Advice on if I should write about this for a GPA addendum... Forum

[NomNom]

I graduated from college in 2001. I am now 32...about to be 33. I graduated from Texas A&M and my sophomore year is when the bonfire collapsed killing twelve of us. I knew some of these kids and it really upset me for a long time after. My college grades weren't stellar for this and other reasons. I am already approaching the other big issue I faced in my personal statement, but I was wondering if discussing the Bonfire tragedy (not to mention 9/11 my senior year) would be worth my time.

Thanks.

[20130312]

I graduated from college in 2001. I am now 32...about to be 33. I graduated from Texas A&M and my sophomore year is when the bonfire collapsed killing twelve of us. I knew some of these kids and it really upset me for a long time after. My college grades weren't stellar for this and other reasons. I am already approaching the other big issue I faced in my personal statement, but I was wondering if discussing the Bonfire tragedy (not to mention 9/11 my senior year) would be worth my time.

Thanks.

Really sorry to hear about that. The bonfire should definitely show up in an addendum if you can sincerely reflect upon how it affected your grades. I wouldn't mention 9/11 though. Just a proximity thing compared to the bonfire.

[sunynp]

I think the topic is ok - but I'm not sure what the connection is with your grades. Did you get depressed after the bonfire? What about it made you unable to get good grades? I think you need to make that clear.

Also 9/11 isn't really a reason for bad grades unless you were directly affected, pretty much everyone had to deal with that, some much more than others. But it sounds like you were in Texas at the time? That doesn't mean you weren't affected directly though.

[rinkrat19]

I graduated from college in 2001. I am now 32...about to be 33. I graduated from Texas A&M and my sophomore year is when the bonfire collapsed killing twelve of us. I knew some of these kids and it really upset me for a long time after. My college grades weren't stellar for this and other reasons. I am already approaching the other big issue I faced in my personal statement, but I was wondering if discussing the Bonfire tragedy (not to mention 9/11 my senior year) would be worth my time.

Thanks.

If you knew some of the kids killed by the bonfire collapse pretty well (and not just, oh, that guy was in my chem lecture) AND your grades that particular term show a marked drop, I would say that's a decent thing to write about.

Don't write about 9/11 unless you had close friends/family killed or had some similar CLOSE connection. We ALL lived through that. Not everyone's grades suffered (I know mine didn't.)

[NomNom]

Thanks all.

[crumpetsandtea]

I graduated from college in 2001. I am now 32...about to be 33. I graduated from Texas A&M and my sophomore year is when the bonfire collapsed killing twelve of us. I knew some of these kids and it really upset me for a long time after. My college grades weren't stellar for this and other reasons. I am already approaching the other big issue I faced in my personal statement, but I was wondering if discussing the Bonfire tragedy (not to mention 9/11 my senior year) would be worth my time.

Thanks.

I think it would be worth it.

[rinkrat19]

The "big" issue I dealt with was something happened to me over the course of several years, but that is something that I am basing my personal statement on as an obstacle overcome. A severe medical condition that I overcame.

Would it be too much of a duplication to write about something in my personal statement in a GPA addendum?

The purpose of an addendum is to explain something in your application that would otherwise raise questions. If you're properly addressed the health issue in your PS, it shouldn't require any further explanation. An effective PS on such a topic should have made it clear along the way that the health issue affected your academic work and has since been resolved. That story is then backed up by your transcripts.

[NomNom]

That makes sense.

Thanks again everyone.

[sunynp]

Good luck OP.

Also, you know ,the distance in time from your GPA can help mitigate it if you've been doing interesting stuff since then. You have 10 years of life experience since then.

[NomNom]

Thanks, suny. I really appreciate it. I have been doing some interesting stuff...mostly government compliance work. Well, let's define "interesting".

[20130312]

Thanks, suny. I really appreciate it. I have been doing some interesting stuff...mostly government compliance work. Well, let's define "interesting".

Working for the government - interesting

Working in compliance - *snores*

Kidding, of course

[NomNom]

Exactly.