Poor semester and explanation

[NotAProgDirector]

Posted for a user. Feel free to post answers on the thread, or PM me if you want your response to be anonymous.

I was a B+ average student until the fall of my sophomore year of college when my younger sister attempted suicide. It was a nightmare for my family and I, and as a result my grades slipped dramatically, due to not being able to attend class/staying home with my family. I received a D, C- and a B.

I do not want to make excuses, simply offer an explanation as to why that semester looks so awful in comparison to the others. I am asking anonymously because I know there is bad voodoo in regards to depression, suicide, mental illness, etc. and I just want to make sure I don't do anything goofy, because I am applying within the next year.

I am retaking the courses (which is great for DO) but I would still like to know if this is something I should bring up when asked about the decline. If not, what do I need to say?
Thanks so much SDN.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

From another SDN user:

As an AdCom member with >12 years experience, I've found that no matter how they're written, or what the cause was, any attempt in a PS to explain poor academic performance comes off as excuse making, rather than an explanation.
I recommend that OP excel in the remaining years of schooling, and save explanations for interviews. I'll often ask someone with an uncharacteristic decline in performance (the classic "V" or "J"-shaped curve) about what happened.
Life events sometimes clobbers medical students, so I suggest OP also gain whatever coping skills s/he can get.