Writing addenda for both GPA and LSAT

Comments

• emmorens Core Member

  October 2020 1470 karma

  How many times did you write the LSAT? In my opinion if you've written it less than 3 times and only have one bad score but study take it again and achieve a wildly different score I don't think it's worth justifying. Lots of people vary in scores because lots of people take it more than once!
• 1 Like

  producer4 Member

  October 2020 37 karma

  No to LSAT and maybe to GPA. Hard no to both. For the LSAT, it's a curved exam -- and other test-takers are going through the same thing you are. Respectfully, your life situation is no different and doesn't negate a score's value. It is what it is--- and I don't think any admissions committee is going to be swayed.

  Re: the GPA, I think you have a better case. I'd consider discussing that in your personal statement and not submitting the GPA addendum. But, you have to connect the dots. A lot of people had and still have personal strife; how did the relationship inhibit academic performance and how did you improve or how have you improved since?

  For both of these components, no matter what any school tells you, they need these scores to be the highest possible and no matter the other parts of the application package, these are the determinant factors of admission. It's really a very cold process.
• 2 Likes

  noonawoon Alum Member ⭐

  October 2020 3481 karma

  "Re: the GPA, I think you have a better case. I'd consider discussing that in your personal statement and not submitting the GPA addendum. But, you have to connect the dots. A lot of people had and still have personal strife; how did the relationship inhibit academic performance and how did you improve or how have you improved since?"

  Respectfully disagree, this is bad advice. OP doesn't need to incorporate this info into PS if they don't want to. This is very valid information for a GPA addendum - it is a significant external event that impacted your GPA and that the deans would not know about otherwise. Also calling abuse and a forced marriage "personal strife" that "a lot of people have" is very minimizing.

  OP - I'm unsure if the LSAT warrants an addendum. From one admissions dean I have heard that the only type of LSAT addendum that is really warranted is a large external event on that day (you had a heart attack during the exam, for example). I don't think you should write one about not having enough time to study - when you write that you would be making the assumption that you would have scored higher if you studied more, which is not necessarily an assumption that the admissions deans have to accept. Also, they will probably be wondering why you didn't decide to just take more time to study and delay your application.
• 1 Like

  VerdantZephyr Member ⭐

  October 2020 2054 karma

  Agree with @noonawoon Definitely do write a GPA addendum. That is an excellent reason to write one. The LSAT not so much.

  While you had more responsibilities to take care of than most people during your preparation time those are, as said, factors that you could account for by delaying a cycle or by having started earlier this cycle or just taking the test a second time. I am not criticizing you by the way, we all had a lot going on this year and kids during Covid is more than enough to handle on its own without LSAT prep. I am simply pointing out that relevant does not always indicate an addendum should be written.

  Additionally, while I do not think all Ad Coms will view it this way, some may assume that if those extra responsibilities affected your LSAT studies they will also affect your law school studies and that may make them more skittish rather than less. They want a diversity of experiences in their classes and being a parent certainly would add to that in most law schools, but they also want to be sure that their potential students will have the time and energy they expect for their curriculum. I think that if they are made aware of you having children elsewhere in the application process than they will understand that you had additional challenges compared to most people and those that would be inclined to contextualize your application in the wake of that will do so without an addendum.
• howdoichangemyavatar Free Trial Member

  October 2020 52 karma

  Yea, no shade at @producer4 but I would have to agree with @noonawoon too. You have more than good enough reason for a GPA addendum, and you should write your PS about what you feel is important for the admissions office to know about you (and maybe why law school is the next logical step). From what I understand about LSAT addendums, applicants should be more reluctant to submit them. Unless something happened on test day, or an applicant has a history of standardized test scores not being indicative of their performance (example: low ACT for their undergrad, but high UGPA), they probably shouldn't write one.

  On the other hand, if you decide to take another LSAT in the future , and you end up scoring higher (like 5+), then you could explain the score increase with an LSAT addendum. I don't think it would be necessary, but if you really wanted to make sure they knew that your original LSAT was not indicative of your abilities, you could.