GPA Addenda Effectiveness Against the T14

[heart]

Hello PowerScore!

I am applying to law school this impending 2015 cycle. A 3.0 is an extremely low record for top tier schools, although I do believe a lovely high 160s-70s score is a nice touch to any application. My question centers around the addenda. Even with completely valid and multiple reasons for a low GPA, I have the nagging feeling that the T14, and even T20, is just not going to accept any attempts to assuage such an academic record. Assuming that the remainder of an application is excellent, if not remarkable, what is PowerScore's advice on how effective a valid addendum will be against the esteemed standards of the T14?

Thank you, PowerScore!


Sidenote: The addenda I mention might include the fact of working (sometimes three jobs simultaneously) through college, a very poor economic background, being associated with underrepresented minority, the child of immigrants, AND a severely targeted religious group, living in a home in which drugs were highly abused, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the applicant might have superior and unique extracurricular leadership demonstrations as well as a double major: one of which is very poor while the other of which is moderately high in terms of GPA.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Heart,

Thanks for the question! In my experience, the T14 isn't overly receptive to GPA explanations. Law school is so much a numbers game that even if they like the explanations, they often have to pass.

But, there are exceptions. I think if you had just included your original note, I would have said that unless your explanation was really amazing, it would be unlikely to have much of an impact. But, the addendum you added to your message about addenda (sorry, I couldn't help myself!) caught my attention. Two points jump to mind; the first is a broader application point, and the second is specifically about what would be in your GPA addendum.

The first point is that I'm interested in what your personal statement is about. An addendum and personal statement should work together seamlessly, and you mention a number of different factors in your brief GPA explanation, some of which I think could possibly feature in your personal statement. So, to a certain extent, making a comment about your GPA addendum is made more difficult without knowing what your personal statement story.

But, it's not impossible to make an analysis, so that brings us to the second point. Generally, I'm not a big fan of using work as an excuse for a lower GPA, mostly because I've seen it so many times. A large number of college students work more than one job, so that's not often a compelling reason for GPA issues. Working three jobs is unusual, but still, at most, I would mention that in passing (example: "All this occurred at a time when I was working three jobs..."). You need a more compelling point than work. Fortunately, based on the other information you provided, I don't believe it was your intent to use that as the primary driver; it just happened to be the first thing you mentioned

The remainder of the factors you cite lead me to think there's an interesting story there. I feel like there are enough elements, and that they have enough inherent interest, that you might be able to get the attention of an admissions officer. You have a non-standard explanation, and that's a requirement for getting their attention. And, as they say, it only takes one! So, I'd give it a shot, and hope for the best.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[heart]

Thank you for your explanation Dave. It is somewhat a relief to have my suspicions confirmed about T14's perception of GPA. I have yet to decide on a personal statement topic, unfortunately. However, do you advisesdescribing all elements that hindered one's college career in the space of an addendum? I am wary of overkill and sympathy-garnering on any professional school applications.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Heart,

Thanks for the reply! The fact that you haven't decided on a topic may well be a good sign—it suggests to me that you have multiple options for a topic. That said, let me assume for a moment that whatever you write about in your personal statement has no overlap with the factors you cited in your first post above.

With addenda, they have to be relatively short. Usually two-three paragraphs is about the maximum that you see, and if you go beyond that, you risk losing their attention unless your story is riveting. I often tell students the following about GPA addenda:

• 1. The explanation has to be unusual.
  
  The fact is that standard explanations such as "I struggled to adjust to college," "I was working multiple jobs," or "I was in the wrong major" aren't very compelling. Lots of people have those excuses, and so you don't stand out when you provide that explanation and you actually do some damage to your application. I referenced this to you before, so I state this point more for the benefit of others who might read.
  
  Even some less standard explanations can be tricky. For example, one that I see a fair amount is that either the applicant was ill during school, or a member of their family was ill. these can be compelling, but they come up far more than you might expect (I've seen hundreds of these, and I imagine Adcomms have seen far more). However, compared to the three prior examples in this paragraph, an explanation like this is valid, and even if it is common, it still needs to be included (this is especially the case when it is paired with an upturn in grades after the illness ended). The key is that the story must be executed perfectly and in engaging fashion. That last point is true for all the writing that you submit to the committee, but especially so when the topic is one they have encountered with some frequency.
  
  
  2. The explanation has to be focused.
  
  What I mean by focused is that you generally cannot attempt to explain lower grades by citing three or four big factors. The statement will begin to sound as if you are complaining, and that must be avoided at all costs! Instead, you have to choose one or two big reasons that you ran into trouble, and any other factors can only be mentioned briefly. This topical focus helps your explanation resonate with the reader, and stick in his or her mind. Being memorable—in a good way—is critical.
  
  
  3. It has to be relatively short.
  
  Not only do you have to have topical focus, but the statement you submit has to be short and tight. Addenda cannot be lengthy, and you are limited to just a few paragraphs. And don't even think about going over onto a second page

Those are just a few points that are relevant, and you can see that what I'm saying is that you really can't describe all the factors you mentioned to me. Instead, you must choose one or two that are the drivers of what happened, and then weave those into a short and compelling explanation that has no tone of complaint.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!