"Padding" the LSAC GPA

[nooyyllib]

Hello,

Does taking summer classes at a local community college to "pad" my lsac gpa influence my admissions process negatively? I mean I am taking classes I am interested in (art classes).  I am also worried because they are 100 level classes... Would it hurt my chances? If I were to take those my lsac gpa can go up to 3.6ish..I mean I can write an addendum stating that I am interested in art (explaining why I took the classes)

Also, I am a rising junior (UG) and for me to graduate I only need to take 12 credits a semester from now on.  Would taking 12 credits a semester hurt my chances (or look bad) to the admissions committee? I read that lsac report shows how many credits I took and etc.  For me, getting straight A's by taking 4 classes a semester till I apply (fall of senior year) would be much better than getting A's and B's by taking 17 or 18 credits per semester....

Lastly, some forums were saying starting my junior year I shouldn't take anything lower than 300 level classes or it would hurt my chances... is this true? (I doubt it)

Just to confirm, I transferred from one UG to another after my freshmen year.  My first semester of sophomore year my grades suffered (2.4-I thought I was interested in economics but I wasn't).  The next semester I got a 3.3.  The grade trends do help right? Would writing an addendum explaining me getting used to a school help aid my miserable 2.4? (btw, my GPA at the UG my freshmen year was a 3.6)

To finish up, would going to a respected UG help in getting into law school? Do law schools admit (somewhat) more students from their UG?

Please let me know ASAP, I appreciate all your inputs.

[nooyyllib]

I forgot to ask one more thing. Does being a sociology major put me at a disadvantage from majors like neuroscience? (because of its notion to be a joke major).  Also does the major gpa play into any effect?

Thanks again.

[meggo]

Well the LSAC gpa only considers credits that help you get your degree, so if these CC courses are counted towards your degree, than that's fine, but if they are just random, than no. To clarify by this I mean that the LSAC gpa doesn't consider grades beyond what was required to get your degree.

As for the majors thing, I would say no, they don't really care what major you did, of course this depends on the school but people come from a wide variety of backgrounds from a wide variety of majors.

[nooyyllib]

I thought the lsac gpa includes all grades before my B.A.?

[meggo]

yeah that's what I said. The LSAC gpa doesn't consider grades beyond what is required to get your degree. So if CC courses count towards your degree, then you can count them in your gpa, if they don't, then no, they won't pad your gpa.

[Ender Wiggin]

yeah that's what I said. The LSAC gpa doesn't consider grades beyond what is required to get your degree. So if CC courses count towards your degree, then you can count them in your gpa, if they don't, then no, they won't pad your gpa.

That's wrong.  Any grades you get before your first bachelor's degree count towards your LSDAS GPA. 

Do well on the LSAT--that's gonna matter a lot more if your GPA is a little lower. 

[meggo]

ah yes sorry. My university doesn't allow more credit than is required for your degree. I mean, once you've reached the number of credits for a degree, they disallow the other credits so for me it works this way.

[nooyyllib]

thanks ender wiggin for confirming what I had thought.  So I guess it won't hurt me to take some classes this summer at a CC to help out my lsac gpa (which is the most important gpa)?  And yes, I am in the process of studying for the lsats as well.

just to confirm once more, will the grades at the CC will count toward lsac gpa even though it is not transferred to my main UG?

Thanks.

[JeNeSaisLaw]

ah yes sorry. My university doesn't allow more credit than is required for your degree. I mean, once you've reached the number of credits for a degree, they disallow the other credits so for me it works this way.

No, it still doesn't work that way. Even for you.

Any college course you take before you receive your first undergraduate degree will count towards your LSDAS GPA. Any. Whether or not your undergrad counts them is entirely irrelevant because you must give LSAC every transcript, including CC, JC, or whatever. To reiterate, undergrad is just one of many potential sources of grades for the LSDAS GPA.

I'm harping on this because this is the kind of misinformation that can greatly damage people reading these forums.



One last reiteration: nooyyllib, the CC grades will count just in case you have not been awarded a degree by your undergrad. Whether or not they transfer is wholly irrelevant.

[nooyyllib]

JeNeSaisLaw, thank you so much for making that clear.  But would taking CC classes negatively influence my admissions process? Would adcom look at me and say "This kid clearly was trying to inflate his gpa so lets put him in the bottom of the stack." or would they not care at all? Should I write an addendum explaining my interest in art as a reason for taking summer classes?

Thanks alot.