@axelbeugre Can I ask if I mentioned the mitigating circumstance in my application form, how should I describe it? any evidence or proof ( like sick notes) I need to provide ?
Hey
@Cynthia14,
I think it depends on the time of mitigating circumstances you need to describe but generally speaking I would recommend explaining in one or two sentences the issue you dealt with and how it significantly impacted your academic/professional life (perhaps including tangible examples that can substantially demonstrate how this severely affected you).
I do not know if it is necessary to send a proof but if you have anything that can explain what you dealt with, I would recommend sending it to the firm as a tangible proof but I know many people who do not send anything.
I would also recommend highlighting some steps, if any, that you took to overcome that particular circumstance, if possible. I am not saying it is necessary in the slightest, but it will show perseverance.
For instance, at the start of my application cycle last year, there were a couple of grades in my undergraduate experience that were quite low due to some incidents with some professors. I explained how these professors' behaviours towards me affected how they marked my exams. However, I made sure to highlight that despite these incidents, that were racially based, I tried to seek help from other professors to understand the material better and this could be seen in the my final result.
After a couple of applications I stopped using this as a mitigating circumstance as I got some advice regarding the fact that I did not need to justify a couple of bad grades so I want to clarify this. This might not be your example, but I hope it helps understanding how I personally approached this.
I hope my example helps you in a way and good luck with the application cycle!