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Hi,

I have a very low GPA (3.1) from a top 5 university. I scored a 171 on the LSAT, if that's relevant, and I have a few years of decently impressive work experience.

I'm wondering if it's worth it to write a GPA addendum. My experience was this: I was sexually assaulted three weeks before I started college, which was shattering. At the time, my parents were separating, and my family was totally broke (as in, I was withdrawn at one point because of unpaid bills to the university). It was a lot all at once. I worked a lot, all through my first year and second year, didn't seek professional help, and was basically a walking wreck for 2 years, bare minimum. Things got slightly better with time, but only slightly. I was depressed, not eating, not sleeping, and certainly not studying. My GPA went from below a 3.0 in my first year, to about a 3.4 in my junior year, and 3.3 in my senior year. Point being: like me, it got better, but never really all the way.

I want schools to know that I am not a C+/B- student or thinker. I've only applied to one school so far, and I included an addendum that detailed the financial burden, but did not mention the assault. I felt like that only gave part of the picture. But I'm concerned about going deeper. I've heard that an addendum shouldn't really address an entire college record, and I'm worried that my experience is insufficient to warrant the kinds of grades I got for as long as I did. If that's the case, then I'd rather not delve into something this painful at all, and just say "I worked a lot! I was too immature to balance my responsibilities!" That is also true, after all. It's just not the whole truth.

What do you guys think?

First of all, I'm really sorry that happened to you. It's heart breaking to hear about something like that and the toll it takes on a young person's life (to the point they are still dealing with the ramifications years later). But it's also great to see that you've become successful, and I certainly think you'll be able to do well in law with your GPA (without an addendum).

The conventional wisdom, and I believe it's generally true, is that adcoms do not care at all why your GPA is low, whether it's because you went to a school that gives notoriously low grades, or because your parents died. But I think in your case, a strong statement explaining your situation might give someone a reason to get your file some extra consideration. That said, I have no idea how much extra consideration it will get you, and the process might not be worth it, because, like I said, I think you'll still have some great options with your score/gpa now. Good luck!