GPA Addendums Don’t Excuse Bad Grades

If you’re considering adding an addendum to your law school application, think twice about whether this is the best idea. 

In this episode of LSAT Demon Daily, we answered a question from an anonymous listener, who asked whether they should include an addendum explaining the circumstances that led to their relatively low GPA in their application. Specifically, the listener had a difficult freshman year marked by their parents' divorce and multiple family losses.

The Risks of Adding Context

Addenda are often high risk and relatively low reward.

Keep in mind that many students face personal hardships, and law schools are aware of this. Presenting excuses may inadvertently suggest a lack of accountability. Even worse, you might write an addendum drawing extra attention to a weakness in your application that admissions officers might be willing to overlook. Instead of drawing attention to your negative circumstances, you should focus on your strengths.

The Recommended Approach to Writing Addendums

If you do want to use an addendum to highlight something in your application, the best course of action is to keep the addendum brief and to the point. Admissions officers read thousands of applications each year. They are aware that personal hardships can affect academic performance. You don’t need to give a long explanation, or make excuses. Just tell them what happened and let them draw their own conclusions.

In Anonymous’ case, rather than emphasizing their challenging freshman year with a GPA of 2.0, they should highlight the improved GPA from their last three years—specifically, a 3.9. This allows the admissions committee to see Anonymous’ upward trajectory without anchoring their attention on past struggles.

The Importance of Ownership as a Law School Candidate

Ultimately, your focus should be on portraying yourself as a proactive candidate ready to succeed in law school. You want to highlight your accomplishments and show how you have overcome challenges without excessive explanation. 

Optional essays and addenda, when done well, can help applicants build a compelling case that they will be a successful law student and a positive asset to the legal community. However, students often get caught up in attempting to explain their weaknesses away, inadvertently undermining their application’s strengths. 

Takeaway

While it’s natural to want to explain your poor academic performance, you may be better off without an addendum. If you do write an addendum, keep it short, factual, and focused on your achievements.

Check out Episode 509, Keep Your GPA Addendum Short for further guidance on this topic.