champsound wrote:mst wrote:Honestly I feel like post-application addenda for things like Previous LSATs are huge wastes of time, especially without a good reason. And no, things like "studied for the 2nd one" are not good reasons. This is basically assumed when they see improvement. An LSAT addendum should 1)be included in the original app and not as a WL breaker and 2)only concern very serious, tangible reasons.
LOCI's should focus on things like fall grades, new positions, new letters, new lsats, new developments, and a statement that says "I STILL WANT TO GO HERE RULL BAD." That's it.
Ugh, I wish you said this 2 days ago. I submitted an addenda for multiple LSATs without "serious, tangible reasons" by email as my application was still processing. If they put it in after they already review my file I'm going to look like a huge douchebag. According to the status checker, my file goes under review today. So I'll find out if it was a great idea or a huge mistake pretty soon.
Meh. I agree that the addendum should ideally be part of the original application. I'm not sure sure it needs to have "serious, tangible reasons." Of course that would be ideal, and we should all have fantastic reasons why our first LSAT scores blew. But even when that's not the case, I think schools (most of them, anyway) want to hear something from you about it. The interviews I read with T-14 admissions deans while I was putting my application together suggested that most of them want to get an explanation from you. If I recall correctly, most of their comments seemed to implicitly assume that we would all have great reasons, which of course isn’t so. But I’d rather that they read an addendum from me and then conclude that “that’s not a really great reason for the increase” then not get one and wonder why I didn’t follow directions.
I think the key to a decent addendum when you don’t have very good reasons is not to make it sound like you’re grasping for excuses. Just saying, “I should have prepared better for the first one. I was very enthusiastic about attending law school and I didn’t want to wait another year to apply, but I should have. I have learned this lesson, as demonstrated by x” is fine, I think - admitting fault and showing that you’re smarter now.
For my own LSAT addendum (I went from a 163 to a 171), I wrote that after I had registered for the December test, things kicked into gear at my job and I had to work late nights all the time. (This was bolstered by my PS, which was largely about my job, and an LOR from my boss about what a hard worker I am.) I said I should have resigned myself to skipping the test, but I didn’t want to wait another year to go to law school. I should have been more patient. I took the test again the next September, using the calmer summer months to study, and came in much better prepared.
It has seemed to work so far… I mean, NYU has clearly waitlisted me, but that could have happened even without the 163. I’m in everywhere that I could have counted on, and held at CLS.