2 q's about 1 bad semester

[iknowvito]

The first semester of my junior year I earned a gpa almost 2 whole points below my average. This happenned mainly because I moved into my deteriorating frat house where I had numerous health problems including a month long spell of serious poison ivy right at the beginning of the semester (the doctors said it was the worst case they'd ever seen), and scarlet fever right at the end of the semester before finals. I also took on three chair positions that ate up a bunch of my time. After one semester there I moved out and got back onto the dean's list (not cumulative though).

1. Do you think an addendum would help my cause or merely expose my bad judgement?

2. If I do add an addendum should I include copies of my medical records?

[Casper]

include addendum detailing your health problems and include medical records.  Leave out the frat house business.  Wow.  My entire ugrad experience was bad.   

[DESI]

if you want to mention the frat, i would go for it, but i would more concentrate on how you got sucked into the various positions and how after recovering from your illness, you came back to school, reprioritized, and succeeded academically.  wait a second, was this my addendum?  i think so  (minus the frat and the scarlet fever - i was an SG junkie)

[AuburnChick]

i am not being sarcastic at all--i pity your poison ivy situation---definately been there-i dont think that most people understand what a distraction it can be!!  i had interrupted sleep for weeks--but unless we infect some admissions people with it, they just wont get it.