Personal Topic Or GPA Addendum?

[cdbaker97]

Hello,

I began writing my gpa addendum. I know that common wisdom is to keep your addendum at a few sentences. After thinking about it if I go in-depth I think that it can serve as a well written personal statement. Its a big reason on who I am today that has lead to other life experiences and the path of me wanting to go to law school.

How do I choose which one it serves?

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hi cdb,

Thanks for the post! The answer here is going to be the classic "it depends." Without knowing the topic and without knowing how you're going to present it, it is difficult to advise one way or the other!

If you do opt to write a personal statement on this topic, make sure you can frame it as a story of personal triumph instead of a story where you complain about the problems in your life, make excuses for past behaviors, or dwell on negative aspects that may be a red flag to an admissions committee. You want to highlight your strengths and personal growth in your personal statement! If you are confident you can do this in a meaningful way, then go for it!

For some additional advice, please listen to the segment at the 50-minute mark of Dave and Jon's recent podcast: “What is the most ideal structure for a personal statement?”. Also, we have a webinar here called "The Law School Personal Statement." Lastly, we offer an Ultimate Law School Personal Statement Resource List that is helpful as well. If you need further advice, we do have several different admissions consulting packages to consider.

I hope this helps! Thanks!