Graduate/Law-School Admissions Question

[Cookeit]

Hey guys,

I'm just wondering what do you guys think would look worse on a graduate or law school application: a dropped class, or a bad grade in a class?

I mainly have to withdraw from the class because I had swine flu for a few weeks and am unable to fully catch up.

The "bad grade" would probably either be a low B or B-, but I am aiming for a top 10 law school, and that will hurt my GPA.

If I drop the class, I plan to enroll in another class that is only the second half of the semester. So I will still be taking 16 credits versus the maximum of 17, a high load.

Of course, I will go talk to a pre-law advisor or something, but what do you guys think?

[TBean]

Do you plan on taking the course again because you need and/or liked this class? If you plan on taking it again, I would inquire if getting an incomplete an option for the course. That way you can go back to finish the class next semester or next fall, and it would not appear as a dropped class on your transcript.

[Epee_Pox]

A bad grade is always worse than a dropped class. All a dropped class indicates is that you realized it wasn't going to work out, something that happens to almost every student. You pulled out before it hurt your GPA, exercising good judgment. A bad grade simply pulls down your GPA.

Just for the record, though, GPA isn't everything. I got into a top-tier law school with only a C+ GPA from undergrad, and finished in the top of my class, editor of law review, etc. etc. Clearly they were looking for other qualities apart from my grades. (And I'm a white male, so affirmative action was not involved.) If all you've got to compete with is your grades, then GPA will obviously mean a heck of a lot, but at the same time it still probably won't be enough.

[Cookeit]

Maybe I read that wrong, but you were at the top of your class with a C+ average?!?

Actually, I think my GPA is going to be one of my weakest areas. I will have great volunteer and extracurric's (fencing club president for 3 years, black belt in taekwondo from white belt freshman year, resident assistant).

Ugh.

[TBean]

Maybe I read that wrong, but you were at the top of your class with a C+ average?!?

I think he finished at the top of his class from Law School. At least that was how I interpreted his sentence.

Anyhoo - I would go for the drop before a poor grade. Lots of people have found themselves needing to that for one reason or another. Is taking the class Pass/Fail an option for you? It might be too late to change to that or it might not even be an option for you. I know I took a couple of undergrad courses that way - calculus and chemistry - not core subjects for an Art and Theater Major, and well out of my comfort zone academically.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Drop the class. But first find out if there are special kinds of drops. Withdrawls, incompletes, medical drops, and other things exist at some schools, and while you'll need to find out how your school handles and defines these things, there may be an option that allows you to get out of the class but do so under better terms.

[thetortfeasor]

Drop the class. But first find out if there are special kinds of drops. Withdrawls, incompletes, medical drops, and other things exist at some schools, and while you'll need to find out how your school handles and defines these things, there may be an option that allows you to get out of the class but do so under better terms.

Cosigning on this.

When I was in college, I was having a particularly rough semester, and was able to convince one of my professors to give me an incomplete. I had almost an entire school year to get things turned in before the incomplete turned into something bad on my transcript (I can't remember if it would turn into a FW/failing withdrawal or just a straight up F, but either way, I got everything done so that I didn't have to worry about all that.)

[erooMynohtnA]

Maybe I read that wrong, but you were at the top of your class with a C+ average?!?

Better work on those reading comprehension skills for the LSAT.

[Cookeit]

Better work on those reading comprehension skills for the LSAT.

Gimme a break, I was coming off an all-nighter studying for midterms.

[Hauptman]

Hey guys,

I'm just wondering what do you guys think would look worse on a graduate or law school application: a dropped class, or a bad grade in a class?

I mainly have to withdraw from the class because I had swine flu for a few weeks and am unable to fully catch up.

The "bad grade" would probably either be a low B or B-, but I am aiming for a top 10 law school, and that will hurt my GPA.

If I drop the class, I plan to enroll in another class that is only the second half of the semester. So I will still be taking 16 credits versus the maximum of 17, a high load.

Of course, I will go talk to a pre-law advisor or something, but what do you guys think?

In my experience, there is usually a way to get something removed from your transcript.

Now they may tell you over and over that it can't be done, but it's usually the case that you just have to go up the chain of command high enough until you find someone with the power to have it done.

There is almost always someone with that power; now whether you can convince them to do what you need is another story.

[thetortfeasor]

In my experience, there is usually a way to get something removed from your transcript.

Now they may tell you over and over that it can't be done, but it's usually the case that you just have to go up the chain of command high enough until you find someone with the power to have it done.

There is almost always someone with that power; now whether you can convince them to do what you need is another story.

It'll be a good exercise in learning to be persuasive since she wants to be an attorney.

[Mergs]

<snip> (And I'm a white male, so affirmative action was not involved.) </snip>

Wouldn't necessarily say that; it worked for me to get into Grad school, and you don't EVEN want to know what my GPA was! That and my GRE scores were very decent.

Well, I guess I also qualified under the vertically challenged sub-section of the Texas State Affimative Action Act, which states that any Texan male under 6'-0" is a member of a recognized minority with in the borders of the Republic.

[Cookeit]

It'll be a good exercise in learning to be persuasive since she wants to be an attorney.

he*

[MyrddinsPrecint]

he*

Don't you know that there are no boys on the internet?