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I received a possession of mj charge towards the end of senior year of high school. I then completed a diversion program and paid a $1,000 "administrative fee" to ward off prosecution. There isn't really a justifiable reason for the arrest, other than I was stupid then but have since improved. Should I even bother with an addendum? If not, I plan on briefly addressing it in my personal statement as an obstacle that I overcame, etc.

I have a 3.6/162 and am applying to a few t25 schools, but more in the t50 range. I have URM status as well as good softs.

bigvol wrote:I received a possession of mj charge towards the end of senior year of high school. I then completed a diversion program and paid a $1,000 "administrative fee" to ward off prosecution. There isn't really a justifiable reason for the arrest, other than I was stupid then but have since improved. Should I even bother with an addendum? If not, I plan on briefly addressing it in my personal statement as an obstacle that I overcame, etc.

I have a 3.6/162 and am applying to a few t25 schools, but more in the t50 range. I have URM status as well as good softs.

I don't think it's much of an obstacle to overcome for a PS topic. It should be an addendum. I did this stupid thing, I jumped through all their hoops, the hoops were effective at correcting my path and I haven't done anything stupid since.

It will have a neglible effect on your chances. It was one fairly minor offense, 4+ years ago by the time you enter law school, and there's been no reoffense. If it had happened three times over the past 5 years, or you showed a pattern of escalation (possession=>intent to distribute=>something harder than pot or something) it'd probably hurt you.

Thanks a lot. I'm also curious about any negative impact that it could have on my chances. I've read that offenses that question one's integrity/honesty are more serious than "party" offenses, but I'm still apprehensive about it.

First time poster, still trying to figure this out. Thanks again.

If everyone who had a possession charge was barred from law school, we would have a crisis in this country of not having enough lawyers. Write the addendum, but don't worry about it.

You will be forced by the wording of some C&F questions to make this an addendum. Don't put this in your personal statement!The PS is about selling yourself. Why you want to be a lawyer etc. Don't dignify this incident in your PS: it is way too minor.

bigvol wrote:If not, I plan on briefly addressing it in my personal statement as an obstacle that I overcame, etc.

As others have said, don't do this. Don't do anything remotely like this.

The C&F section of your app will usually require you to add detail about this after you disclose it.

Ti Malice wrote:

bigvol wrote:If not, I plan on briefly addressing it in my personal statement as an obstacle that I overcame, etc.

As others have said, don't do this. Don't do anything remotely like this.

The C&F section of your app will usually require you to add detail about this after you disclose it.

Yeah this. Don't mention it in a ps.

SWIM had 3 weed convictions on their record and it didn’t seem to affect their cycle. They ended up attending a T20 on a 105k scholarship.

Only disclose the incident as a response to the C&F questions. Be super brief. The addendum should not be longer than a paragraph. Youll be fine.

I agree with everyone that posted above. Phrase your addendum briefly, like I imagine one would write an explanation for your bar ethics review. On June 2, 2002 I was cited for xyz infraction. I completed xyz and paid the fine. The End. No life lesson or apology.