First post here. Hope this isn't well trodden ground already, but if so, link me in the right direction and I'd appreciate it.
Anyway, my mom was terminally ill the first two years of undergrad. My GPA suffered (relatively -- down to a 3.6ish) because I was splitting my time, going home to take care of her.
She passed between sophomore/junior year and my GPA has gone up considerably for obvious reasons (it'll probably be a 3.9 or so for my last two years, making it a 3.75ish on the whole).
My question is this: will any of this info be taken into consideration? Assuming my LSAT puts me where I've tested (170+), I want to apply HYS, but with the understanding that a 3.9 gpa is more reflective of my capabilities.
Illness that affected GPA? Forum
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MrBalloons
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Illness that affected GPA?
Last edited by MrBalloons on Sat May 24, 2014 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Cicero76
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Re: Illness that affected GPA?
It sucks, but the answer is no. There's just not a consistent way to reflect this across applicants, and 3.6 is still the GPA that counts for their ranking. A compelling story will help at the very top schools, but only to an extent
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wealtheow
- Posts: 1034
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Re: Illness that affected GPA?
Some of the more holistic schools may take it into consideration, if they like the rest of your profile, and they have flexibility with their numbers.
I got into Harvard this cycle, and waitlisted at Yale, with a 3.75, so don't think that GPA will necessarily keep you out. I had reasons for the "low" GPA, but was afraid that adcomms would think I was a depressive/neurotic or something equally damning, so I didn't do an addendum. Because your situation is more of an "external force outside of your control," it is a bit more legit than the usual scenarios brought up around here (maturity issues, depression etc. - not that those aren't legit, but that they leave too much room for "judgment"). So, if I were you, I'd feel comfortable writing a short - short - addendum regarding this, but I'd be very careful and deliberate in tone and with what is shared.
That being said, Cicero is unfortunately correct - it doesn't make a difference w/ regard to what counts for the ranking. Just make sure that LSAT is high enough to "offset" it.
Also, sorry for your loss.
eta: oops, deleted some sentences!
I got into Harvard this cycle, and waitlisted at Yale, with a 3.75, so don't think that GPA will necessarily keep you out. I had reasons for the "low" GPA, but was afraid that adcomms would think I was a depressive/neurotic or something equally damning, so I didn't do an addendum. Because your situation is more of an "external force outside of your control," it is a bit more legit than the usual scenarios brought up around here (maturity issues, depression etc. - not that those aren't legit, but that they leave too much room for "judgment"). So, if I were you, I'd feel comfortable writing a short - short - addendum regarding this, but I'd be very careful and deliberate in tone and with what is shared.
That being said, Cicero is unfortunately correct - it doesn't make a difference w/ regard to what counts for the ranking. Just make sure that LSAT is high enough to "offset" it.
Also, sorry for your loss.
eta: oops, deleted some sentences!
