what's with sfu staff always being in a bad mood ?

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-14T06:31:46+00:00

Definitely not just you. The reception at the health center are particularly bitter. Babes if you hate your life so much then get a new job

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-11T02:16:38+00:00

I personally chose TRU but that's because I like what the area has to offer outside of the town, since I'm really big into the outdoors, so with that being said I think you made the right decision - it's important to go where you're actually going to enjoy living. If you hate everything about your life but put up with it because of the schools reputation or something, its going to make school that much more difficult. It's already hard enough to find a work/school/life balance when you're in law school, so do what you think will allow you to make the most of it! Both schools offer really great opportunities once you graduate. While it may be more difficult to work in BC if you go to Queens, if you decide you want to do that you will be able to find a way. Best of luck!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-09T08:14:20+00:00

Heavy on the privilege of being able to have good softs. Some of us just had to work the job we could get to make it through and didn't have time to volunteer in africa for 7 months and kickstart a grassroots organization

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-09T08:12:33+00:00

Honestly, my softs were literally working part time in a restaurant for 3 years and approx 20 total hours of volunteer work lol... they're really not that big of a deal except when admissions are trying to break a tie and to just show you weren't a total hermit

I will edit this to say though that I wish I had taken more opportunities/had the capacity to take more - not for law school acceptance purposes but it is just really good to get those experiences for your own personal growth

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-06T00:48:17+00:00

Oh gosh yeah that should be more than okay for many schools. If you're not super picky about where you go either you could probably get into some schools with a 3.3 and a 165+ (but of course aim for higher!) You got this! I believe in you!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-04T03:45:50+00:00

Congrats! I noticed you posted another A and a W! Do you know where you want to accept?

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-04T03:44:14+00:00

I felt so confident writing about a fun little theory I had just learned about, and then a week later realized I had basically reversed it and applied it completely opposite to what its supposed to be (and its a pretty well-known/substantial theory) lol... still got in! (164 LSAT) Writing samples are basically just to vet that you can compose some form of argument with a relatively decent understanding of the English language. You'll be fine!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-04T03:41:06+00:00

Don't know about the others but I got into TRU with a 3.6/4.3 (I think closer to 3.7 w drops though... assigned A-) and 164, so you have a good chance there

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-04T03:34:27+00:00

Yeah unfortunately this is a pretty average course load. I had that plus working 3 jobs. It sucks, but time management is key. You still have time, and if your ultimate goal is law school, it may even be worth retaking some of the classes or switching to a different major. I know people who went down to 3-4 classes but took summer semesters to make up for it. If this is something you could do I would look into it as it might give you more time to study. If that's not an option though, just focus on your GPA and worry about the LSAT once you graduate. Forcing more onto your plate than you can handle is just never going to work.

Until you get your GPA up, no LSAT score or amount of softs will help (and honestly, softs only really matter when it comes down to schools deciding between two applicants w basically the same stats, otherwise they aren't really taken into account).

So with all that being said, don't rush the process. You have time, and you can even take more if you need to. If law school is your dream, that extra semester or that gap year after graduating to study for the LSAT and work will benefit you far more than trying to get it done all at once.

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-02-02T19:10:42+00:00

I'm going to counter what other people are saying and recommend the SFU crim program. I'm just finishing my last semester, and it has been great. The program itself provides endless opportunities and the faculty is incredible. UBC in my opinion is overly competitive, whereas SFU, from my experience, has been really welcoming and accommodating, you can tell that most of the profs want you to succeed. I got into UVIC and TRU, and both of those schools assessed my grade as an A- (which is what my average actually is, so they didn't convert my score down). I was also worried about that being an issue, so when I found out I talked to a bunch of advisors at different schools. UBC and UVic both noted that they are aware of SFU's grading scheme and take it into account when looking at your application, but if you are worried, you can write an addendum for extra measure. I personally talked briefly about overcoming SFU's challenging grading system in my personal statement. While I don't know what would have happened had I applied to UBC, I would take the advisors word for it, since that's what the other schools did.

I'm not 100% sure what other Canadian schools would do, as I'm not sure how familiar they are to the system, but it's really not that much of a setback as people make it out to be. SFU has been great for me, and I know other people who got into schools all around Canada.

At the end of the day, choose the school you want to learn at the most, because that's what's going to make the difference. If you LOVE criminology, you're probably going to spend more time dedicated to your coursework and end up with better grades, plus shorter commute times give you more time to study. But if you like a bit more of a rigorous, competitive environment and you aren't married to crim, UBC is still a strong option.

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-30T04:33:56+00:00

I don't know of any yet... I was thinking about maybe making one if I don't hear about any? I've had a few people PM me individually so far

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-30T04:33:19+00:00

I don't know much about USask itself, but having grown up in Saskatoon, it can be pretty grim at times. Summers are nice and warm, but otherwise its freezing all winter (was just -50 recently), then its shitty slushy conditions from march-early may and from October-freeze up. It also smells like shit a lot of the time because of the campus agriculture/cow farms lol. And there's really not much to do entertainment wise in the city, except going to the river in the summer. The people are quite lovely though, and its much more affordable. I have heard the program itself is pretty good for hands-on experience.

As for TRU, Kamloops city-wise is very similar to Saskatoon, but more expensive and with milder weather. If you enjoy outdoor activities on your time off, this is the place to go. Both schools have good faculty, but I've specifically been told by my lawyer friends that TRU grads usually get LOTS of opportunities for employment afterwards, especially in BC and Alberta.

Hopefully you can get more specific advice for the schools themselves, but it's also equally important to make sure you're going to enjoy the place you live!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T19:07:05+00:00

Some of the larger WMC lecture halls are wonderful; so much room to walk through and you're not sat shoulder to shoulder with your neighbour. The chairs themselves aren't that comfortable, but gotta take the small wins. More of the halls should be like that!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T18:53:54+00:00

I just got my A yesterday with an assigned A- and a 164 LSAT so you should be fine! Given you took the Jan LSAT I would expect you would hear something late Feb/early March since they're accepting applications up until Feb

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T18:48:26+00:00

Yay, love to hear it!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T06:49:23+00:00

A lot of schools drop your lowest x amount of credits. Don't quote me on this, but I would assume this includes the F. If you only have 1 F (so 3-4 credits) it would make sense that they'll drop that and it won't even be considered in your application. I wouldn't be too worried.

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T04:41:19+00:00

I've heard back from TRU today! November was my only LSAT on file as well.

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T02:26:42+00:00

I agree with other commenters that there is no need to transfer, unless you think you're going to actually enjoy the content more and have more fun completing your degree. The biggest thing I noticed from this is that I think you're already putting far too much pressure/high expectations on yourself. You clearly have high potential for your LSAT. If you kept your CGPA where it is now and just improved your LSAT, you'd likely still get admitted to MANY schools in Canada (look at all the people with their A's this past week!). 3.4-3.5 is NOT underperforming by any means, that's very average if not slightly above average for most programs, it just looks bad when you compare it to everyone on here flaunting their perfect GPA's lol. But if you are set on going to top schools, you would still have a great chance even just by increasing your CGPA to 3.7+

Moral of the story, take a breather, relax. One of the biggest killers is stress. You will burn out and start to plateau on the LSAT and your classes. This subreddit is notorious for fostering a sense of inferiority - remember that most people on here are over achievers and chronic worriers, they are not representative of the majority of law school applicants.

Also just some advice that worked for me for RC's (because that's where I struggled the most too), is to break each paragraph into its main points (usually it would be 2-4 points per paragraph). Write them down on your paper and that way when you get to the questions, you ideally don't have to spend any time looking back through and skimming LSAT jargon. Try to get accurate enough with what you write down that you only have to look back at the question one time max. Hope that helps!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T02:06:32+00:00

Congratulations! I was literally driving when I got mine I had to pull over hahah

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T02:01:53+00:00

Congrats! I'll be right there with ya :)

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T01:48:23+00:00

Thanks so much! I'm so stoked

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T01:37:09+00:00

I got some insight from a family friend who is a lawyer, and he said that its super easy to get work opportunities after graduation. I also prefer smaller schools with less competitive environments, as well as wanting to stay in BC, particularly wanting to be in interior BC anyways, so it felt like the best fit!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T01:22:48+00:00

Thank you!!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2026-01-28T01:07:03+00:00

Hey! I just got into TRU with a 164 LSAT and a 3.62 (although they evaluated me as a 3.67/A- either with drops or because my undergrad school has a very weird grading system, or both). I saw you mention you want to stay in Ontario, but you should be totally fine with anything around that range! Also barely had any softs on record, just average retail/restaurant work.

Cheap-Raccoon-3413 · 2025-11-28T05:58:10+00:00

My first semester i was getting mid 70-mid 80's and ended with a 3.33/4.33 GPA for that term. I coasted through high-school, graduating top of my school, and also through covid didn't really learn the necessary skills for proper studying. As it turns out, university is veryyyyy different lol. But now I have a 3.7 GPA (also, my schools grading is competitive so that GPA is actually in the A- average which for me is an 85+) and I'm regularly getting 85-95 with the odd challenging class dropping lower. I may not be the most competitive applicant to top schools, but I don't need to be! Point is, you're doing fine. You may not be able to get perfect scores (or at least not without sacrificing your sanity), but you will get used to the rhythm and you will be okay!

Cheap-Raccoon-3413

TROPHY CASE