ADDENDUM, DEAN'S APPRAISAL, AND RESUME TOPICS

TOPICS ADDENDUM DEAN'S APPRAISAL RESUME

ADDENDUM

An addendum is usually used to explain something negative in your application.

The following is based on the websites of New College (of Florida) Office of Career Services, the Career Center at the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Chicago Pre-Law InfoCenter.      There may be something negative in your application that requires a damage-controlling explanation. This explanation should be in an addendum, not in your personal statement. The addendum is simply a separate sheet which should be labeled ADDENDUM and attached to your application. An addendum, if necessary, should be articulate, brief, clear, concise, persuasive, and sincere. When offering explanations for weaknesses, offer a sympathetic explanation, not an excuse, and assure the law school admissions committee that a similar weakness is unlikely to occur again. Try to keep your addendum to under one page and attach supporting documentation as necessary.

SOME APPROPRIATE TOPICS FOR AN  ADDENDUM . An exceptionally low grade in a course. . A semester (or an academic year) with a much lower grade point average that usual.. An overall grade point average that does not reflect your true abilities.. A gap (not a summer semester or summer quarter) in your college attendance.. An LSAT score that does not accurately reflect your potential for success in law school.   A disciplinary history.

EXPLAINING A LOW LSAT SCORE: If you've experienced a demonstrable history of underachievement in standardized tests (the LSAT and either the SAT or ACT), you should include an official copy of your SAT/ACT score along with an addendum setting forth the discrepancy between your SAT/ACT scores and your undergraduate academic performance. The obvious argument in these cases is that the SAT/ACT did not accurately predict your undergraduate academic success and that the LSAT will do no better at accurately predicting your law school performance.

EXPLAINING A LOW UGPA: Most prelaw students, by inclination or design, chose a major in the humanities (e.g. English, history) or social science (e.g. political science, economics, psychology). In the humanities and social sciences excluding economics, grade inflation has been rampant; this is not the case for mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.       If your low UGPA is due to bad attitude, bad effort, or bad genes, we offer no advice.  If your low UGPA for a semester or two is due to bad luck (e.g. serious accident, death in the family), an explanation in your addendum may be appropriate. If your low GPA is due to your choosing a "bad" major (that is, a major that has not succumbed to grade inflation), we can only offer you our sympathy. Note that the GPA of the members of a law school's entering class may make the law school look bad aven if this low GPA is because of admitting applicants who had serious majors.

DEAN'S APPRAISAL

A deans appraisal, required by approximately 25 law schools, hopefully will indicate that you are in good      .

The Career Center at the University of California at Berkeley answers the question "What is a Dean's Appraisal" as follows: "Some [law] schools require a Dean's Appraisal, sometimes called a 'Dean's Letter' or a 'Letter of good standing.' It is a form provided by your undergraduate institution(s) that provides information on the conferral of your degree and any disciplinary records. Only provide Dean's Appraisals to law schools that specifically request them." Contact your Prelaw Advisor to see who prepares this form. You will probably "need to provide a pre-addressed, stamped envelope for each appraisal requested. ... If Dean's Appraisals are required from all undergraduate institutions you attended, you will need to contact each of your colleges or universities to find out who prepares their Deans' Appraisals."

RESUME (CURRICULUM VITAE)

The University of Chicago Career Advising and Planning gives useful advice for WRITING YOU RESUME; this advice is general, in particular, not prelaw specific.