Hi,
I’m applying EA for Harvard and am about to submit my application, and my essays included a lot about my struggles with anorexia. I’ve heard it’s bad to include mental health issues but feels its my most compelling obstacle. Is it okay to write about EDs in essays?
Personally I’d pick a different topic.
IMO the purpose of the essay should be to: 1) tell admissions officers something positive about yourself that isn’t elsewhere in the application AND 2) to give admission officers a reason to want you on their campus.
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I would not. Colleges are struggling to meet the mental health needs of their student populations, and although they may deny it, will use a history of a mental illness as a reason to put an applicant in the deny pile.
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First - I’m sorry that you have to deal with anorexia. I truly sympathize with your struggles - it’s not an east mental illness to control.
That being said - do NOT have it as the focus of your essay.
A. colleges are risk averse, and Harvard is one of the most risk averse college. SO do not speak of mental health issues.
B. You do NOT need to talk about “compelling obstacles” unless it is a prompt. Even then, they do not want to hear about your obstacles, and the difficulty of overcoming the obstacle has no effect on your chances of admission.
The essay is not a competition for who had the hardest time, and the kid who “wins” is accepted. Your essay is where you showcase your best qualities. The focus in overcoming obstacles is the overcoming, and what that says about you.
What you don’t want to include is an issue which they may have to deal with. Your mental health will be their responsibility for the four years that you are there, and they will tend to avoid people who have “pre-existing conditions”.
Even if they cannot officially use mental health as a reason to deny admission, holistic admissions means that they do not have to justify why they rejected any particular individual.
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Your essays are marketing tools. It is your chance to convince a school why they want you as part of their student body. I doubt an essay about anorexia is going to do that.
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But I am willing to bet that it is not the most interesting thing about you. Everybody has highs and lows- lean into your highs. If anorexia is really in your rear-view mirror, what does the road ahead look like?
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One thing that concerns me is that highly ranked universities can also be quite academically challenging. Many students find this stressful. How different students deal with this can vary quite a bit.
To me “top ranked university” and “some academic stress” sort of fit together (I attended two different universities that are roughly at the same academic level as Harvard).
You might want to re-read your essays with the thought in mind of “what does this essay say about my ability to deal with stress?”.
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I just looked at Harvard’s supplemental essays for this year and didn’t see any with an overcoming obstacles prompt.
Is this for your common app essay?
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Do you think it will make the universities more inclined to want you on their campus?
I strongly agree with other posters that you not write your essay about anorexia.
Is this your common app personal statement? Do you have another topic to write about that you can complete this week?
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I read that colleges are turning away from that “overcoming obstacles” criterion.
As always I think it depends on how the essay is written. Eating disorders tend to linger or recur with stress. I am hoping you feel fully recovered, which can happen.
I would be happy to read it. I will PM you.
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The obstacle question is still one (1 of 7) of the common app personal statement prompts:
“The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”
Depends on how you frame it. If it is “wow is me” then I would advise against it. One of the most uplifting essays I read was about a kid that fought lymphoma/cancer. He talked about how he worked for an outdoor outfitter in New England to experience life to the fullest. This kid attended a top LAC and then MD/PhD at an ivy – obviously very special.
This is a completely different issue than writing about mental health disorders.
At some schools (I don’t know about Harvard), applications which discuss mental health disorders are flagged and go through a separate reading process (more people/committee).
Schools are overwhelmed with students needing mental health support and are struggling to optimally fulfill the needs of these students. Beyond that, schools want students who will succeed at their schools, be good community members/roommates, etc. etc. etc.
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My husband is part of a Facebook group run by a well-known college counselor who used to be a AO at an ivy. Someone asked this question recently and the counselor’s advice was 100% do NOT discuss your eating disorder in your essays.
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I’m so sorry you’ve faced this issue, which is extremely challenging to overcome. Colleges will be aware of this. You appear to be on the right track in terms of your mental health, but I would almost go as far as to say that discussing the topic in your essays will certainly lead to being denied. I agree with everyone else.
You said essays, plural. Don’t submit essays that focus on or discuss anorexia. I suggest you rewrite any supplemental essays and your personal statement if anorexia is mentioned. Harvard is looking for fit. They are not looking for confessionals. They are interested in people who will add something positive to their campus culture. It’s a competitive environment and will be stressful. They want to ensure they admit students who can cope with that.
You need to highlight your positive attributes. Sell yourself, and don’t view the essay as an opportunity to bare your soul to an admissions officer. They don’t need to know about your mental health issues. They need to know that you can succeed.
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Hummm, this is an interesting question. I think I’ll take a different stance and say that it is okay to discuss anorexia in your essay especially since you are about to submit your essay. HOWEVER, your essay should be about GROWTH! Explain how you healed and/or perhaps how you positively affected your community through your struggles. For example, did you start a community support group? Increased mental health resources at your school? This is by no means mandatory, but these examples show how you have grown from your experiences. In addition, try not to have your essays be about the same topic so perhaps save this only for your common app. Colleges want to accept students who can cope with stress, who will be a good fit, and who will add to their community. As long as you show these, then you should be fine! Ik that you are literally about to submit your application and it must be stressful to hear these comments, but try to listen to everyone’s comments and see what you can do. You got this!
The REA deadline for Harvard is November 1st - less than one week away. It’s too late to go back to the drawing board at this point, especially if it’s multiple essays we are talking about. I think OP is going to have to submit her application and hope for the best.
Sounds like OP doesn’t have to go back to the drawing board- the essays “include” but that doesn’t mean it’s the focus or main element…
OP- can you tweak to make sure the focus is on you- a resilient, capable person- and not on an eating disorder?
Of course the OP can choose to apply RD rather than REA if time is needed to revamp essays.
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