Welcome to the latest installment of Law Admissions Q&A, a monthly feature of Law Admissions Lowdown that provides admissions advice to readers who send in questions and admissions profiles.
If you have a question about law school, please email me for a chance to be featured next month.
Consider [rankings and statistics when narrowing law school choices.]
Dear Shawn: I’m a senior in college and in the process of putting together my law school applications for fall 2016 admission. Since I am still in school, my undergraduate GPA will not be complete when I apply. Will schools need to see my fall semester grades, and should I wait until my fall semester grades are finalized before I submit my applications? -Incomplete
Dear Incomplete: Unless there is some compelling reason for you include this semester’s grades in your applications, you should not postpone submitting your applications. Admissions committees understand that most seniors in college will apply before their fall semester grades are finalized.
If your undergraduate GPA will increase significantly as a result of your first-semester grades, then you should consider submitting your applications after you have received your fall semester grades so that law schools see your improvement and consider your application with the higher GPA.
In addition, if you submit applications before your fall semester grades are finalized but do not receive a decision from any school, you should submit an updated transcript to LSAC and inform each school of your fall semester grades. Look on the school’s website to see whom to contact with this information or email the school’s admissions office.
Here’s [how to plan for law school as an undergraduate.]
Dear Shawn: I was planning on taking the LSAT this October but fell ill and was unable to take it. This was very disappointing because I felt fully prepared for the test and was scoring well on practice tests leading up to October 3, but I had to withdraw my registration because of my temporary illness. Now I am wondering when I should plan on taking the test. I am currently a junior in college, and I worry that if I take the December test I will be unable to devote as much attention as I should to preparation because of exams and final papers at the end of the semester. Should I consider taking the February exam instead? -Test Timing
Dear Test Timing: I’m sorry to hear that your LSAT plans were derailed by an inconvenient illness. Despite this setback, you are still in an excellent position to take the LSAT and maximize your score.
First of all, you have the luxury of time. Since you are a junior in college, there are three more administrations of the LSAT — December 2015, February 2016 and June 2016 — before applications will even be made available for fall 2017. Taking the October 2016 exam will also place you at the beginning of the 2017 admissions cycle, so you have plenty of options.
Check out [LSAT trends to know for upcoming tests.]
You are correct to consider your academic calendar when determining when to take the test. Unless you are a senior in college applying for admission to law school immediately after college, taking the December test can be difficult for exactly the reason you describe: you will likely have to devote almost all of your time and intellectual energy to your end-of-semester papers, exams and other projects. I would therefore recommend that you plan on taking the February exam, which will give you winter break to prepare.
With respect to your preparation, if you were fully prepared for the October test, then you won’t need to start your preparation from scratch. Instead, plan on restarting your preparation six to eight weeks before the February test, and prepare primarily by taking full, timed practice tests. You will likely be a bit rusty for the first couple of weeks, but you will soon get back to where you were in late September.
How are you dealing with your GPA or LSAT issues? Email me or Tweet me.
More from U.S. News
Manage a Split in GPA, LSAT Scores as a Law School Applicant
Understand How Law Schools Evaluate LSAT Scores
Navigate Common LSAT Logical Reasoning Mistakes
Tips for Applying to Law School With Incomplete Grades originally appeared on usnews.com
