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***Please do not Quote***

So, I attended college 2001-2005, completing all my degree requirements and all classes necessary for graduation, but I never actually got my degree because I didn't complete the procedural stuff to process my graduation.

I recently got re-enrolled and will graduate this year. (hopefully to start law school next year).

Why/How did this happen...
Back in 2004, I started working full time and providing for my family (my mom is disabled and that was a real tough time for us financially). Eventually, staying above water and doing what I needed to maintain our financial situation took priority over the degree. Plus, I felt like I already had a good job anyway. In hindsight, I think growing up in less than ideal circumstances made it easy to accept that.

Fast forward 9 years.. my moms health is stable, our finances are better, and I'm trying to reach higher than the level I accepted earlier.

So...How the heck do I explain this? I don't know if this is best served by an addendum, a non-traditional diversity statement, or some sort of prayer for forgiveness lol.

Sorry for such a long message, but any insight is greatly appreciated!

Sounds like excellent PS content/DS Content

I had a similar situation, where I never filed for my degree despite completing my course work. I finally did the paperwork several years later, before applying to law school.

I did not write an addendum. I got into all the schools I expected to get into. It's never been an issue.

If you do submit an addendum, do not write some bullshit excuse about your family situation. Such an excuse would justify a break from your coursework in undergrad (e.g., taking a year off between your sophomore and junior year to tend to an ailing parent). But I can't see what it has to do with your failure to file paperwork for nine years. You were just lazy; don't pretend otherwise.

Why do you have to explain anything? As long as you graduated, all they will really care about is the grades.

rpupkin wrote:I had a similar situation, where I never filed for my degree despite completing my course work. I finally did the paperwork several years later, before applying to law school.

I did not write an addendum. I got into all the schools I expected to get into. It's never been an issue.

If you do submit an addendum, do not write some bullshit excuse about your family situation. Such an excuse would justify a break from your coursework in undergrad (e.g., taking a year off between your sophomore and junior year to tend to an ailing parent). But I can't see what it has to do with your failure to file paperwork for nine years. You were just lazy; don't pretend otherwise.

Thank you for the responses. I don't think "lazy" is a fair characterization, but the fact that this situation could come across that way to you tells me a lot about how I should handle this and what I need to watch out for. I will probably try to weave it into a diversity statement and leave it at that.