Value of Addendum

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>I have a sort of an open ended question regarding how much of a difference an addendum can make on an application.</p>

<p>It seems like all the questions on here about addendums (or addenda?) are from people who have like 2.4 GPA's and want to get into the University of Virginia. That's not me.</p>

<p>Basically, I have a pretty good GPA at my undergraduate institution. It's right at a 3.5 now, and should be around or above a 3.6 by the time I graduate. While I don't have an actual LSAT score yet, every indication is that I'll make in the low 160's on it, so bear with me on that.</p>

<p>Likewise, I'm not applying to the T14 schools. I'm realistic. I LOVE the University of Richmond School of Law, which is just inside the top 100. The best school, in terms of ranking, that I think I have a shot at is UNC Law. I'm also very interested in Wake Forest. All of these schools, with some slight variation, have median GPA's between 3.4 and 3.6 with average LSATs in the low 160s. UNC and Wake should be more selective than Richmond, but not significantly so.</p>

<p>Now, here's where things get complicated. Like is the case of many people wondering about addendums, I took some dual enrollment courses in high school. I made A's and B's in all of them except for two Pre Calculus classes, where I got D's. In a total of 36 credit hours, my GPA is a 3.0. That'll be considered in the LSDAS GPA, and should pull it down to like, a 3.42-3.5. Which is just SLIGHTLY below the averages for these schools.</p>

<p>However, I have an honest reason for doing poorly. I'm from an impoverished Appalachian family. We live on less than the official poverty level, and I'm a first generation college student. During the year that I made those poor grades, my father's kidneys had failed and, though he lived, we thought he was a goner at the time.</p>

<p>On soft factors, I feel like I have an advantage. I've interned for a United States Senator AND had a part time job during college. Not to mention I'm going to be in two, or three honor societies in addition to our Pre Law society. So I'm not slacking there, either.</p>

<p>As you can see, I'm not looking for an addendum to account for a full point of GPA-disaster. I'd just feel confident if I knew it could make up for a tenth or two tenths of equivalent on my GPA, or maybe a point on my LSAT. I feel like I have a shot at these schools, but I have anxiety issues and tend to worry about it. </p>

<p>So, CC'ers, what's your take on this? Should I feel halfway confident about these schools? Can an addendum really help in a situation such as mine, in which there's a legitimate reason behind a slightly lower GPA, and the student already has pretty competitive grades, could an addendum help to put the application "over the line," so to speak? It's always seemed to me that that was the intended purpose of the addendum. </p>

<p>I just want to stop worrying.</p>

2

<p>Personally, I think your personal statement should have something to do with your background. That way you don’t even need an addendum.</p>

3

<p>Either way, will it make enough of a difference to account for the tenth or so lost on my GPA because of those **** grades?</p>

4

<p>I doubt an addendum would have any influence for just a tenth of a point. If it dropped your GPA half a point… perhaps</p>

<p>But the diversity you add as a first-generation college student who faced adversity could potentially be worth more than a tenth of a point. But I think trying to connect the two is unnecessary. Rather than using it as an excuse for why you did poorly in those classes, try to show that it was an acheivement to make As and Bs in your other courses despite your father’s condition.</p>

<p>That’s just my personal opinion, don’t think there is a right or wrong answer.</p>

5

<p>I see what you’re saying.</p>

<p>I think I’m worrying too much about GPA and scores. Anyone from the 40th to the 60th percentile, in terms of both LSAT and GPA, should be okay, right? So then it’s really just an added plus to have this type of personal statement. </p>

<p>Thanks for answering.</p>

6

<p>Exactly. Some schools are very stringent about their medians (UVA for example), but a school like Richmond does not start out with set median goals. The percentiles are a reflection of each year’s applicants, whereas at UVA (for example), the medians are the same every year and the admissions team’s goal is to meet them. For Richmond, the difference between 40th/60th percentile GPA is probably not enough of a deciding factor on its own without LSAT/softs considered. If you were 60th in one and 40th in another, then you would most likely be admitted. 40th at both is a little trickier, but with a good personal statement, you have a chance.</p>