explaining a low GPA
 

Hi!

I am a sophomore and I plan on going through recruitment at a competitive school. I have met the GPA requirement (2.25) but it is not high. I was recently diagnosed with a LD, and I informed my rec writers of that. Should I mention the disorder in my recruitment registration or not? I'm not trying to use it as a crutch, but just to help explain why my GPA is not what it was in HS. I've been working really hard, and my grades have improved a lot from first semester.

You should mention it only if you do not mind chapter members knowing that information. As a teacher, I have helped students work with their universities before they enroll to make sure their support services continue in college. If your diagnosis will help clarify your GPA and you're comfortable including it, do so. I don't believe that any chapter comprised of intelligent young women would assume you're using it as a crutch, I would hope they would see it as an indication that you are serious about getting your education and seeking out assistance when needed.

None of us on this board can tell you with 100% certainty that additional documentation is a guarantee that chapters will use such documentation when making membership decisions. I can only speculate that in two cases where young women I know provided such information during recruitment it did not hurt them in recruitment, both young women matched with a chapter.

So really it comes down to your comfort level in sharing your private academic information. Best wishes to you!

Keep in mind as well that just because you meet the university requirement to go through recruitment, you may not meet the standards of the individual sororities; many have GPA minimums that are much higher. Brace yourself for some pretty heavy cuts based on your GPA, and try not to take it personally.

I think it may not be a bad idea to mention it, but only mention it in conjunction with what your plans are for doing better in the future. Now that you have been diagnosed, you'll need to figure out what you need to do to be successful.

IF you find some chapters giving you a chance, you might try to explain why your new diagnosis will result in you having better grades, not that it just gives you a free pass to have crappy grades.

If your LD is ADD or ADHD (or whatever it's being called these days) I would also spend some time in advance of rush preparing for all the noise and stimulation overload you're going to be forced to deal with. It doesn't matter if every sorority will give you a grades pass if you can't hold up your end of a conversation while there are 20 other conversations going on at the same time.

Right. This is the important part. What has changed?

thank you for your advice!