Updating schools at the semester

[Electric Counterpoint]

Who's planning to do it? How?

Specifically about grades: is it as easy as submitting a new transcript and waiting for schools to automatically receive it, a la LORs? I seem to recall reading this somewhere, but I can't find the info on LSAC.

[ButImAGilmore]

I think it is pretty much expected by law schools that you will send in an updated transcript when fall term grades come out (assuming they have not already admitted / rejected you). As for how you do this (LSAC or direct to schools) I'm not sure. I would think you would need to send it to LSAC so that they could recalculate your GPA, but who knows. Maybe someone on LSD knows, if not it would probably be best to call LSAC and ask.

[bamf]

I am fairly sure you do the same thing you did when you originally sent in your transcript to LSAC. There should be info in the FAQs section of LSAC about how to update transcripts.

But here's my question ... my grades will probably be up in early January, but I don't go back to school 'till the 22nd or something like that ... should I have a transcript sent asap or can I wait till I get back to school?

And how about schools that let you in before the end of this semester ... would it even matter to send them 1st semester grades?

[Saja]

I was wondering this too.  I'm personally not planning on updating schools unless they ask.

[hereshopin]

The urgency with which I will attempt to have an updated transcript sent is directly correlated with how well I do this semester. 

[ButImAGilmore]

I am fairly sure you do the same thing you did when you originally sent in your transcript to LSAC. There should be info in the FAQs section of LSAC about how to update transcripts.

But here's my question ... my grades will probably be up in early January, but I don't go back to school 'till the 22nd or something like that ... should I have a transcript sent asap or can I wait till I get back to school?

And how about schools that let you in before the end of this semester ... would it even matter to send them 1st semester grades?

I would send in your grades right away if they are good (ie as well as you have been doing in the past or better). This could help your application, so you would want the schools to have them asap. Waiting until you are back in class could mean that a school would make a decision on you before getting the update.

I think that for schools that have already accepted you it doesn't matter. They will just want to see your grades at the end of the year to know that you have graduated.

I would not wait for schools to request my grades so long as my GPA would not drop because of them. Anything that could help your case is worth sending in without delay!

[spicealicious]

Does LSAC automatically send them to the school though? Or do you have to send them and pay another $12?

[Electric Counterpoint]

I wonder what the average grade bump is for law school applicants after their last fall semester. Since people generally consider senior year to be a blow-off year, therefore taking easier courses, I'm guessing you'd need at least a few hundredths of a point to competitive. Of course, you could argue that some people just slack off generally in their last years, thus scoring lower and lowering the average boost. But, I've seen so many "upward trend" GPA addenda that I'm inclined to believe there is an overall bump.

/idle speculation

[spicealicious]

I wonder what the average grade bump is for law school applicants after their last fall semester. Since people generally consider senior year to be a blow-off year, therefore taking easier courses, I'm guessing you'd need at least a few hundredths of a point to competitive. Of course, you could argue that some people just slack off generally in their last years, thus scoring lower and lowering the average boost. But, I've seen so many "upward trend" GPA addenda that I'm inclined to believe there is an overall bump.

/idle speculation

I know my grades this semester are going to bump my gpa up 0.1 which may not seem like a lot but its going to put me over 3.5. I'm definitely not taking easy classes. I had to take seven classes this semester and I've worked my ass off.

[ButImAGilmore]

I mean, if you get better grades than your cumulative then send them in. But if you get worse grades, you don't have to send them in. They will not withhold a decision because you failed to send in a new transcript.

I didn't mean to imply that they would withhold a decision because you didn't send in grades! It's just that I have read on some schools websites that they like to see / will request 1st semester grades. Obviously if your grades drop avoid sending them in unless the school requests. Though they then might wonder why you didn't send them. There are just traps all over the place dang it!