The addendum?

[IRguy]

So I asked this elsewhere, where it didn't get noticed as part of another topic, but...

...if I had a serious extenuating circumstances with illness in undergrad that pulled down my grades and is the really only blip in a decently strong application, I presume this should be mentioned.

But where? As a small part of my statement of purpose, where I would word it as incidental and not an excuse? Or is it appropriate to send an addendum note so that the SOP is not sullied with an excuse?

[gradcafe26]

I guess a lot of people here don't have similar experiences, but have you tried asking the departments?

[AlphabetSoup]

If you are receiving a letter of rec from one of your undergraduate professors, you could ask them to mention it. If they are willing to do so, just give lip-service to it in your SOP. I would suggest talking about how it made you a better (read: hard working) student who had to overcome a real challenge to succeed.