Does taking less than 5 courses for your undergrad effect your admission chances?

[Jk1997]

I only took 4 classes per semester in undergrad 

[goonersfc]

Chances, are obviously, subjective to the quality of applicants each year. But, if it is any help, I never took more than 5 courses in any term during my undergrad, and made it to law school, three years ago. 

[CleanHands]

Is it just me or have variations on this thread/question been posted like half a dozen times in the past week?

It doesn't matter.

Perhaps an answer to this question should be stickied or in an FAQ or something.

[Yogurt Baron]

I can't speak to anything from, you know, the 21st century or whatever, but back in my day, "taking a full course load"  was right up there with "having legal experience" and "being treasurer of a campus club" among obnoxious shit that people had somehow internalized as integral to the process. I am aware of one law school in particular where lots of applicants thought it mattered how many classes you'd taken at one time, but I have no idea if that was ever true or still is. Agreed, we're seeing it a ton lately.

[Jk1997]

1 hour ago, CleanHands said:

Is it just me or have variations on this thread/question been posted like half a dozen times in the past week?

It doesn't matter.

Perhaps an answer to this question should be stickied or in an FAQ or something.

Thanks for the response, I got worried because Queens Specifically state "To be a competitive applicant, you should have at least an “A-” average (grade point average [GPA] of 3.7) in the top 2 years of your undergraduate degree program At A FULL COURSE LOAD along with an LSAT score of at least 157."

[Jk1997]

1 hour ago, goonersfc said:

Chances, are obviously, subjective to the quality of applicants each year. But, if it is any help, I never took more than 5 courses in any term during my undergrad, and made it to law school, three years ago. 

Do you mean 4 courses?

[ClarkGriswold]

1 hour ago, Jk1997 said:

“To be a competitive applicant, you should have at least an “A-” average (grade point average [GPA] of 3.7) in the top 2 years of your undergraduate degree program At A FULL COURSE LOAD”

I’ve always wondered about the requirement of those B2 years being at a full/full time course load. I know someone who received an offer from Queen’s two cycles ago that had a cGPA of 3.48, B2/L2 of 3.75, and a 160 LSAT. The catch for them was that their B2/L2 was made up with three courses per term for those two years, with spring/summer courses making up the extra credits. 

6 courses per Fall/Winter school year in their B2 made them not have a full time course load in those years per what Queen’s says (they want 8+). I remember seeing a few posts on the old forum where some applicants said they received offers with a competitive B2 (under 8 courses in those school years) and an uncompetitive cGPA. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by ClarkGriswold

[Jk1997]

14 minutes ago, ClarkGriswold said:

I’ve always wondered about the requirement of those B2 years being at a full/full time course load. I know someone who received an offer from Queen’s two cycles ago that had a cGPA of 3.48, B2/L2 of 3.75, and a 160 LSAT. The catch for them was that their B2/L2 was made up with three courses per term for those two years, with spring/summer courses making up the extra credits. 

6 courses per Fall/Winter school year in their B2 made them not have a full time course load in those years per what Queen’s says (they want 8+). I remember seeing a few posts on the old forum where some applicants said they received offers with a competitive B2 (under 8 courses in those school years) and an uncompetitive cGPA. 

Thanks for this, makes me feel a lot better

[Jk1997]

1 hour ago, ClarkGriswold said:

I’ve always wondered about the requirement of those B2 years being at a full/full time course load. I know someone who received an offer from Queen’s two cycles ago that had a cGPA of 3.48, B2/L2 of 3.75, and a 160 LSAT. The catch for them was that their B2/L2 was made up with three courses per term for those two years, with spring/summer courses making up the extra credits. 

6 courses per Fall/Winter school year in their B2 made them not have a full time course load in those years per what Queen’s says (they want 8+). I remember seeing a few posts on the old forum where some applicants said they received offers with a competitive B2 (under 8 courses in those school years) and an uncompetitive cGPA. 

Also seems like gpa and lsat can override these other “requirements”

[QueensDenning]

No it doesn't matter. Didn't for me at least. 

[Londonlawyer]

On 9/24/2021 at 6:48 PM, Jk1997 said:

Also seems like gpa and lsat can override these other “requirements”

Hey, I feel like this is a hot topic but in my opinion it isn't worth worrying about if you've already completed the course loads.

Nothing is going to change how many courses you took each semester. I took three one semester and six other semesters because I was in a dual degree program and was working full time. I don't see it being a detriment to my application because there is no way for me to change what's already happened and at the end of the day, I still have a strong GPA so I don't think the number of courses I took will absolutely ruin my application or anything. Hope this helps! 🙂 

[Lycidas]

Don't think it matters. 

[Pantalaimon]

4 hours ago, Londonlawyer said:

Hey, I feel like this is a hot topic but in my opinion it isn't worth worrying about if you've already completed the course loads.

Nothing is going to change how many courses you took each semester.

This is a very healthy attitude. If you get into law school, try to carry it forward!