<p>Okay I was recently diagnosed bipolar, and I was just wondering if I should say anything about that to colleges? Because my doctor agrees that it did affect my grades and activities somewhat, but not drastically by anyones standards but my own probably. I still have a 3.75 GPA in school, 4.2 weighted and am pretty heavily involved in drama, show choir, school musical, student council etc... but I know that if I had been being treated earlier, I could have done better. My ACT score is a 32 but I've only taken it once, and I don't want them to think I was slacking off in school, but I also don't want them to think of me as crazy... and its still kind of a touchy subject for me.. So should I even bother mentioning it? Or do you think it would just hurt my chances?</p>
<p>If I had your GPA, test score and activities, I wouldn't mention it. Your stats do not suggest anything negative. Different people react differently to mental illness and since you have nothing negative that needs explaining, I'd keep my mental health information private.</p>
<p>i agree. i think you might be "shooting yourself in the foot" to reveal this info, since you've done a superb job anyway! you have no idea who will be deciding your fate and what preconceived ideas/actual experiences they have re. mental issues.</p>
<p>If you're applying for an Ivy, it may be better to do so. IF NOT, although it is illegal to discriminate against people with the disorder, it will happen, so it may be better to keep it to yourself until after the admissions have been decided, as your grades and ACT score are good for most major universities. After all, it's not like you have what that VA Tech criminal had - you're not dangerous to the school. Afterward, you can notify the appropriate people to help you not suffer further while in college.</p>
<p>Don't mention it. For the same reasons that dntw8up and happycollegemom said.</p>
<p>Haha okay well umm months later and a lot of mishaps with medication and they've decided that I DON'T have bipolar disorder, just a bad case of ADD and depression brought on by it.. should I mention this?</p>
<p>kitkatt565, I just saw this posting for the first time. First, ignore all the posters who have virtually "whispered" for you NOT to mention having some problems. It does not matter whether you have experienced (even a mild form of) bipolar disorder or some type of depression. The likelihood is that someone somewhere (be it a student, a teacher or an administrator) will have noticed that things are sometimes off kilter with you. If you DON'T raise the issue and how you are battling these problems, and SOMEONE ELSE does in your recs, for example, you will be sunk. Is it worth a denial due to dishonesty?</p>
<p>I understand completely what you are experiencing. I was married for 15 years to a woman with bipolar disorder. I divorced her principally because she would not (and still does not 4 years later!) take responsibility for her illness. . . I ask you, do you really think Adcoms would treat you so differently from someone who overcame dyslexia, or someone whose divorcing parents never stop fighting, or someone who is an URM, or someone first in her family to attend college, or . . . Get the picture?</p>
<p>Honesty is always best! Step forward from the shadows! Speak clearly no matter who you are and you will be richly rewarded! You might just be the final piece to an elite college's quest for more complete diversity?</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If colleges deny you because they think you might suffer, it's for your own good. If you're experiencing issues in HS, they will likely be exacerbated in college, especially with all the new pressures you'll face.</p>
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If colleges deny you because they think you might suffer, it's for your own good.
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<p>Wow, what a patronizing attitude to take toward those with mental illness.</p>
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You might just be the final piece to an elite college's quest for more complete diversity?
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<p>Based on what I have seen, there's no shortage of bipolar folks already at elite colleges. Which, come to think of it, could be reassuring to the OP in a different way. Though I'm not sure I know anyone who was diagnosed before they had matriculated.</p>
<p>OP, you might want to just say that you had a medical problem which hurt your grades at first, but which is being successfully treated, as can be seen by your higher recent grades. 3.75 is far from a bad GPA to begin with, but especially if you are going for elite schools, it doesn't hurt to show that you are even better.</p>
<p>So they misdiagnosed you with bipolar. Now you have ADD and depression. How do you know that this these diagnoses are accurate? Medical information is protected. It is not dishonest to not reveal it. Also it seems to me that you have good grades, etc. We all have things that influence our grades, don't make excuses, 'cause that's how it sounds. BTW, colleges have the right to refuse admission to anyone that they deem is not a good fit, and if there is a concern about someone's emotional ability to handle the work load, that is legit. If having whatever psych diagnosis you may have caused your grades to drop in high school, what's going to happen at a competitive college? They don't want a risk of decompensating, etc.</p>