So on the the SUNY App I’ve been using this blurb on personal circumstances impacting my performance. I’d greatly appreciate feedback on it:
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I've never been an underachiever in most senses of the word. When I was younger, I always prided myself on doing well academically, placing a lot of pressure on myself to succeed. I actually still remember the feeling of shame I had the first time I under performed on a test. As I got older, though, complications started to arise. I hate using my emotional state to justify inadequacy, but I became increasingly prone to periods of debilitating depression accompanied with social anxiety, creating what some may refer to as "roller coaster" averages, varying significantly from quarter to quarter. While these are things that I am still dealing with today, I've improved in these areas a good deal, particularly in the area of anxiety. Even just talking to people used to be an ordeal for me, but now I have a lot of supportive people in my life and communication has gotten progressively easier. These issues also speak for my ability to learn quickly. In my sophomore year, I missed over seventy days, but I still performed relatively well on my exams, specifically in the English and history portions. Retaining information has always been my strong suit, so I've been considerably lucky in this regard, and I am happy to report that my attendance has improved since then. While these factors have negatively impacted my performance, they have played a positive role in shaping my outlook, giving me a greater sense of perspective and insight into others.<<< The bigger question here, though, is is it okay to include depression in college applications? By including something like this, am I diminishing my chances of getting in?
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