I was hoping that someone could weigh in.

I completed two degrees abroad and the CAS foreign transcript evaluation service said my French grades were equivalent to a B minus average and a C average, respectively. My undergraduate grade average in France was a 12.9/20, but France, it is generally accepted that professors rarely give out grades higher than 16/20 at the university level. 12.9 is not amazing but is unquestionably above a 3.0 and possibly equivalent to a 3.5.

I guess what I would like to know is whether American schools are familiar with foreign grading systems and whether they take conversions to a letter grade in American terms very literally or with a grain of salt? It wouldn't be appropriate to write an addendum implying that the company that the LSAC uses to evaluate foreign grades is wrong, but I am genuinely stumped by how they could so grossly misrepresent them and it's hard not to feel frustrated (a cursory online search indicates that I am not the first foreign student to encounter this issue).

Any input would be welcome and I apologize for asking two questions back-to-back, this will be the last. Thanks in advance.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi jrafert,

Interesting question! In this case, how much a given US law school will know about French grades will be dependent on how many prior French applicants they have had. That suggests that schools on the East Coast are probably likely to be a bit more familiar than schools on the West Coast. However, I believe it would be advisable for you to summarize what you stated here for the schools, and to address the grading issue in an addendum. There's no harm in it, and it may sway some people to your side as they read the transcripts. And yes, you are definitely not the first applicant with international records to run into similar problems.

Good luck!

[jrafert]

Hey Dave,

Thanks for the response!

I had ruled out the possibility of saying anything about the grade equivalence system used in the international transcript evaluation because I don't want to give the impression that I think I "know better" than a company that is purportedly specialized in converting foreign grades (I guess technically I do think that...but I feel like it could be a turn off for admissions committees). Now I'm reconsidering but I'm not quite sure how to say what I want to say.

Anyways - thanks again. I'm figuring this all out bit by bit. Good point about the east-coast schools - also I'm applying to some schools that have partnerships with French Universities, so hopefully they would know more.

[Dave Killoran]

Hey J,

LSAC is no big brother, and there's plenty of things they don't know or that are done arbitrarily. So, you explaining how these grades work and in fact knowing better, isn't terribly unusual

They key to your presentation is to be matter-of-fact and non-judgmental. It's less about you criticizing them and more about discussing the grade realities at an international institution that most adcomms won't be familiar with. Share your insights with them, and back it up with facts as much as possible. Accept how LSAC has converted it, but provide context that helps show their interpretation is off-base.

Good luck!