Do these types of essays usually seem redundant become you describe the disability briefly then talk about its impact on you? I really feel like my disability is something I should fit on my college app somewhere because it is definitely a big part of me. I’ve never met anyone with what I have and that may partly because the specific disorder is undiagnosed but to put it in basic terms it’s a mild case of muscular dystrophy. I do have some possibly hook liners in the essay and I think I may be able to pull it off. The reason I’m asking whether or not this is a good essay topic for top schools is that someone on another thread I made similar to this stated these types of essays follow the same points. It sounds logical, but I feel my case is slightly unique to most of the other disability essays for top schools. Any insight on this?
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Nope. You have limited space. Focus on your strengths not a disorder that apparently does not meet the diagnostic criteria for the disorder. Some would view an essay focused on that as a red flag.
Did this disorder lead you to something greater (i.e. new way of living life, passion for service, empathy for others, etc)? If so, I might consider writing the essay about that rather than simply the disorder itself. Otherwise, I would focus on a different topic. Good luck!
I would say yes, I volunteer and help senior citizens at least once a week. Also, I would say its made me view others in a different way because I know first hand you cant know everything about a person from looking at them. I look normal just like anybody else but I am very different on the inside because of it. Because of this I look at people with a more open and curious mind. When I said it was undiagnosed i didnt mean it doesnt meet diagnostic criteria for a certain disorder. I meant that the symptoms fall into the categories of MANY specfifc disorders and it’s a struggle because the exact disorder cant be diagnosed because of the inconsistency of tests and symptoms.
I dont intend to focus on the disorder but rather how its actually impacted me positively. I would agree that this topic wouldnt fit on any application but do you think that it would fit on topics about obstacles and the like @lostaccount @GhostKoi ?