Hey Raven!
Fortunately, it
is possible to have a low GPA and still get into law school. One of the reasons for this is that the LSAT holds considerably more weight in the admissions process than your GPA (and this is particularly true if you've been out of school for a while).
Some schools even use (or have used in the past) a multiplier to create rough rankings amongst their applicants, and through them you can see how much more the LSAT is weighted. If you look at the index/multiplier numbers at major law schools, you often find that the LSAT is usually about 65-80% of the initial student rankings and the rest is for the GPA. At UPenn for example, they ran a multiplier on every student that used this formula: (GPA x 10) + LSAT = Multiplier. Take a close look at the multiplier. Even if you have a 4.0 GPA, that would only contribute a maximum of 40 points towards the multiplier. If you score the lowest number possible on the LSAT (120), that
still has the LSAT being
three times more powerful than the GPA. And that's if you get a 120 on the LSAT! Other schools have used very similar formulas, too, so UPenn is closer to the rule, not the exception.
Essentially, you can use the LSAT score to counterbalance a low GPA and still get into a good school.
In addition, there are other things you can do to ameliorate a lower GPA:
1. Write an addendum that explains the GPA;
2. Explain any outside factors that affected your GPA (which can either be stated in an addendum or as part of your personal statement);
3. Demonstrate an upward grade trend in your transcript (meaning you started your college career on a low, but got progressively higher over time).
A great resource you can use to check your overall chances based on GPA and LSAT combination is the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools site. They have a searchable Law School database at
http://officialguide.lsac.org/UGPASearch/Search3.aspx where you can input your GPA and theoretical LSAT results to see the statistical chances of admission at any given school. That should give you a starting point to see where you potentially stack up.
Let me know if I can help guide you further. I'm happy to help! Good luck!
