Ideally, you should be applying to law schools that are realistic given your credentials, but if your LSAT score or GPA is lower than you would like – or there’s a significant discrepancy between your stats and the medians at your target school – you might be encouraged to learn that most schools provide the option to submit an addendum in which you can explain the circumstances behind any weaknesses in your profile.
You never want to leave the admissions committee wondering why you might not have performed at your best in the past, so you should seize this opportunity to explain the situation in your own words. For such an explanation to be effective, however, you must offer the school sincere, reasoned clarifications for your unsatisfactory performance. In preparation for writing an addendum or optional statement, consider the following three tips:
1. Be honest about what happened.
Law schools value honesty and integrity, so don’t offer half-truths or spin the facts. Likewise, avoid making excuses or assigning blame to others or outside forces. Simply describe the situation, including all the relevant facts and circumstances.
For example, you might have had a particularly bumpy semester because of a death in the family, and this understandably resulted in a dip in your grades. Or perhaps you bombed the LSAT the first time you took it (and hopefully it only happened once) because you were ill on the day of the exam or filled out the answer sheet incorrectly. In your addendum, show that there was a concrete reason for your shortcoming, and testify to whatever occurred having been an anomaly.
2. Be concise.
When explaining your situation, keep your statements straightforward and brief. Although you want to present the necessary details and clearly outline the circumstances, you don’t need to justify your performance in a lengthy diatribe or belabor your points. And of course, any addendum should be grammatically correct and free of typos.
3. Emphasize upward trends.
Punctuate for the admissions committee why the low score/GPA is not an accurate reflection of what you can offer by demonstrating improved performance over time or focusing on a different angle of the situation. For example, if you took the LSAT more than once, point to this information as evidence of your dedication and commitment. Or if a challenging semester or year lowered your overall GPA but your grades subsequently improved, highlight the positive upswing for the admissions committee. You can then speak to how you navigated this change and will apply what you learned from the experience to your time at law school. You might even want to recalculate your GPA without the troublesome grades and offer it as evidence of what your academic performance would have likely been if not for the problematic issue you encountered.
Consider getting personalized guidance on how to approach your low stats in your law school application by working one-on-one with an Accepted law school admissions expert!
Daniel Waldman is a graduate of Harvard Law School and an experienced law school admissions consultant with a background in corporate income tax and large-scale securitization taxation issues.
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