Transfer or gut it out?

[Anonymous]

I went to a lower ranked LAC (bottom of the top 25) and transferred to an Ivy. The LAC was harder. Be careful what you wish for.

A year off would be a better plan.

[Anonymous]

Law schools care about 2 things more than probably any other program out there - LSAT and GPA, in that order. They will differentiate similar candidates by school, and rigor of classes. But if your gpa is below our 50% and you are not a URM I’m not spending much time on your app.

Signed,
Law school admissions director

[Anonymous]

First of all, yes, your college GPA matters. Almost every internship my kids have applied to has asked for a GPA and a transcript.

Secondly, lower ranked colleges aren’t necessarily any easier. If you are having health issues, a leave of absence may be a better strategy

[Anonymous]

Echoing the previous poster.... law schools care most about LSAT and GPA.

There’s also something about law school admissions that most people don’t realize (very different than the college admissions process in this way).

The Law School Admissions Council calculates an official GPA for every law school applicant using ALL college grades earned post-HS diploma and prior to awarding of the bachelor’s degree -- whether these were grades from a CC, summer classes, study abroad, someone transfers, they were from 10 years ago, whatever. Doesn’t matter if those classes were at Famous Ivy, Midtier College, Random State U, or Anytown Community College (or a combination thereof) – they are treated/converted the same and included in the calculation in the same way. Even courses re-taken for credit (the original grade will be included) or classes that aren't applied towards a student's actual bachelor's degree (summer CC courses for fun).

Your child’s law school application will include the same LSAC-calculated official admissions GPA whether they are applying to Yale or University of ABC law school. So the reality is: your child’s current/prior college grades are going to be included in calculating this, even if they transfer, change majors, etc.

All of which is to say: your child should make the best decision for them and their health/well-being in this present moment. The grades are what they are (existing) -- they are going to be included in their official law school GPA, whether they transfer, take time off, change majors, whatever.