I have suspected this could happen – turns out it does.
Just posting as fyi for students and parents
I’m not surprised. Students need to remember that colleges are looking for students who can succeed in their environment. Don’t put anything in application that would have a college second guessing.
Not surprised either…it’s good information for applicants and even GCs (who often cover a student’s mental health issues in their recs).
We should save this link and post it whenever a user asks if he/she should disclose mental health conditions.
At the same time, the colleges have a responsibility to protect their student populations. If someone writes an essay that makes it clear he or she is still facing issues and would still be a threat to others or themselves on campus, then not admitting that student is not a discriminatory act.
In theory, an application essay about a mental health issue would focus on overcoming it and the student’s path forward (rendering the threat a moot point while showing a great deal of self-awareness); if it is an active issue or threat then the admissions folks have to be aware of it, and the student should receive proper care before adding the stress of relocation and isolation that can accompany a move to college. I’ve read some great essays about overcoming past issues, and imo those writers showed higher levels of reflective insights than those who hadn’t gone through the same struggles.
I think the problem is that people familiar with mental illness know that it can be VERY hard to overcome. Just because a young person claims, “I’ve conquered depression!” it might not be true. A college might be leery of admitting someone who has something like major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder.
Do you think it’s the same for writing about overcoming a physical illness or coping with a physical disability?
“Do you think it’s the same for writing about overcoming a physical illness or coping with a physical disability?”
It is about money. It can be gleaned from the essay whether a student who overcame a physical disability will cost the college more to educate (maybe not, if ADA-compliant ingresses/egresses and housing is already in place, as it should be). With a mental health issue, the question of whether the student can succeed in that school and what the extra costs might be are harder to determine. The college in the article is a really, really small college. Applicants with mental health issues might value that kind of environment, but they would have to weigh it against the possibility (probability?) that the school is proportionally less funded.
@Groundwork2022 thank you for the insight. My D has ongoing health issues, but they require no accommodations from the college to manage. She is most likely not writing about it anyway, but wanted to make sure in case she veers in a different direction.
Concern about disclosed mental health issues by college admissions is nothing new. This practice was highly publicized about a decade ago after media reports of multiple college student suicides. Plus, common sense should prevail when writing college application essays.
Rose Hulman admission questions include a “locus of control” survey. Here is a sample:
Teachers sometimes make an early impression of you and then no matter what you do, you cannot change that impression.
There are some subjects in which I could never do well
I sometimes feel that there is nothing I can do to improve my situation
I never feel really hopeless - there is always something I can do to improve my situation.
I consider myself highly motivated to achieve success in life.
I have been known to spend a lot of time making decisions which others do not take seriously.
I am easily distracted.
I get depressed sometimes and then there is no way I can accomplish what I know I should be doing.
Things will probably go wrong for me some time in the near future.
The tips at the top of the essay section suggest to students to stay away from mental health as a topic. It causes a lot of arguments on the thread, more than any other element of the advice there. I am not even a bit surprised at this article.
Anything in an essay that gives unfavorable info or controversial topics is risky. You don’t know who will be reading your essay. Heck, I used to read essays right out of college working in admissions for a very short stint.
It’s a tightrope to walk when you are discussing disabilities. Not only could you be signaling the school that you will need special handling, you might be warning. them that you are a liability and a danger. Using these things as excuses, rationales for spotty performance, a death knell. I always tell kids who have had a catastrophe or who have challenges to let the GC or a recommending teacher bring it up. Not you.
Yes any essay that begins with “I use to think about killing myself and others, but then I got over it through a self help program” probably is getting right to the reject pile, but again this article only references mental issues, physical ones are entirely different.
From the article:
This is exactly right, in the sense that “holistic admissions” is a highbrow and high-minded way of saying they can admit anyone they want. In the school’s defense, I find that a disproportionate number of those advice seekers here who make the most excuses and cause the most problems for themselves and others also frankly discuss their mental health problems. There is no polite way to put it - good mental health is a plus and bad mental heath is a demerit.
No one is surprised by this. I tell students to not write about mental health issues. Maybe it’s not right, but frankly, everyone has something to say about themselves that doesn’t have to involve mental health issues.
Talking at all about any challenges can be a very touchy subject, even if the writer has “overcome” them. Schools have to be conscious that they want ALL the admitted students to succeed and not require a disproportionate amount of resources. I believe both of my kids were very careful about how they discussed their HS absences/health issues in their college applications. Both were admitted to a U they were very happy at, so it worked out. Both did discuss this matter with their HS guidance counselor as well.
You’re writing your app to show your match, why you belong there. Who thinks mental illness is “why you belong there?”
So the issue is the choice to focus on it. Not so much its existence. Adcoms understand the stresses kids go through. It’s just not the ‘sales pitch’ you want. Better to focus on what you accomplished. the challenges you willingly take on, the good you do.
The point of the GC mentioning it is the chance to say, and look at how she overcame, despite! Look how strong, etc, he is. Not just describe the pits. Not leaving it hanging.
Kids who triumph despite a physical disability can be seen in a good light, too.
This issue surfaced in todays “inside higher education” https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/08/26/new-college-florida-found-discriminate-against-applicants-mental
This is a tad ironic since New College has one of the highest ratios of mental health staff to students that I am aware of.