Question about statements

[michigan girl]

Should I provide a supplementary statement about my academic performance in my last semester? I *literally* burnt out with personal problems (family deaths in same year) and failed a course that was required for my degree in my senior year. I retook it another semester, and ultimately got my degree. I have been out of school for over a year. Do the admissions committees need to know about this or just ignore it? Do I state how I have recovered and feel ready to go back to school?

[belowthree]

I *literally* burnt out

Maybe not the most helpful advice, but this is one thing I would be sure not to write...

(The part about literally, especially don't put it in bold.)

[40404]

I think you should explain it but in the context of the death in the family causing the burnout especially since this happened during your senior year. I think admissions value the latter years compared to the first year of college. Consistency is also a factor. My two cents worth.

[michigan girl]

Thank you so much. I still graduated with a good GPA. I didn't want the admissions people to reject me because of what happened in my last year.

[thepoorstockinger]

I've heard people suggest that a letter of reference writer who is close to you explaining the situation can often be more helpful than you explaining it so that it doesn't sound like an excuse. Obviously the referee would need to be someone you trust and feel comfortable asking, but if that's an option then definitely take advantage of it.

[michigan girl]

Thank you for the suggestion. I will ask one of my recommenders to write on my behalf.

[DEClarke85]

You should address it in your SOP while at least on recommender mentions it, especially since it came at the end of your academic career. The last 40 to 60 hours of classes you took will get the most scrutiny when looking at your grades. However, if you have failed or done exceptionally poor in courses, it never huts to explain how this is not indicative of your academic performance. It was a small hiccup, and one that has been recovered from.

[misterpat]

My friend went to some event for potential law students once, featuring an ad-com guy from Harvard Law, and he said you absolutely should point out a personal issue, like a family death, that explains an abberation in your academic record.

[void]

I am really sorry to hear about your losses! That must have been really hard to say the least..

I have not been in this situation with my undergrad transcript, but my intuition says you probably should not use terms like burn out or any other term related to being unable to handle and/or turning away from academic pressures during this time. I think in that situation I would address it in the statement in the context of saying when it happened, acknowledging briefly the failing grade, and then moving on from there to talk about how this experience impacted your decision to further pursue graduate study.

[michigan girl]

Hi everyone, I wrote a few sentences about my academic record in my statement of purpose. Does this sound good?

During the (blank) academic year, I experienced personal difficulties that included the deaths of my closest relatives. After the completion of my senior honors thesis, I took time off by returning to Michigan to mourn and recover with my family. This period represents an aberration in my overall academic record. I progressed with my bachelor

[Dreams]

Hi everyone, I wrote a few sentences about my academic record in my statement of purpose. Does this sound good?

During the (blank) academic year, I experienced personal difficulties that included the deaths of my closest relatives. After the completion of my senior honors thesis, I took time off by returning to Michigan to mourn and recover with my family. This period represents an aberration in my overall academic record. I progressed with my bachelor

[fortiesgirl]

.