GPA Addendum? Forum

[takeittothelimit]

Mike and Karen,

First time poster here. In college, I had a diagnosed mental disorder that severely impacted my GPA in a negative manner in my freshman and sophomore years. However, following treatment and medication, my GPA was significantly higher my last two years. My overall GPA is just under 2.9. I was considering discussing the mental disorder in my PS or an addendum but I am afraid that, even though I am in total remission and have been for years, an admissions committee may feel as though I cannot handle the stress of law school or practicing law or may have some other prejudice against my application. Do you think I should write an addendum in this case? If so, should I be vague and just say a "severe medical issue" or should I specifically state what the diagnosis was? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

[Nova]

I see you were trying to post in Mike & Karen's thread, but you accidently made your own thread.

IMO...

Do you think I should write an addendum in this case?

yeah

If so, should I be vague and just say a "severe medical issue" or should I specifically state what the diagnosis was?

be specific

[takeittothelimit]

Thank you for the response. I posted the question over there as well. Any other thoughts are greatly appreciated!

[BPlaura]

Write an addendum (don't shoehorn it in to your PS unless it's part of a broader story that you're trying to tell, and don't talk about the change in GPA in your PS).

For something like that, law schools want to know that you had a good reason (check) and that the issue is now under control (check). So that's what you should emphasize. Just explain the facts, explain how you treated/handled it, and explain how you have been symptom-free since then.