? re: Transcript addendum

[augusta]

I'm going to write an addendum to talk about my UG records. My record is choppy, in the sense that I went to a 4-yr college for about 2.5 yrs, left to travel/work, took a few comm. college courses, eventually came back to finish at my degree-granting university. I'd like to address my poor grades (B/B-/C+) in my second semester(at degree-granting U), because those grades reflect some medical problems I was having. My midterm grades in those classes were all A's, but the health issues compounded and culminated in a brief hospitalization at the end of the semester. However, my GPA for all other semesters has been a 3.85--out of 11 courses, 8=A, 2=A-, 1=B.

I definitely want to address that semester, as it brought my GPA down significantly. But I am debating as to whether to address earlier records as well, or just leave that alone. My earlier work was solid but not exceptional (A's and B's). I'm concerned I will come off whiny if I go into every little detail about why I don't have a stunning GPA; but if it would be useful for the adcomm to know a bit more about the early record, I don't want to ignore it. Primarily, I want to emphasize that my most recent work has been, with the exception of that sem., both consistent and of high quality.

So should I explain everything, or just stick with the illness?

[kevinm]

My suggestion is that you just explain the illness- let the adcomms infer from that statement whatever they want. Give them dates and documentation and you should be fine. Trying to explain every grade that isn't an "A" will certainly come off as trying to make excuses.

I was in a similar situation in 2006; I contracted mononucleosis and my life more or less ended. I wound up having to take a medical leave of absence (resulting in all W's for the semester), and upon my return, I wasn't fully healthy. This resulted in receiving 2 A's, a C-, and a D for a semester. My majors offer some leeway (both are engineering), but all I'm doing to explain this is provide documentation from my doctor: one for the time that I had mono and the other for the time I got strep throat the night before a final exam...resulting in the only other W on my transcript.

[augusta]

Would something like an emergency room bill be sufficient for documentation..? I didn't, and still don't, have a regular doctor; but I have the bills.

[kevinm]

Talk to one of the secretaries in the emergency room and see if they can give you a doctor's note corroborating your claim that you were indeed seen by a doctor. That should be enough

[augusta]

A bit belated, but wanted to thank you for your advice.

Thanks!