Nontrad/Addendum/advice plz

[rda03c]

Ok… I’m 29 years old. I graduated with a BS in Marketing in May of 06 from FSU and have a UGPA of 2.98. They cut it down from 3.01. Since then I’ve worked for a year and a half and flirted with the possibility of LS. My UGPA, in my opinion, is horrible and does not reflect my intelligence. During my junior semester at FSU I got approved for a medical withdraw. The next semester I returned to school with my health problem unresolved. I went through what seemed like a never-ending battery of tests and procedures for the next year and a half. Subsequently, my insurance company ( MegaLife) denied my claims because my problem was congenital leaving me with an unresolved medical problem and $30,000 dollars in unpaid medical bills to boot. Needless to say I was under a great deal of stress which impacted my academic performance. I realize that LS’s will be sympathetic to my situation. But I don’t want to rely on that. So now I am going back to FSU, in the summer, to pursue a 2nd BS and a minor (a total of 33hrs) to show I can academically compete. What do you guys/girls think about my decision? What are your opinions?  I want to enroll in LS in fall of 09. I will be 31. I’m taking the LSAT in June.

I will apply to FSU, UF, UM, FIU, NOVA, and a couple dream schools.

[vjm]

Whoa, complicated question. I think you will get a lot more response if you post this in one of the other areas. The nontrad board tends to be pretty quiet.

I guess my questions/ observations are:

1.Will a second bachelor's be calculated with your first? I doubt it, but I have no evidence to support my doubt.

2. Why not get a Master's?

3. A really high LSAT, coupled with a fantastic application and an addendum explaining the issues which impacted your GPA, could  get you in quite a few places. I did not prepare correctly, and am paying the price. Don't mess around, take a class. You don't need to take the LSAT so early, make sure you are really well prepared or don't take it.

[mbw]

What else have you done with your life since graduation will be very important to any ad comm, so I've been told (including by my admissions consultant, a former T10 dean of admissions.)  I graduated with a 3.01 (brought down to a 2.85 by LSAC) and have a comparable "excuse" (became a single parent during UG, worked 40 hours a week and graduated a triple major.)  I wrote an addendum which very simply explains those facts.  I agree with the above post that it may be of more benefit to pursue a graduate degree - I think that after your first UG degree is finished, that's the one LSAC uses for its UGPA.

Ace your LSAT, write a kick-ass personal statement and make sure your resume plays to your strengths.  If you know what area of law you want to pursue, look for schools with that specialty and indicate that you are applying for specifically that reason - shows maturity.

Good luck!

[Juice]

First, consider yourself lucky that you still came in around a 3.0 as this will give you more options than if you were at say a 2.75, 2.5 etc. Second, I think you should reconsider your plan to go back to get a second bachelors degree and instead focus on getting a very good LSAT score and a solid year of good work experience and perhaps a few masters level courses at night (not necessary at all). Working for a non-profit organization and taking on leadership roles in the community for a year will get you more points than hanging out on campus with undergrads for 12 more months. All of the schools that you listed admit applicants with GPAs in your range, even FSU, UM and UF, and especially Nova and FIU. Even if you end up with say a 155 LSAT score, I would advise that you target part time programs at schools ranked 50-100 in US News. I have around a 3.0, a 154-156 LSAT score, and have been admitted to a number of part time programs in that range. The key for me was that I have solid work experience, good essays and a story to tell. Go out and spend this year gathering unique experiences to add to your story, study hard for the LSAT, and know that even if you end up with a mid 150s, you can likely still get into a Loyola Chicago, UNLV, FIU, NOVA, etc, etc., part time program (you might have a 25% chance at each, and if you apply to 10 will get in some) and then just transfer to the day program, and even with those numbers you still have a shot at FSU and UF, especially if you have a story to tell. Of course, I would mention your medical challenges as a part of your life struggles and how it is related to your academic performance, but also realize that if you get a high LSAT score you will be just fine. Most importantly, don't let that medical problem assume more power than it needs to at this point in your life.    

[archival]

Ace your LSAT

Yup.

[simonsays]

Ace your LSAT

Yup.

Agreed.

A second bachelor's will not be included. A masters is not included in the calculation, and is a tremendous waste of time and resources if the purposes is solely for law school admissions. 

Look on the weights of the LSAT v. GPA.  In certain cases the LSAT is 60% or higher, and the UGPA is under 40%.