addendum

[UnfGirl]

If you are one of those students with a high GPA and not so high LSAT, does it make sense to address it in an addendum? If so, how would you go about it without making excuses?


Thanks!

[LSAT Eliminator]

It depends. Do you have a compelling reason for the lower LSAT score? A cold that day, or a family emergency? Or alternatively, perhaps you have a history of performing poorly on standardized tests but of getting excellent grades?

[Anne]

If you are one of those students with a high GPA and not so high LSAT, does it make sense to address it in an addendum? If so, how would you go about it without making excuses?


Thanks!

That depends...You SHOULD consider talking about it in an addendum, particularly if you have a compelling reason for your score, just so that schools have a complete and accurate picture of your academic kills. This is a hard one to address, though, because law school do look at the LSAT as an indicator of your law school academic potential.  There are some things you can talk about in an addendum to highlight your academic skills without making excuses:

1. Have you always had a problem with standardized tests? For some students, this is the case. For example, they didn't do very well on the SAT or ACT, but then went on to do very well in school. From that you could make the assumption that, just as their SAT/ACT wasn't a fair indicator of their academic abilities in college, their LSAT score isn't a fair indicator of how they will do in law school. IMPORTANT: You actually need proof of any prior standardized tests (which you should be ready to either include with your application or offer to provide upon request), and actual poor performance in them. This also only really works when your UGPA is a great one. If it's below a 3.5, the argument doesn't really hold water.

2. If your UGPA is recent (i.e., within the last two years) you can use an addendum to highlight classes that were research and writing intensive (essentially classes that mimic the same style and intensity of law school classes) and briefly talk about your performance in them, and how this is more indicative if your academic skills than your LSAT score. Again, though, this only works if your UGPA is very good, and your grades in those classes are also very good.

3. If you've taken graduate-level courses, talk about those in the same fashion that you would the classes in point # 2. The caveat applies, though. Your UGPA needs to be very good, and your grades in those classes are also very good.

As I said, this is a difficult situation to address. If your GPA isn't at least a 3.5 (preferably higher), it may be difficult to really counteract the lower LSAT score. Without knowing more specifics, though, the three points above would be my suggestions on what you could say in an addendum.

Hope that helps!

[Anne]

It depends. Do you have a compelling reason for the lower LSAT score? A cold that day, or a family emergency? Or alternatively, perhaps you have a history of performing poorly on standardized tests but of getting excellent grades?

That, too, definitely. If there was anything that happened on test day that negatively affected your performance (it has to be a SOLID reason, though), it should be addressed.

[UnfGirl]

I heard of the lower SAT/ACT route, but wouldn't that actually make you even more less appealing, showing that you had low SATs too? I mean, I understand that the GPA is supposed to show that you did well despite the test score, but it just seems like it's calling too much to weaknesses. I do like the option of calling attention to intensive research/writing classes, as I have had some of those (as a psych major)

Thanks for the help.

[lawdog]

BTW, it also depends on the particular school; I wouldn't suggest providing an explanation for a score that is not well below their average. If your LSAT score did not meet your expectations but was within the range that a school might normally accept, then adding an explanation of your poor test performance might be slightly insulting.

[UnfGirl]

BTW, it also depends on the particular school; I wouldn't suggest providing an explanation for a score that is not well below their average. If your LSAT score did not meet your expectations but was within the range that a school might normally accept, then adding an explanation of your poor test performance might be slightly insulting.

good point, yeah, I am only doing one for the schools where it is pretty well below.

[Anne]

BTW, it also depends on the particular school; I wouldn't suggest providing an explanation for a score that is not well below their average. If your LSAT score did not meet your expectations but was within the range that a school might normally accept, then adding an explanation of your poor test performance might be slightly insulting.

That is a GREAT point. +1

[peregrina]

BTW, it also depends on the particular school; I wouldn't suggest providing an explanation for a score that is not well below their average. If your LSAT score did not meet your expectations but was within the range that a school might normally accept, then adding an explanation of your poor test performance might be slightly insulting.

Interesting topic, and this is a great point. Is there a website that shows the average LSAT scores for each law school?

[Anne]

I heard of the lower SAT/ACT route, but wouldn't that actually make you even more less appealing, showing that you had low SATs too? I mean, I understand that the GPA is supposed to show that you did well despite the test score, but it just seems like it's calling too much to weaknesses. I do like the option of calling attention to intensive research/writing classes, as I have had some of those (as a psych major)

Thanks for the help.

I don't think that "calling attention" to your lower SAT/ACT would make you less appealing. All you're doing is essentially providing proof that you're not a great standardized test taker, but that you ARE an academic rockstar. The two are not the same thing (and are sometimes mutually exclusive). If you're not comfortable using that explanation (assuming that's the actual reason), though, then don't. You need to feel completely confident in what you tell schools.

[Anne]

BTW, it also depends on the particular school; I wouldn't suggest providing an explanation for a score that is not well below their average. If your LSAT score did not meet your expectations but was within the range that a school might normally accept, then adding an explanation of your poor test performance might be slightly insulting.

Interesting topic, and this is a great point. Is there a website that shows the average LSAT scores for each law school?

Yup, there is: http://officialguide.lsac.org. Choose the state your school is in; that'll pull up all the schools in the area. Once you're on that page, click "Admissions" on the top left of the page. That'll pull up LSAT percentiles, GPA percentiles, everything. If you want more info, click on the actual school name, and then select the "ABA Law School Data" PDF. That'll give you tons more numerical info.

[peregrina]

Wow, that site looks super helpful. Thanks a lot, Anne!