3.64 (w/ an F) and 172. Which addenda should i submit? Forum

[GLZ19]

Wondering what people's thoughts are about which addenda I should submit to T20s and T10s (suggestions may vary based on rank) for which this dilemma applies.

I have a 172 LSAT, but a 3.64 LSAC which includes a failed class.

I have 3 addenda: GPA (explains the F), diversity statement (I'm white, but speak 4 languages, I'm a first-gen American, and have a crazy and interesting family backstory), and Why X essays for each school I'm applying to. With the exception of Michigan and UVA, with which I have some non-familial connection, my Why X essays are generic.

If a school accepts less than three addenda as is the case with Michigan and a few other schools, which addenda should I submit? I know this is difficult to answer without reading my essays, but any insight helps.

Also, chances at Chicago? Probably wait list at best, right?

[QContinuum]

First off, I wouldn't submit the diversity statement at all. Full stop. A Caucasian 0L whose parents immigrated to the U.S. simply isn't "diverse" for law school admissions purposes, not even if s/he happens to be multilingual and has interesting family stories to tell.

I'd also drop the "generic" Why X essays. "Generic" why Xs won't help and may even hurt. Not all schools care about Why Xs (e.g., Columbia and NYU don't care). Of the few that do (Penn, Michigan, Virginia, I believe are the T13s off the top of my head that really care), submitting a generic why Penn won't really do the trick.

I'd definitely submit the GPA addendum, assuming there is a solid explanation for the F, i.e., family or health issues (and not something along the lines of "I partied too hard" or "I didn't study enough and that F taught me the importance of studying" or "it was my first semester in college and I just hadn't adapted").

Definitely blanket the T13 from Harvard on down (feel free to leave out Yale/Stanford unless you have some super-impressive softs you don't mention here). A 3.64 is solid, and that 172 is terrific. No reason to shortchange yourself. As a "splitter", your outcomes will be more unpredictable anyway, so don't count out a T6 acceptance.

I wouldn't attend a T20 unless your goals are readily achievable from median at a T20. In any case, a 3.64/172 should easily land multiple T13 offers.

Best of luck!

[nixy]

I disagree about the DS. It's possible that a white first-gen applicant isn't diverse, but I think the circumstances under which your parents came here/you grew up make a big difference, and/or you could have the kind of family background that would make for a good DS entirely independent of your first-gen status. So I don't think we can assess the DS simply on the basis of "first generation white kid."

As for the GPA addendum, I do agree that it probably makes sense, but it depends on your reason for failing was and if it's likely to alter how the adcomms see the grade.

[GLZ19]

Thanks for the advice!

My reason for failing is mental health, which the cynic in me thinks the committee will view as a convenient excuse. I was forced to quit running, which I had done very successfully up to that point (high school state champ, all-american in college, school record holder, etc.) due to injury. The next semester, I essentially stopped going to class and so failed my hardest one which met four times a week and really early in the morning.
One issue is that I received two A minuses and an A in the other three classes that semester because they met only twice a week and in the afternoon and so i could schlep myself to class, only to go back to my room to sulk. But this reason might be totally unconvincing to a committee. How could he claim that mental health was an issue that affected only one class? They might even think it's duplicitous.

If I were to submit the GPA addendum is it worth harping on the fact that I only received 4 grades below an A minus in college and they were all in math classes (B+, B-, C, F)? Or should I just mention it? The committee will see that for themselves on my transcript. Maybe they don't care at all that it was in math.

As far as Why X essays are concerned, I'm really lucky that I have a good/non generic Why X for Michigan and Virginia. Since I don't have one for the rest, I take it you all think I should not submit one. Easy enough for me.

Last thing: could submitting a diversity statement hurt me? I imagine that some schools would consider it a slap in the face to people who are actually diverse. However, if there are schools to which it doesn't hurt to send, then I should send it. If it doesn't help so be it, but if it does, even marginally, then why not?

Thanks in advance, these forums never disappoint.

[dyemond]

OP, do you have an accent and/or did you grow up in a specific immigrant community (i.e., Polish, Russian, etc.)? Trying to feel out the merits of your DS statement. Speaking multiple languages isn't really a DS thing.

[GLZ19]

I don't have an accent nor did I grow up in an immigrant community.

English is my third language as it's not spoken in my house and I had to learn it at school. My parents do speak English, but not to my sibling or me or each other.

Ultimately, I'm wondering whether it would be a mistake to send it. As long as a school doesn't view it as a negative, I don't think there's a reason not to try. I'd considered including some of these things in my PS, but they would distract from a narrative that is more important than my being a polyglot.

[The Lsat Airbender]

I’d lean towards no DS unless, like, your parents fled Soviet persecution or something. “My mom is French but my dad is ... from Sweden?!”, at the other end of the spectrum, is the kind of town-deaf DS that could hurt you.

[GLZ19]

Right, I take your point. So my dad fled Soviet Poland and was taken in by grandparents in Italy and that's how he met my mom, which would be a good start. But they didn't face any unusual hardship in the states and I was born while my dad was in grad school. My parents were indebted and poor, but on track to make money.

Seems to me like i should play it safe and not submit this with the application.

[kinge]

Right, I take your point. So my dad fled Soviet Poland and was taken in by grandparents in Italy and that's how he met my mom, which would be a good start. But they didn't face any unusual hardship in the states and I was born while my dad was in grad school. My parents were indebted and poor, but on track to make money.

Seems to me like i should play it safe and not submit this with the application.

I think you could make "growing up in an immigrant/multilingual household" work as a diversity statement if it really affected your upbringing. 7sage guide on "What counts as a valid diversity factor?" seems to think it's fine.

https://7sage.com/admissions/lesson/wha ... ty-factor/