Rec Letter/Addendum Question Forum

[mjp21]

Hello,

I have a dilemma about who to ask for letters of rec from and a transcript addendum.

Background: I attended three universities for undergrad. The first two were in the top 20, and the 3rd (where I will be graduating) is a state school that has a poor reputation in-state and is virtually unknown outside of it.
The reason for the frequent transfers were financial. Each year my aid was reduced disproportionately to the small changes in my family income. This in turn also caused me to work two part-time jobs while enrolled in school affecting my GPA.

Question 1: Personally I felt the strongest connection to my professors at my 2nd University. Would it seem strange to only have rec letters from them and not faculty at the 3rd school that is awarding my degree?

Question 2: Are transcript addenda effective provided the applicant has a strong LSAT/resume? Even though I have a 168 and an extensive resume (advocacy group founder/president, internships, volunteering etc) I’m worried admissions will be distracted by me attending 3 schools and my roller coaster gpa.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

[cavalier1138]

1. Always choose professors who know you well.

2. Not really. The only "effective" addenda is one that alerts the adcomms to circumstances outside your control that directly affected your GPA and that they wouldn't be able to figure out by reading the rest of your application. That said, I think you probably need to submit an addendum to explain the transfer situation. I don't think it will mitigate your GPA issues, but it will clarify the reasons for attending three schools (which might otherwise raise eyebrows).

[The Lsat Airbender]

Yeah, the addendum unlikely to do a lot of positive work, but it could prevent someone from making the unfair assumption that you kept changing schools because you were struggling as a student.

If you're trying to get into a T14 school I'd strongly consider retaking the LSAT, as a 168 with a <3.5 GPA is basically a dead letter but even a 170 has pretty decent odds to get in somewhere.