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• Why you are applying again after being denied previously
• Gaps in the chronological account of your education or employment
• Disciplinary action by an institution of higher education
• Criminal record
Under what circumstances should you use your personal statement to explain a particular
deficiency, weakness, or other blemish? First of all, the application might explicitly invite you to
explain deficiencies, weaknesses, aberrations, or any other aspect of the application that
might not accurately reflect your abilities or potential and fitness for graduate study. Schools
almost without exception ask specifically about the last two items above (see Disclosing
Skeletons in Your Closet below). Although most applications do not explicitly provide room for
such explanations of the other items, the schools nevertheless permit and generally
encourage applicants to provide brief explanations. Most schools suggest that you attach an
addendum to your personal statement for this purpose while reserving the personal statement
itself for positive information about yourself. If you are in doubt about the policy and preferred
procedure of a particular school, contact the school directly.
Another point you should keep in mind is whether you have a valid reason. Staying up late the
night before the GRE is not a legitimate reason for a bad performance, while documented
sickness could be. A particularly bad semester could be explained by a death or illness in the
family. If you lack research experience, you might point out the number of hours you had to
work to make college more affordable for you and your family.
There are many more gray areas. For example, is it worth noting that you simply have a bad
history of standardized testing? Doing so tactfully (in other words, don't rail against the
arbitrariness of tests or demand the right to be considered for your grades alone) can help the
schools understand your exact situation, but it most likely won't have a substantial effect on
their perspective, since they know to take into account the imprecision of standardized tests.
What about the class for which you simply did not grasp the material, or a sub-par GPA during
your freshman year? Again, what you have to say won't constitute an extenuating
circumstance, since everyone has weaknesses and faces the same challenge of adjusting to
college. Your best approach might be to try to transform such blemishes into something
positive by pointing out particular courses in which you performed well, especially those that
were more advanced, more relevant to your intended career path, or more recent.
Finally, make sure that you do not take a contentious tone. Don't accuse your teachers of
unfair grading standards or complain about lack of extracurricular opportunities at your school.
Be clear that you're not trying to excuse yourself of responsibility, but emphasize that you
simply want the schools to have the complete picture.
This applicant clarifies one aberrant semester by explaining his decision to switch majors.
Everyone recognizes the rigors of the pre-med curriculum, so his justification seems legitimate.
Although it's not essential to include a positive statement when explaining blemishes, notice
that the following sentence helps to ensure that the reader will not conclude that the applicant
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