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GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:00 pm
by saintps123
My GPA fell between my 08-09 and 09-10 because I was spending a lot of time wrapped up in my parent’s divorce. It went from 3.50 to a 3.15. Is this worthy of an addendum?
On top if this I was very involved in philanthropy, so it was extremely hard to juggle the three things at once.
What do you think, should I write an addendum for this?
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:01 pm
by Moomoo2u
is your final GPA still a 3.5? if so, then no. If your final GPA is a 3.15 and you have previously had 3.5 and above every semester except those lsited and it somehow lowered your overall GPA massively, then yes.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:25 pm
by saintps123
This is the course of my GPA:
Frist year: 3.31
Second Year:3.50
Third Year: 3.15
Fourth Year:3.17
The divorce occurred between my second year and third year. My GPA on LSAC is a 3.28, not my best potential.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:42 pm
by Dany
It's not even that much lower than all your other years. Don't write one.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:58 pm
by Samara
I'm in the don't write one camp. You didn't improve after junior year, so what happened between junior and senior year? On paper, your 3.5 definitely looks like the outlier, not the true indicator.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:17 pm
by PJG70
I'm sure I understand why it would be harming my chances if I'm explaining a discrepancy in my application. I have a friend with a very similar situation and he didn't get into his top choice. When he call the school's admissions and they said that he wasn't accepted because of the inconsistency in his GPA, which was also attributed to a divorce between his 2nd and 3rd yr. He was also involved in 3 extracurricular orgs.
If there was a hardship in one's life that caused a GPA discrepancy, why would be bad to explain it?
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:17 pm
by FeelTheHeat
Dany wrote:It's not even that much lower than all your other years. Don't write one.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:19 pm
by Dany
PJG70 wrote:I'm sure I understand why it would be harming my chances if I'm explaining a discrepancy in my application. I have a friend with a very similar situation and he didn't get into his top choice. When he call the school's admissions and they said that he wasn't accepted because of the inconsistency in his GPA, which was also attributed to a divorce between his 2nd and 3rd yr. He was also involved in 3 extracurricular orgs.
If there was a hardship in one's life that caused a GPA discrepancy, why would be bad to explain it?
Because it's not a discrepancy.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:28 pm
by Samara
Dany wrote:PJG70 wrote:I'm sure I understand why it would be harming my chances if I'm explaining a discrepancy in my application. I have a friend with a very similar situation and he didn't get into his top choice. When he call the school's admissions and they said that he wasn't accepted because of the inconsistency in his GPA, which was also attributed to a divorce between his 2nd and 3rd yr. He was also involved in 3 extracurricular orgs.
If there was a hardship in one's life that caused a GPA discrepancy, why would be bad to explain it?
Because it's not a discrepancy.
+1
If your friend had seven semesters of 3.8 and one semester of 3.2 when the divorce happened, an addendum would likely be appropriate. However, in the case of the OP, the addendum sounds like it's trying to argue that adcomms should consider a GPA range that he/she achieved for only one year instead of the actual GPA that is clearly more representative of the OP's ability.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:30 pm
by PJG70
A 3.50 down to a 3.15 is something that will causion admissions. Also, it's the difference magna cum laude and no honors. If a divorce takes enough up time and energy from someone and their grades suffer, I still don't see how this isn't a discrepancy.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:31 pm
by Dany
PJG70 wrote:A 3.50 down to a 3.15 is something that will causion admissions. Also, it's the difference magna cum laude and no honors. If a divorce takes enough up time and energy from someone and their grades suffer, I still don't see how this isn't a discrepancy.
Look at
all the years.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:34 pm
by Kilpatrick
If you do write one I would make up a better excuse than your parents getting divorced. I mean, you were in college already. Tell them your grandma died or something.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:41 pm
by PJG70
Dany wrote:PJG70 wrote:A 3.50 down to a 3.15 is something that will causion admissions. Also, it's the difference magna cum laude and no honors. If a divorce takes enough up time and energy from someone and their grades suffer, I still don't see how this isn't a discrepancy.
Look at
all the years.
When considering all years, 3.3 is closer to a 3.5 then a 3.1 therefore it makes since that a hardship could change the trajectory of the final two years.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:44 pm
by Samara
PJG70 wrote:Dany wrote:PJG70 wrote:A 3.50 down to a 3.15 is something that will causion admissions. Also, it's the difference magna cum laude and no honors. If a divorce takes enough up time and energy from someone and their grades suffer, I still don't see how this isn't a discrepancy.
Look at
all the years.
When considering all years,
3.3 is closer to a 3.5 then a 3.1 therefore it makes since that a hardship could change the trajectory of the final two years.
Math fail. And again, the 3.5 was only achieved once. What about the OP's grades in the first and fourth years? If anything, drawing attention to the 3.5 will just make it look like a fluke.
ETA: and spelling fail for that matter. then=than & since=sense
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:47 pm
by Dany
PJG70 wrote:3.3 is closer to a 3.5 then a 3.1
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 11:17 pm
by Opie
Write an addendum about what caused your grades to be so much better your second year and why you think that that is a better representation of how you will perform in Law School.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 11:40 pm
by random5483
PJG70 wrote:Dany wrote:PJG70 wrote:A 3.50 down to a 3.15 is something that will causion admissions. Also, it's the difference magna cum laude and no honors. If a divorce takes enough up time and energy from someone and their grades suffer, I still don't see how this isn't a discrepancy.
Look at
all the years.
When considering all years, 3.3 is closer to a 3.5 then a 3.1 therefore it makes since that a hardship could change the trajectory of the final two years.
His first year grade is closer to his third and fourth year grades than his second year grade. Overall, I see at most a .2 drop in the Op's grade (the 3.5 just looks like an outlier). An addendum here is questionable because there is no clear drop in the Op's grade. A drop from 3.5 to 3.0 would be significant, but the Op's grade was not consistantly at a 3.5 before the divorce.
An addendum might help. On the other hand it might hurt. This is not a clear drop, and thus, the addendum is unlikely to have a significant beneficial impact.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 11:41 pm
by Dany
Opie wrote:Write an addendum about what caused your grades to be so much better your second year and why you think that that is a better representation of how you will perform in Law School.
No.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:01 am
by Sentry
Dany wrote:PJG70 wrote:3.3 is closer to a 3.5 then a 3.1
--ImageRemoved--
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:22 am
by AffordablePrep
I also think that divorce is so common in our country that it might not be sufficient to warrant a full semester's worth of mediocre work unless you combine it with depression or something else.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 1:10 am
by sunynp
It doesn't explain why you had 2 years of bad grades. An addendum won't help you. It may make you appear to not take responsability for your grades, so it could make things worse.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 7:31 am
by MumofCad
I think an addendum will make you look worse. You don't have anything to show that a 3.5 is representative of your work in that transcript. If I was the adcom considering admitting you on your GPA, I would look at this and go - "Wow, he can't take responsibility either. Full of excuses. Ding"
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 9:18 pm
by shredderrrrrr
I agree with Rory Gilmore. Your reasoning doesn't explain your senior year. If your senior year had closer to a 3.5, an addendum might be ok. But your Senior year is equally as low. If you believe the divorce before Junior year hurt your senior year grades, I doubt they'll buy it.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:10 pm
by saintps123
See, my junior grades ranged from C+'s to B's in all courses.
My senior year, I took 8 classes. 6 of the 8 were B+'s- A+'s which were all directly related to my major. The 2 other courses, being spanish each semester, I got a C- and D+. My senior I was also working part time to help with my budget and reduce my student loans. On top of that, I was heavily involved in a philanthropy position.
Re: GPA Addendum Divorce
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:50 pm
by sparty99
No, your grades are bad and do not require an addendum. It is what it is. You had a 3.3 your first semester. Your last semster, you raised your gpa from a 3.15 to 3.17. That IS HARDLY IMPRESSIVE. In addition, you had a a C- and D+ in SPANISH. People usually show an upward trend their juniors and senior years. You did the opposite. You do not have sound reasoning and should not write an addendum.