Hello, sorry for crashing in here -- I found this forum through this thread http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/324175-Law-school-application-addendum-question which was useful, but given the time that has passed since, I thought I'd post a new question to gauge the current attitude and advice. Sorry if that's not OK.
I am in the process of applying to law school. I have a decent LSAT score, 165, and at my last college, my GPA was 4.0. However, my overall GPA is 3.2, and that due to a year at my first school in which I received straight F's and subsequently dropped out. This wasn't the first year. I went from an Honors Program/Scholarship student for my first two years, to the third horrible year, and resumed school a few years later where I did well.
I think this necessitates an addendum, but the problem is, the contributing cause was mental illness. I have a family history of depression (my mother has been medicated for 30 years and her mother killed herself), and in that year (2007-2008 ), my depression, anxiety, and ADHD became so bad that I was suicidal and fell apart. I have since been on medication, if not always as regularly as would be ideal, and generally done well.
I'd really like to get into a good school -- there are of course schools that would take me as I am and even give me money without it being an issue, but the market being what it is, I want to try for the best I can. The problem is, I am reading a wide disparity re: how to address this. Either addenda are pointless, or one should never ever mention still stigmatized mental illness which one has no requirement to disclose, but one should definitely be specific as possible so that it is a believable contribution (not an excuse for but a contributing factor) to the bad year, or one could go all out and add an accompanying compelling diversity statement to that effect.
How can one be specific and convincing without outright saying what the illness was? I cannot help but feel that if I say "illness lead to x but it is currently under control via medication and you can see from my GPA/awards/conference presentations that I am entirely capable" that they will think, if it was cancer or a serious physical illness, I'd have no reason not to disclose and so I will sound as though I am hiding something... which technically, I am!
I don't want to lie, whine, or make excuses. I'm just at a loss. Any advice at all would be super appreciated! Thanks!
I am in the process of applying to law school. I have a decent LSAT score, 165, and at my last college, my GPA was 4.0. However, my overall GPA is 3.2, and that due to a year at my first school in which I received straight F's and subsequently dropped out. This wasn't the first year. I went from an Honors Program/Scholarship student for my first two years, to the third horrible year, and resumed school a few years later where I did well.
I think this necessitates an addendum, but the problem is, the contributing cause was mental illness. I have a family history of depression (my mother has been medicated for 30 years and her mother killed herself), and in that year (2007-2008 ), my depression, anxiety, and ADHD became so bad that I was suicidal and fell apart. I have since been on medication, if not always as regularly as would be ideal, and generally done well.
I'd really like to get into a good school -- there are of course schools that would take me as I am and even give me money without it being an issue, but the market being what it is, I want to try for the best I can. The problem is, I am reading a wide disparity re: how to address this. Either addenda are pointless, or one should never ever mention still stigmatized mental illness which one has no requirement to disclose, but one should definitely be specific as possible so that it is a believable contribution (not an excuse for but a contributing factor) to the bad year, or one could go all out and add an accompanying compelling diversity statement to that effect.
How can one be specific and convincing without outright saying what the illness was? I cannot help but feel that if I say "illness lead to x but it is currently under control via medication and you can see from my GPA/awards/conference presentations that I am entirely capable" that they will think, if it was cancer or a serious physical illness, I'd have no reason not to disclose and so I will sound as though I am hiding something... which technically, I am!
I don't want to lie, whine, or make excuses. I'm just at a loss. Any advice at all would be super appreciated! Thanks!