addendum necessary?? Forum

[pinkedelweiss]

I had to withdraw from some classes due to medical issues. I withdrew from two classes in my last semester. Before then I withdrew from two more because I changed majors and I no longer needed those classes to graduate, and I never re took them.
So my question is, do I write an addendum saying I had medical problems so I had to withdraw or explaining any of what I said above?
And, if I do have to explain my medical problems, do I have to say what the problems were, because they are kind of sensitive,and I don't feel comfortable saying that to the admission committee. Thoughts?

[bk1]

If it was a non-punitive withdrawal then you don't have to say anything.

If it was a punitive withdrawal, then I'd say add an addendum.

[3ThrowAway99]

If the app doesn't ask about it then I say def 'no'. If the app asks about medical leave or breaks in education then I think prob 'yes', in which case I would keep it as brief and to the point as possible. I have kind of wondered about this though myself (for apps like G-town and UPenn, which I didn't end up completing, but which have questions about unplanned breaks in edu from what I recall). I'm therefore interested to hear other feedback and experiences of people who have answered 'yes' to those questions and how they addressed it in addendum.

Edit: see below- I thought you took an actual medical leave rather than just withdrawing from a few classes while continuing with others.

[pinkedelweiss]

If it was a non-punitive withdrawal then you don't have to say anything.

If it was a punitive withdrawal, then I'd say add an addendum.

I am not sure what the difference is, it didn't affect my GPA, but it does show on my transcript and says "W" instead of a grade.

[3ThrowAway99]

If it was a non-punitive withdrawal then you don't have to say anything.

If it was a punitive withdrawal, then I'd say add an addendum.

I think this depends on what the app asks for. Again referencing G-town and Penn apps (maybe it was Cornell that was the other one that had the q), I don't think punitive or non-punitive was specified; it was more a question about any medical leaves or other unplanned breaks.

[3ThrowAway99]

I had to withdraw from some classes due to medical issues. I withdrew from two classes in my last semester. Before then I withdrew from two more because I changed majors and I no longer needed those classes to graduate, and I never re took them.
So my question is, do I write an addendum saying I had medical problems so I had to withdraw or explaining any of what I said above?
And, if I do have to explain my medical problems, do I have to say what the problems were, because they are kind of sensitive, I had an eating disorder, and even though I wasn't hospitalized my therapist recommended that I focus on recovery for a while and drop some classes. I don't feel comfortable saying that to the admission committee. Thoughts?

Oh, actually, it sounds like you just withdrew from some classes rather than a semester? In that case I think you don't need addendum in all likelihood.

[bk1]

If it was a non-punitive withdrawal then you don't have to say anything.

If it was a punitive withdrawal, then I'd say add an addendum.

I think this depends on what the app asks for. Again referencing G-town and Penn apps (maybe it was Cornell that was the other one that had the q), I don't think punitive or non-punitive was specified; it was more a question about any medical leaves or other unplanned breaks.

I think OP is saying they withdrew from classes, not that they took a semester off.