Summary: Advice for law school applicants with low GPAs.
When should you let a low GPA discourage you from applying to law school? If you are determined to work the legal field, no obstacle will much matter – that’s the nature of determination. Nevertheless, admissions boards can’t quantify your determination, so you will have to help them along in making their choice. If your GPA is significantly lower than average for the school you are applying to, consider first if you have or can get some interesting career experience that will distance you from your undergrad years. Working a career, preferably in law, will help schools realize you have what it takes to work hard and excel at law school.
If, instead, you want to get right back into school, consider either getting your master’s degree, or at least taking some relevant classes that will expose the sort of stuff you are made of. This, included with an addendum of a few sentences placed into your application, giving an explanation of why your grades don’t accurately reflect your capabilities, will tip admission boards evaluators in your favor.
Take courage, nevertheless, that hard times for law schools means they’ve eased up a bit on their LSAT and GPA requirements. They are more likely now to consider applicants with lower scores, especially if they bring something else to the table, in terms of work experience, or impressive post-grad grades.
Study the law schools you wish to go to and get a sense of the sorts of applicants they are accepting. This will clue you in to how they will look at you. Even a higher grade might not be high enough for the elite colleges, whereas some law schools, unfortunately, will accept just about anybody. Ask yourself what you want out of law school and determine if a given school can give you that.
If your purpose is in the legal field, having a low GPA is a hurdle you can readily jump.