Addendum Needed?

[teanah203]

[post deleted]

[teanah203]

So I posted about this on a LSAT blog post a few days ago but I wanted to explain my situation further and get more advice.
I took the December LSAT with the target of applying to T14 schools, but my score is under the 25% range. Conversely, my GPA is almost a 4.0. I am planning on retaking the LSAT in February because there were a good number of family and personal circumstances that kind of piled up on me August till the test date that were mentally/emotionally draining, unexpected, and unusual, so I definitely think I can do better. I was wondering, would be worth it to write an addendum explaining these situations, especially to schools which won't accept a February score? Thanks!

Edited:

Here's a preliminary version of my addendum that I intend to submit if I receive feedback that it's worthwhile to do so - any help would be appreciated
--

September to December 2015 was the most mentally and emotionally exhausting phase of my life. Many personal and family situations arose during this time, and I could not study to the best of my ability for the December 2015 LSAT. Despite the fact that I received a _, I do not believe this score is a complete and accurate representation of my aptitude.

At the end of August, my father underwent knee replacement surgery, and took over a month to recover. I ensured that my father was getting enough exercise, taking the proper medications, and going to all of his doctor’s and physical therapy appointments. Although I am grateful I was at home to assist with my father’s recovery, looking after him was demanding, especially since he is also a diabetic and thus, needed to take extra precautions.

In September, my family discovered that my aunt in India was diagnosed with breast cancer. Having already lost a grandmother to cancer, this news came as a huge shock and a harrowing reminder of the past. My aunt has suffered many complications since undergoing a mastectomy; unfortunately, this has led me to stay prepared to travel to India at any moment, and live every day in fear that another loved one will succumb to this disease.

During the middle of intense LSAT preparations in October, my best friend revealed to me that she was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, and has suicidal tendencies. Other than her therapist and her family, she only confides in me about her issues to the point where I have had to convince her to not inflict self-harm. It has been incredibly distressing to watch her suffer, for I sometimes feel I cannot do anything to help her.

Now that I am learning to manage these issues, I will be retaking the LSAT in February. My undergraduate records are a testament to my ability to perform at a high level while managing multiple commitments, and I hope my LSAT score can reflect that, as well.

[Nikki Siclunov]

September to December 2015 was the most mentally and emotionally exhausting phase of my life. Many personal and family situations arose during this time, and I could not study to the best of my ability for the December 2015 LSAT. Despite the fact that I received a _, I do not believe this score is a complete and accurate representation of my aptitude.

At the end of August, my father underwent knee replacement surgery, and took over a month to recover. I ensured that my father was getting enough exercise, taking the proper medications, and going to all of his doctor’s and physical therapy appointments. Although I am grateful I was at home to assist with my father’s recovery, looking after him was demanding, especially since he is also a diabetic and thus, needed to take extra precautions.

In September, my family discovered that my aunt in India was diagnosed with breast cancer. Having already lost a grandmother to cancer, this news came as a huge shock and a harrowing reminder of the past. My aunt has suffered many complications since undergoing a mastectomy; unfortunately, this has led me to stay prepared to travel to India at any moment, and live every day in fear that another loved one will succumb to this disease.

During the middle of intense LSAT preparations in October, my best friend revealed to me that she was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, and has suicidal tendencies. Other than her therapist and her family, she only confides in me about her issues to the point where I have had to convince her to not inflict self-harm. It has been incredibly distressing to watch her suffer, for I sometimes feel I cannot do anything to help her.

Now that I am learning to manage these issues, I will be retaking the LSAT in February. My undergraduate records are a testament to my ability to perform at a high level while managing multiple commitments, and I hope my LSAT score can reflect that, as well.

Hi teanah203,

Sorry to hear about what you had to go through. It does sound pretty awful, and in retrospect you probably should have withdrawn from the December administration. An addendum to explain your circumstances is, indeed, necessary in your case.

Overall, you did a pretty solid job with the addendum. However, you need to tone down the language in first paragraph. Even if it's true that, "September to December 2015 was the most mentally and emotionally exhausting phase" of your life, I have no context in which to evaluate the validity of this statement. It sounds like an exaggeration, even if it's not one. Here's how I would reword it:

September to December 2015 was easily one of the most exhausting periods of my life, mentally as well as emotionally.

I would also get rid of the second to last paragraph (the one about your best friend dealing with depression). While this must have put some burden on you, it's not you dealing with depression - it's your best friend. I suspect this experience was not nearly as traumatic as learning about a family member being diagnosed with cancer, or as exhausting as taking care of your father after surgery. You need to do everything possible to avoid the perception of a "kitchen sink" addendum, where applicants throw everything but the kitchen sink in it hoping to elicit sympathy. Your addendum would be stronger without this paragraph, trust me.

Other than that, you've done a great job here. That said, keep in mind there is no better way to overcome a sub-par score than an awesome second score. Good luck in February!

[teanah203]

Thank you very much for your advice, Nikki. I understand that the admissions committees may not think the depression thing is significant for me, especially because I have no idea what my friend is going through, and/or I'm including it for sympathy, but when someone who you consider to be a sister tells you that she wants to take her life and is relying on you for support, that was more upsetting and traumatizing than having to take care of my dad for surgery. Should I make that clearer or do you really think I should delete that part?

[Jon Denning]

Hey teanah,

Wow, I can definitely sympathize with the psychological toll something like that must take (even if I can't fully grasp the weight of it from personal experience), and I think Nikki would agree. I also know that what Nikki's suggesting is that you either attempt to further stress that toll by impressing upon readers exactly what you've said here in follow-up, or, and I think preferably, you focus on matters more in the first-person.

You ask the question about whether you should make the situation more clear or simple excise it...I suggest you try it both ways. Not in finality, but as a test run here. Repost it (or send it via PM, if that's more comfortable) with your friend's situation better explained, and compare that side by side with the version where it's almost entirely removed. Which one is more effective? I imagine it should be fairly clear which option is more effective.

I hope that helps as a follow up!

[teanah203]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the additional advice! I messaged you personally with an updated addendum. Nikki, if you'd like, I can send it to you, as well.

To follow: should I include the part about retaking the February LSAT for schools which won't accept the February LSAT anyways (aka should I make a different version for them) or should I just add another sentence emphasizing my undergraduate record?

[Jon Denning]

Hey Teanah - check your Inbox for a response to your first question.

For your second, call the school(s) in question and ask them what they'd prefer. If they don't take Feb then it shouldn't matter--they'll just look at what you submit and use that. As for the addenda/note to add, see my reply to your PM for my thoughts on that