The University of California at Berkeley Career Center indicates that, "Admissions committees not only look at your cumulative GPA from all undergraduate colleges and universities you attended, but also consider a year-to-year GPA breakdown. All courses taken for a letter grade are considered in this breakdown; in other words, the GPA in the major is not typically considered as a separate element. Because law schools examine your GPA year-to-year, substantial and continuing academic improvement will work to your advantage; improvement in grades reflects not only your ability to work hard, but also your ability to maneuver through college while grasping more difficult material."
The Florida State University Pre-Law Handbook advises that, "Many law schools consider performance trends along with your numerical grade point average. Thus, schools may discount a slow start in your college career if you perform exceptionally well in the later school years. At the same time, admissions committees may see a strong start followed by a mediocre finish as an indication of less potential to do well in law school.
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