Attempt at an addendum... Forum

[NorCalBruin]

I would like to briefly address two unsettling areas of my application: first, the subpar grades earned during the last two quarters of my senior year, and second, the Minor in Possession misdemeanor received during the spring quarter of my sophomore year.

During my senior year, my sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and severe depression. This development led me to make several trips home to be with my family, who, for better or worse, live about eight hours from Los Angeles. Consequently, my time was split between school and home. That, combined with the stress of work and my other extracurricular activities, made it especially difficult for me to excel academically during the second half of my senior year. Thankfully, my sister is doing much better now with the continued support of her family and medical professionals. She has since become independent, reenrolled in college, and successfully held down a job. I hope that you will understand that my grades during the second half of my senior year reflect an extraordinary circumstance and are not an accurate indicator of my ability to achieve academically in law school.

Secondly, I was cited for a Minor in Possession misdemeanor in Malibu State Park on May 25th, 2007 while camping during the winter quarter of my sophomore year. This was reduced to an infraction upon paying fines totaling $390 and completing several alcohol education sessions. This was a juvenile and embarrassing lapse in judgment that I have since learned and matured from.

Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

[northwood]

i would make this 2 seperate addendums. How much of an impact did those semesters have on your overall gpa? If its not a whole lot, then i wouldnt talk about it.

the posession one is pretty good. keep it short and to the point, which you did.

[NorCalBruin]

Thanks. The only thing I'm worried about making two addendums is that at schools with extra essays, say michigan or duke, then I will literally be attaching 4 files, which seems like a lot. As far as how much it affected my GPA. Probably around the realm of .2, before the last two quarters I had about a LSAC 4.0, and ended with an LSAC 3.8 -- so I had something like a 3.0 and a 2.6 in my last two quarters.

[northwood]

since overall you only went down .2, then you dont need to explain as your gpa is still very high.

also, dont worry about having multiple attachments. I also have 2 addendums, and i dont percieve them to be a big distraction to my applicaiton.

[mst]

1. This seems like definite addendum material for the grades. Going from a 4.0 to a 3.0 average kind of screams "slacker" or something in light of your senior year. Without any outside information, this is what they will assume.

2. Cut down on the GPA addendum a bit. "For Better or for worse," the detailed description of your sisters status, etc. : not necessary. This isn't about your writing ability nor is it about your sister. Short and concise so they can say "Oh, ok." and move on, instead of spending a few minutes debating it in their heads.

3. Separate the addendum's. Done.

[NorCalBruin]

Thanks. I'll cut it down. One more thing. If I seperate them, what should I title them? Misdemeanor Addendum? GPA Addendum? Thanks.

[goodmank]

2. Cut down on the GPA addendum a bit. "For Better or for worse," the detailed description of your sisters status, etc. : not necessary. This isn't about your writing ability nor is it about your sister. Short and concise

Agree