How is my academic history going to be treated as a prospective law student in Canada?
May 14, 2010 5:25 AM Subscribe
How is my academic history going to be treated as a prospective law student in Canada?
I graduated last week from a small university with a B.A. in Economics. I made the Dean's list with an overall average of ~84% (we don't do letter or GPA grades here; they won't even convert at the registrar's office to determine where you stand.) and will have at least one and possibly two good references coming from the university.
Everything sounds peachy, right? Well, not quite. In 2006/07, I went through a personal crisis and dropped out in the middle of two semesters (as in; dropped out, got 3 DISCs and an F; went back again and did the same the second semester, with 3 DISCs and two Fs); the result was several DISC (discontinued) courses and, most importantly, 3 Fs. I did not have the chance to de-register with any financial benefit and, stupidly, just stopped attending. I dropped out for two years, returned to school and completed my last seven courses in 2009-2010.
I asked my school about expunging those Fs but there is no process for that. I am wondering if, when submitting my transcript, this will be a big deal; unfortunately, they are within my last two years, so if a school only focuses on my last two years, they'll still be in play. I didn't have a course that I completed that was less than a 70% grade, indicating that the Fs likely were the result of something other than a pattern of just getting by. They are going to be paired with several mid to high 90s marks, indicating, I think, that I am a really inconsistent student.
The problem with that is that since I've returned to school, I've been a 90% student, landed a very sought-after government job before even graduating and have excelled since getting here. I am 26 now and have turned my life around for the better; I hardly drink at all, exercise daily and am completely aimed in the right direction. I want to go to law school very badly but am not sure how they'll handle my transcript.
Will the Fs show up on my final transcript? If I do really well on the LSATs and have generally high marks, will they take that into consideration? How, in Canada, do law schools calculate their incoming marks; will they include 0's for my F's or will they just calculate the courses I completed? I know I can approach my personal struggle in my personal statement and my references will give me great reviews, however I'm really worried about how I will be treated on paper.
Hive mind, can you give me some clarity on how prospective law students are treated in Canada? If necessary, my top two schools would be McGill and Dalhousie.
I graduated last week from a small university with a B.A. in Economics. I made the Dean's list with an overall average of ~84% (we don't do letter or GPA grades here; they won't even convert at the registrar's office to determine where you stand.) and will have at least one and possibly two good references coming from the university.
Everything sounds peachy, right? Well, not quite. In 2006/07, I went through a personal crisis and dropped out in the middle of two semesters (as in; dropped out, got 3 DISCs and an F; went back again and did the same the second semester, with 3 DISCs and two Fs); the result was several DISC (discontinued) courses and, most importantly, 3 Fs. I did not have the chance to de-register with any financial benefit and, stupidly, just stopped attending. I dropped out for two years, returned to school and completed my last seven courses in 2009-2010.
I asked my school about expunging those Fs but there is no process for that. I am wondering if, when submitting my transcript, this will be a big deal; unfortunately, they are within my last two years, so if a school only focuses on my last two years, they'll still be in play. I didn't have a course that I completed that was less than a 70% grade, indicating that the Fs likely were the result of something other than a pattern of just getting by. They are going to be paired with several mid to high 90s marks, indicating, I think, that I am a really inconsistent student.
The problem with that is that since I've returned to school, I've been a 90% student, landed a very sought-after government job before even graduating and have excelled since getting here. I am 26 now and have turned my life around for the better; I hardly drink at all, exercise daily and am completely aimed in the right direction. I want to go to law school very badly but am not sure how they'll handle my transcript.
Will the Fs show up on my final transcript? If I do really well on the LSATs and have generally high marks, will they take that into consideration? How, in Canada, do law schools calculate their incoming marks; will they include 0's for my F's or will they just calculate the courses I completed? I know I can approach my personal struggle in my personal statement and my references will give me great reviews, however I'm really worried about how I will be treated on paper.
Hive mind, can you give me some clarity on how prospective law students are treated in Canada? If necessary, my top two schools would be McGill and Dalhousie.
Best answer: I graduated undergrad several years ago and applied for law school late last year. I got in to my school of choice, UBC, even though I have a marginal pass on my transcript and another not-great grade in another class. I also have a W (withdraw). Then I have a whole lot of good grades, which is nice because UBC drops a few of your worst classes. My LSAT score was in the low 160s (I can't remember exactly).
Granted, my bad spots on my transcript aren't as bad as yours, or as numerous, but my overall average is about the same. I also have several years of work, volunteer, and international experience, which couldn't have hurt, although I think UBC goes strictly by the numbers. Bottom line: yes, you can go to law school. You might not go exactly where you want to go, but you can go.
posted by smorange at 7:58 AM on May 14, 2010
Granted, my bad spots on my transcript aren't as bad as yours, or as numerous, but my overall average is about the same. I also have several years of work, volunteer, and international experience, which couldn't have hurt, although I think UBC goes strictly by the numbers. Bottom line: yes, you can go to law school. You might not go exactly where you want to go, but you can go.
posted by smorange at 7:58 AM on May 14, 2010
Best answer: "Will the Fs show up on my final transcript?"
To find out, you need only request an official copy of your transcript. This should be exactly what your school would send to the law schools when you apply.
posted by onshi at 10:00 AM on May 14, 2010
To find out, you need only request an official copy of your transcript. This should be exactly what your school would send to the law schools when you apply.
posted by onshi at 10:00 AM on May 14, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Some schools rely more on personal statements (Osgoode or Windsor), and some more on numbers. There is no single formula used by all schools.
posted by girlpublisher at 6:32 AM on May 14, 2010