Protect Your GPA

Undergrads often worry about the wrong things. Should you take harder classes? More classes? Certain subjects?

None of that matters for law school admissions.

What Law Schools Actually Care About

Law schools care about two numbers: your LSAT score and your GPA. Those are the only numbers that show up on ABA 509 reports. Those reports feed the rankings. And rankings drive admissions.

Whether you took a 200-level course or a 300-level course isn’t on those reports. Whether you challenged yourself with a brutal workload isn’t either. Admissions offices only see your final GPA.

So if you want to attend law school, protect your GPA.

How To Protect It

Take easier classes where you can earn A’s. Take fewer classes in a semester. Use pass/fail options when they’re available. Graduate later if you have to.

You don’t need to use these tactics all at once. The point is to be hyper-aware of your GPA, and pull every lever you can to keep it as high as possible. 

Some students rush to graduate early or overload their schedules because they think it looks impressive. But if that decision costs you even a few tenths of a GPA point, the downside can be enormous. A small drop in GPA can move you below a school’s median and cost you scholarship money.

Play The Game

Play the game the way lawyers do. They learn the rules, figure out the incentives, and then work the system to their client’s advantage.

Do the same with law school admissions. The incentives are clear. Law schools care about the numbers that affect their rankings, and the biggest one you control during undergrad is your GPA. Make strategic choices about your course load. Then earn an A or better in as many classes as possible. 

You can even boost your GPA strategically. LSAC calculates its own GPA for admissions, and it counts every college-level course you take before earning your first undergraduate degree. That means you could take community college classes, separate from your undergraduate institution, to add more A+ grades to your LSAC GPA. 

Bottom Line

If a class threatens your GPA, think carefully before taking it for a grade. Audit it. Take it pass/fail. Or skip it entirely.

Do whatever it takes to protect your GPA.