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Need Advice!!

My very first semester in undergrad was very different than any other semester, i ended failing a class and making C's in two others (my only f or C ever in college) the reason is not really one i consider a good reason especially to tell Adcomms probably but basically i just underestimated what college was about and thought I could get away with not studying or anything just like I did in high school and because of that i suffered

if my first semester would have been on par with the rest of my semesters my gpa would be about 1.5-2 points higher than it is right now


should i even write a gpa addendum or will this come off as a very poor excuse and turn the adcomms off to my application??

It seems to me that it is a good explanation and not an excuse. If you were to just explain it, I think it would neither hurt not hinder your prospects. However, if you write in such a way that assures the admissions committee that this was a one time thing, from which you learned a less that you will bring with you as you start law school, it could actually help.

Plus, if you leave it unexplained, they probably will just assume the worst.

PKozi wrote:It seems to me that it is a good explanation and not an excuse. If you were to just explain it, I think it would neither hurt not hinder your prospects. However, if you write in such a way that assures the admissions committee that this was a one time thing, from which you learned a less that you will bring with you as you start law school, it could actually help.

Plus, if you leave it unexplained, they probably will just assume the worst.

Sorry, but....NO, ignore this dude. Do not write an addendum if all you're going to write is "I thought college was going to be easy and that I could slack off, but lol it wasn't." PKozi mentioned them 'assuming the worst'...this is the worst possible reason. Why would you want to CONFIRM that fact instead of leaving it out entirely? Most people write an addendum because they had family deaths, illnesses, or other sort of unique/extenuating circumstances that caused their grade loss.

If anything you're drawing attention to your bad grades instead of providing an explanation for them (and, btw, it comes off as an excuse, not an explanation). If it was the ONLY semester where your grades failed, you don't need to write a GPA addendum. The upward trend will speak for itself--a lot of people have lower grades their freshman year because they are getting accustomed to college life.

Thanks Crumpets, that is what i was thinking i dont want to come off as just another whiner i think i might just throw a sentence or reference to it in my personal statement maybe...im not sure yet

lebron 4 president wrote:Thanks Crumpets, that is what i was thinking i dont want to come off as just another whiner i think i might just throw a sentence or reference to it in my personal statement maybe...im not sure yet

Honestly, unless it directly relates to your PS (which I can't imagine it would unless it was the subject of your PS/your PS was about your transition into college...which is probs not the best PS idea) I would just leave it out completely. Your good grades should speak for themselves, particularly if there was a strong upward trend.


ETA: if you REALLLYY want to do an addendum though, make it short. Something like "I had a rough transition between high school and college, which accounts for my low grades freshman year X semester. As my later grades show, I have matured quite a bit since then, and my later grades are far more indicative of my true abilities. I am well aware of the time, hard work, and diligence necessary to succeed in law school and have every intention of working as hard as possible to achieve good grades there." Or summat.

okay thanks again ..yeah my grades do show a great upwards trend after freshman year so it should be good

lebron 4 president wrote:okay thanks again ..yeah my grades do show a great upwards trend after freshman year so it should be good

NP, check my edit if you end up writing an addendum anyway. (: good luck!