GPA Fade Away?

[ptoomey]

Does anyone know how much it will help that my hideous GPA(2.6) is over 20 years old?
I'm guessing they'll still calculate my LSDAS GPA in the same way. Also, for full disclosure, there will be no addendum, or none that will be of any help. My "excuse" for the bad grades is that I spent most of my time drinking beer and chasing women, with great success in the former and only modest succcess in the latter.

A couple of related questions. I haven't seen anywhere that they factor in a more difficult major in any kind of quantitative way, but will an engineering major help at all? Most posts I've seen on this topic say that it has almost no bearing on your chances, but does anyone know if there are specific schools that like science majors, for example. I thought I saw a post about this a while back.

What about age? I'm pushing mid 40's - is that an advantage? At what point does a non-traditional applicant become a non-admissible applicant?

[mbw]

Does anyone know how much it will help that my hideous GPA(2.6) is over 20 years old?
I'm guessing they'll still calculate my LSDAS GPA in the same way. Also, for full disclosure, there will be no addendum, or none that will be of any help. My "excuse" for the bad grades is that I spent most of my time drinking beer and chasing women, with great success in the former and only modest succcess in the latter.

A couple of related questions. I haven't seen anywhere that they factor in a more difficult major in any kind of quantitative way, but will an engineering major help at all? Most posts I've seen on this topic say that it has almost no bearing on your chances, but does anyone know if there are specific schools that like science majors, for example. I thought I saw a post about this a while back.

What about age? I'm pushing mid 40's - is that an advantage? At what point does a non-traditional applicant become a non-admissible applicant?

There are a couple of ways your GPA can be diminished - first, if you have any successful graduate work, it will help show that you can study if you put your mind to it.  Second, a successful career and a plausible reason as to why the sudden change.  Third, a kick-ass LSAT is the most important factor (unfortunate, but true.)

Your age will be a factor for some schools, particularly if you're looking high up the food(rank)-chain.  Tier 2/3/4 schools are generally more used to older students, and that familiarity only benefits you.  I'm currently the only person over the age of 40 in my class of 210 (at a lower T14) and I know of only two similar upperclass students.  It will be hit and miss no matter what your LSAT (UVA almost never takes older students, for example.)

Good luck.  Try and use your age to your advantage, but understand too that once you're in class, everyone is pretty much the same.

[nerfco]

Just do as well as you can on the LSAT, and write in your personal statement about how college was a long time ago, you've matured, etc.

It won't disappear, but it'll be better than nothing.

[ptoomey]

There are a couple of ways your GPA can be diminished - first, if you have any successful graduate work, it will help show that you can study if you put your mind to it.  Second, a successful career and a plausible reason as to why the sudden change.  Third, a kick-ass LSAT is the most important factor (unfortunate, but true.)

Your age will be a factor for some schools, particularly if you're looking high up the food(rank)-chain.  Tier 2/3/4 schools are generally more used to older students, and that familiarity only benefits you.  I'm currently the only person over the age of 40 in my class of 210 (at a lower T14) and I know of only two similar upperclass students.  It will be hit and miss no matter what your LSAT (UVA almost never takes older students, for example.)

Good luck.  Try and use your age to your advantage, but understand too that once you're in class, everyone is pretty much the same.

Thanks for the feedback mbw. No grad work, but I have had a successful career. I was really just immature at college age. I was one of those kids who probably would have benefited from taking a few years off before starting college. The kick ass LSAT is the one thing I have control over and I'm working on it.

Interesting about the way different schools view the age of applicants. I didn't know that.

I haven't taken the LSAT yet, but I'm guessing that Fordham will be my reach school, at best. Do you know anything about how friendly Fordham is to older applicants? They don't seem to be very friendly to splitters, but at least they have a part time program that I can shoot for.

Thanks for the info. btw, how did you handle all those young, ambitious classmates of yours this semester? It was your first semester, wasn't it? Do you think you did well?  I hope so. Good luck.

Just do as well as you can on the LSAT, and write in your personal statement about how college was a long time ago, you've matured, etc.

It won't disappear, but it'll be better than nothing.

Thanks for the advice nerfco, I guess that's the best I can do, is explain what happened. And kick butt on the LSAT.