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This question is two fold:

So i'm an AA female and by the end of my junior year(this semester), I will have a 3.55 GPA. I'm aiming for the top six law schools, so HYSCCN (But Harvard is my dream, I mean eat, sleep, and breathe Harvard). I know my GPA is lower, but I have Chronic tonsillitis which causes me to get sick every month resulting in high fever, severe joint and muscle pain, and inability to eat for days at a time. It has landed me in the hospital a few times. It was hard to initially diagnose because obviously to diagnose it as chronic it has to be happening for an extended amount of time and it's extremely uncommon in adults. Anyway, this really affected my freshman year (I got a 2.8 in the second semester), but since then my GPA has risen drastically each semester as I have learned to better cope with the tonsillitis (sophomore year I earned a 3.5 and last semester a 3.8 ). And it looks at though I will earn a 4.0 this semester. I am also finally receiving to surgery for the chronic tonsillitis this summer which means it will not affect me in law school.

How much will writing a GPA addendum help for Harvard and what would you say my chances are at getting in as an AA with a 3.55 and an addendum? (what sort of LSAT score would I need?) Thank you guys so much in advance!

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#1. Bust your ass to get your GPA as high as you can. You're right in the drop zone for AA's for H. If you apply with a 3.55, your LSAT target should be 170 to feel at least somewhat safe.

#2. The addendum seems like a good idea to explain your lower first year grades. Be concise about your explanation and avoid any hints of pathos.

I wouldn't write one if I didn't feel that it was necessary. I have been an A student all my life and I have absolutely no doubt that if it weren't for years of being constantly sick, I would have near a 4.0 gpa. So should keep the statement as factual as possible? Just explain what happened, how it affected my GPA and that's all? sounds simple enough

My practice tests have been averaging 176, and I know thats pretty high for an AA. If I score in that area, give or take a few points, should I be safe for Harvard?

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I definetly appreciate both of your suggestions!

HarvardHopeful95 wrote:My practice tests have been averaging 176, and I know thats pretty high for an AA. If I score in that area, give or take a few points, should I be safe for Harvard?

Uh, yes, if you can score 176, I think you'll be good at Harvard and probably will get Yale and Stanford too.

170 should be enough for Harvard though. You can't know for sure until you get a real score though.

Thank you so much, you have relieved a lot of my stress! I'm gonna bust my ass studying for the June LSAT