3.1/179 SUPER splitter Forum

[grrren]

hi. stats say it all. 3.1 with 179 lsat. i’m coming off of a fine arts major and i did terrible, i was a train wreck in college, but am gifted logically and want a reliable career. the reason i had trouble was that i had severe mental health issues, episodes of psychosis, was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed manic bipolar, put on meds and have recovered and become well adjusted ever since. should i explain this in my statement/addendum? in another thread people advised not to mention mental health problems because it may make you appear unfit or undesirable as a candidate. what if they contributed to low gpa and you got treatment for them and are on meds? also what are your general opinion of my chances with these stats/all things considered.

[silenttimer]

An addendum to explain your situation would be justified IMHO.

[crazywafflez]

I think you'll have to make the addendum call- I think if those things are behind, I'd write about it and say how it really hindered you and you faced a lot of challenges but now that you are being treated you are ready to face life and its challenges in a whole new way. I think you'll be fine adding it, but totally fine not. It is really up to you.
Your GPA is not good, however, your LSAT is rock solid- apply to every school in the T14 and T20, see what your best options are. I sincerely can't think of a scenario though that you just end up with nothing- I think your scenario worst case will be something akin to a full ride at WashU.
You'll likely end up with a decent package at Gtown and maybe get in to some random others? Def toss every T14 and T20 an application and see where the chips fall- you'll get some good stuff. You could save yourself YS if you want, I'm not sure those will help, but I'd shoot my shot from H on down to WashU/something like that.
Best of luck.

[TexasBigLaw]

I was also a splitter and I used my addendum to address a similar health-related situation. I would tell them you experienced health issues in undergrad, but I don't think I would go too deep into the actual medical conditions/diagnoses. Unfortunately it's wrong and it sucks but there is a stigma to mental health issues. I would just mention that you had ongoing health-related problems in undergrad that required hospitalization, medication, and therapy, and there were long stretches where you had to focus on your own healing rather than your schoolwork, but you're in a good, healthy place now and you're motivated to make law school a top priority. Maybe throw in some stuff about how the experience taught you about priorities, self care, time management, your grades are not a reflection of what a healthy you can accomplish but your LSAT is, etc.

If there's any way you can twist your grades to make them look better that might help - for example, if your average GPA in the semesters where you didn't have health problems was much higher than a 3.1, point that out in your addendum. If your GPA in your major was really high, you could maybe add that in addition to your cumulative GPA to your resume.

Agree with others about going for all of the T20. I think if you can craft a great addendum and personal statements you'll do well.