Warning: this HUGE thing you can do is not for the faint of the heart. It requires focus, discipline, and the willingness to work harder and longer than most of your classmates. But, if you do this successfully, the rewards will change the trajectory of your law school career and give you the boost of confidence you need to go forth and conquer your law school journey.
So, are you ready? Are you ready to learn the one HUGE thing you can to raise your law school GPA this summer?
Without further ado, here it is…
Take a summer class (or two).
Yup, more work, and more student loans (up front), but a solid opportunity to get another high grade on your transcript and factored into your GPA before the fall semester starts. Keep these tips in mind if you consider taking a summer law school class:
- Do the math. Calculate what your GPA would be if you get an A, A-, B+, etc. in a 1 credit class, 2 credit class, 3 credit class, etc., and see if it would increase your GPA to a point that it would be worth taking on a summer course load. For some, if you are at a 2.93 or something similar, that boost to a 3.05 or something similar, for example, would make a huge difference in qualifying for future jobs or internships that require at least a 3.0 GPA. And having a higher GPA sooner would allow you to have a better GPA to build on as you resume fall courses. In addition to doing the math regarding your GPA, do the math regarding financial aid. If you take 3 credits in the summer, for example, you will be able to take less credits in your 2L and 3L year — meaning you would take out less in loans in your later years in school. But, don’t take my word for it! Make sure you talk with someone in your academic success and financial aid offices about this to make sure the math would work out for you.
- Be strategic. If you don’t do well with 3-hour final exams, maybe look for a course with a final paper instead. If you are interested in pursuing a career in family law, then maybe take a course in family law instead of corporations. If you did not do well in civil procedure, then maybe don’t take a federal courts class in the summer. If there is a professor with whom you would like to work closely, consider asking to do an independent study course with them and produce a high-quality paper. You want to make sure you sign up for a class in a subject and format you are comfortable with so you can almost ensure success; doing poorly in a summer class could leave you with a worse GPA than what you started with.
- Assess your state of mind. If you were to take a summer class, are you in the state of mind to handle taking a class and working on a paper after coming home from working your full-time internship? Are you OK with having to miss several happy hours and summer parties to study or work on your draft for class? Have you learned what went wrong that you received the grades you received? Do you think you are ready to jump back into classes? These and other questions are important to answer before you make the jump. Of course you can pray for strength, wisdom, etc. to help you if you do decide to take on a summer course load, but make sure you pray for guidance before making the commitment to see if this is where God wants you putting your energy.
- Assess your risk comfort level. Are you comfortable taking a summer class and sacrificing more time, effort, and up-front student loan money knowing there is a chance you may not get an A or A-? Can you afford to get less than a B+ in a summer class? Is the possibility of a higher GPA worth the extra cost time time, effort, and resources?
- Act fast. The deadline to register for summer classes is often not too long after you receive your spring grades, so you would need to do and consider the above and register by the deadline.
Whatever you decide, make sure you learn from your experiences and take a strategic approach to your law school journey!
If you want an accountability coach to help you stay on track with your summer course load (I did an independent study while being a research assistant and doing two internships my 1L summer), check out my Coach.Me page to learn how I can help you!
Want to comment with your thoughts, personal story, etc. but don’t want it out on the worldwide web? Make sure you join Grace for the Grind™ Career Mastermind, my free private online community for Christian women lawyers, law students, and young professionals who want God’s grace for the professional grind, and comment on this and other posts, discussion forums, leadership Bible studies, and more in the community!
