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Hi,

I'll be applying to Law Schools this fall. While my GPA at the 4 year college where I received my degree after 4 semesters is above a 3.5, the five semesters I spent at community college drops is down to a 3.27. I did not have direction in community college, and only once I got into a 4 year and decided to study English literature and then go into law did I do well. Should I write an academic addendum where schools have the option?

FYI, my top choice for law school is University of Georgia (I'll be doing binding early admission) and they have an "Additional Information" option. Would something explaining my underachievement in community college be appropriate or well-advised?

No

Care to explain?

Given the information you have provided, I would say that an addendum would not help your application. Adcomms are used to seeing an upward trend in grades throughout UG years. Indeed, they tend to look favorably on this kind of trend because it shows that the candidate overcame initial struggles and acclimated to the college learning environment. In your case, you have less than a 3.3 to show for 5 semesters at a cc and somewhere around a 3.5 after that at your university. I don't think the gpa difference is great enough to warrant an addendum. You didn't have direction, and once you settled on an academic path, you managed to improve your grades. That much will be evident without an extra essay. If you had, say, a 2.2 from a few semesters of cc and then decided to take a break from school during which you worked and after which you went on to a university where you earned a 3.9, then yes, an addendum would make a world of difference. But this just seems like a standard case where someone gets used to college level work and settles on a major that allows him to showcase his strengths.

It would be better to focus on LSAT prep. That's the one half of this numbers game you can change.

devlindonohue wrote:Hi,

I'll be applying to Law Schools this fall. While my GPA at the 4 year college where I received my degree after 4 semesters is above a 3.5, the five semesters I spent at community college drops is down to a 3.27. I did not have direction in community college, and only once I got into a 4 year and decided to study English literature and then go into law did I do well. Should I write an academic addendum where schools have the option?

FYI, my top choice for law school is University of Georgia (I'll be doing binding early admission) and they have an "Additional Information" option. Would something explaining my underachievement in community college be appropriate or well-advised?

(1) what's your lsat?
(2) you shouldnt do binding early admission
(3) I disagree with the other poster and think you should do a brief 2-sentence addendum

If I understand, then your CC GPA was about a 3.0; is that correct ?

Regardless, I agree that a short note indicating the 3.5 GPA over the last 5 semesters was much higher than your LSDAS GPA is warranted because a 3.27 GPA is in the bottom 25% of Georgia's class. The short note might state that you initially lacked focus on or about your future plans; but once you realized where you were headed you produced very strong results. Also, individuals mature at different times in their respective lives. It seems that your goal of becoming a lawyer helped in this respect as well. Good luck!

devlindonohue wrote:Care to explain?

Your explanation doesn't help you. Lacking direction as a college freshman is not unique. Even worse for you, there are plenty of people who did just fine their first years of college.

A legit excuse for poor grades that SHOULD be put into an addendum is something like "I was undergoing chemotherapy" or "I was in a serious car accident" or "I was the sole breadwinner for my four siblings." Serious life circumstances under which most people would struggle. Not generic freshman immaturity.