<p>Is it a bad idea for me to write about my struggles with bipolar disorder in my essay?</p>
<p>In another post someone said something about how college admissions officers don't like anything that suggests any kind of mental illness. That's why I was asking. Is that true? Is it a good idea or a bad idea?</p>
<p>i second this question!!! i was going to write about overcoming anorexia, is this a bad idea?</p>
<p>I think in general colleges tend to shun those that write "sob story" essays. I was going to write about my parent's divorce and overcomming depression but I decided against it because although that may have been difficult, it does not define who I am as a person- who I have become. However, if you strongly feel that your struggle with mental illness has truly made you who you are today then write about it. Write what you feel- what you are passionate about.</p>
<p>Don't write about mental illness - red flags. </p>
<p>You should write about something that shows positive qualities about yourself.</p>
<p>Spirited, I appreciate your input.</p>
<p>That said, the essay would be all about my positive qualities. It would be about how I overcame my mental illness to a certain extent and how it helped me to learn and grow. It would be about how it made me stronger and helped me to become the person I am today. It would also tell a story about myself and what I did in highschool. </p>
<p>I understand that writing about mental illness in a negative and still-experiencing-it sort of way would wave red flags, but would something somewhat uplifting wave red flags?</p>
<p>Why don't you write about it first and have a few people proofread? Maybe you'll answer your own question. People are only giving caution because mental illness does raise eyebrows. But who knows, maybe your essay would be especially uplifting.</p>
<p>So yes, try playing around with words for a bit and make that essay. :)</p>
<p>Yeah I know someone who wrote not even that he was bipolar but something kind of on that theme or something and one college called our guidance counsellor and his parents and then waitlisted him haha he's at a better school now anyways, but some schools don't want to deal with that.</p>
<p>i wrote my essay about dealing with bipolar disorder. i'm now at a top 5 liberal arts college. if you can make it about how you are <em>stable</em> yet you still deal with the effects of your disorder everyday you can make it work. i think it's important to stress the stability issue.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input, everyone. Keep the the comments coming!</p>
<p>Thanks, millionlittlepieces.That's really helpful.</p>
<p>It will depend on the school you're applying to too. At schools known for being notoriously high-stress, the MI can be an issue. So be careful!!!!</p>