LSAT addendum Forum

[jgconte]

Please delete thread, it was meant to be posted somewhere else.

[rebexness]

[spicyyoda17]

I don't think that addendum will be worth much.

FWIW, most people WOULD get better scores if given optimal studying conditions.

+1

Adcom thoughts when reading this = "you should have postponed/cancelled/taken at a later date"

[rinkrat19]

Addenda really only work if you have something concrete to compare your underperformance to. Like "I did shitty on LSAT 1 because of X circumstance, but I did awesome on LSAT 2, and the SAT, and the GRE." (And even then, they don't have much effect.)

Just asking them to take it on faith that you could have done better is not a terribly convincing argument. Otherwise we'd all submit addenda swearing up and down that we actually deserved 4.0s and 180s.

[uvabro]

I think this addendum would be counterproductive. There are many military personnel who get over a 170, and using Cancer is not a good excuse at all in my opinion, because it isn't like she was diagnosed righttttt before the test. The obvious response is, "why didn't you handle that first, then retake the test?" Law schools are forgiving about things like tragedy, but forgiving doesn't mean compensating. You are asking them to treat you like someone who got a 170, because your mom got Cancer. I don't think they'll take kindly to that.

[jgconte]

I appreciate the feedback (though this was mistakenly made its own thread -new to the online forum thing).

What I didnt want was for it to appear that I was trying to use my situation as an 'excuse' for a low score and ask to be treated like a better score, which it was taken as. Rather, it was used as an explanation for why I was applying to a school though I was out of range LSAT wise, and to hold off on making a decision until schools recieved my second LSAT score. Instead of saying 'hey i work really hard and mom has cancer let me in' it was meant to say 'hey this guy has an intense schedule with outside family obligations due to cancer, this score might not be fully indicative of what he can do lets hold off on judgement for now".

And why still take the test in such a situation? Really because im not 100% certain I will be able to take the december LSAT in which case i'd have no LSAT on record for the 2013 cycle.

Thanks again for the feedback,
Good luck to all!

[rebexness]

[jgconte]

I am pretty sure schools will hold your app when they see you have signed up for the next LSAT. If you wrote an addendum indicating that, I would go something along the lines of:

"I believe my current LSAT score does not accurately represent my abilities and will be retaking in xXX12". Simple. Don't make excuses.

yea its a crap idea, I agree this is the best way to go- thx!