<p>Hi, I'm trying to get a head start on my personal essays for the colleges that I will be applying to in the fall. For one school, they ask me to describe an event/ethical dilemma, person, or fictional character/artistic figure (such as musician) who has had an impact on me. I've considered it for a while and after realizing how cliche talking about how my favorite band or teacher has had an impact on me would be, I considered writing about my struggle with self harm (i thought this would fall into the ethical dilemma category) and how i've currently gone almost a year without it. The majority of the essay would not focus on the struggle but more of the recovery and how the struggle gave me a reason to try to get better and enjoy my life and all of that.</p>
<p>I thought it was a good idea but I've also been very skeptical of it. I'm not sure if it is too personal or taboo, or if the person who reads my essay would be nervous about admitting me.</p>
<p>My personal advice: Don’t write about self-harm. Student Health Care Centers at practically every college in America are overwhelmed with their current students who have drug, alcohol, substance abuse, eating disorders, self-harm issues, depression etc. In general, I think any college would be reluctant to take on another student with known issues – someone who could or might have a relapse on their campus. I would give the same advice to a student who was in recovery from drugs or alcohol. I understand that your suffering and recovery is a huge part of your life right now, but I don’t think writing a college essay about it will open many doors for you, no matter how wonderfully written the essay.</p>
<p>^ That’s not necessarily true. While the entire essay probably shouldn’t be centered around it, a very bright friend of mine included that as a fairly substantial part of her essay and got into UNC, and wait listed at a few ivies. </p>
<p>Gibby – Thank you for your response. That’s what my sister warned me – that I’d be considered a potential liability, and I read similar responses in threads about explaining eating disorders. I just really have no clue what else I could write a sincere essay about. </p>
<p>Obviously though, if I think hard enough, I could come up with something. I have very good grades/course choices/ECs/etc that everyone says will allow me to get into any college of my choice. I don’t want to ruin that with my personal essay.</p>
<p>Do you think if i just spoke about recovery as in getting happier and being motivated to achieve my dreams because I deserve it as much as anyone else, without mentioning an actual disorder/self harm would be okay?</p>
<p>Etuck24 – I’m not sure if my essay would be completely centered on it. Obviously I wouldn’t talk about the struggle so much as the insight that the struggle has brought me. What I was thinking is that once I got so bad that I felt the need to self harm, I realized that I needed to get help and try to enjoy my life. I’m not really sure. Now that I’m thinking about it, it still seems like a very cliche idea.</p>
<p>If you write about the principles of your recovery program in terms of how you handle challenges WITHOUT naming the self harm aspect and keep it more generic about how the principles guide your life overall, I think it could be an inspiring essay. It all depends on who reads your essay and what type of institution you are applying to. Kudos to you on your recovery. I wish you well.</p>
<p>marybee333 - Thank you! That’s what I was thinking of doing. I’m just not sure exactly how to go about it. If I were to talk mostly about what I have learned and just say something about how I was in a very low point in my life, would that lessen the potential of me being considered a possible liability?</p>
<h2>“Do you think if i just spoke about recovery as in getting happier and being motivated to achieve my dreams because I deserve it as much as anyone else, without mentioning an actual disorder/self harm would be okay?”</h2>
<p>I think it all depends on which colleges you are applying to, how that campus deals with mental health issues, and how receptive an admissions director might be to what you write about – and it’s impossible to predict how your essay will be received. In my opinion, it’s just too risky a topic – especially at certain colleges that seem to be overwhelmed with mental health issues. For example, in this recent article: [Mental-Health</a> Breakdown: When Harvard Fails Its Students - The Daily Beast](<a href=“Mental-Health Breakdown: When Harvard Fails Its Students”>Mental-Health Breakdown: When Harvard Fails Its Students) Paul Barreira, a psychiatrist and director of Harvard Health Services says:</p>
<p>"it’s not Harvard’s job to provide long-term mental health care, but rather, to treat students so they can be productive and happy, and get the most out of their four years. “This is not a social service agency,” says Barreira. And though Harvard has a $30.7 billion endowment, “there is no endowment dedicated to providing mental health services.”</p>
<p>Based on this article, I would say Harvard’s Admissions Directors would probably not be receptive to a student essay written on self-harm, even if you wrote that you were getting happier and being motivated to achieve your dreams.</p>
<p>Here’s what I would suggest: Start writing the essay in your head – even if you never end up using it, the process will be helpful for you. Both my son and daughter spent about 3 to 4 months working on their college essays. They didn’t write on just one topic, but about 10 to 12 different topics. What they ended up submitting was not their first attempt, or their first topic, but their last. Writing your college essay is a process and often a topic will come to you only after you have written several essays. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>I agree, way too risky. And to skirt around it, dropping hints or not, is too vague. I don’t agree with writing essays in your head. You write essays by getting words on paper. But you might like to try that an exercise, and see what else comes up.</p>
<p>But this is not a correct topic for the prompt, anyway. Self harm is not an ethical dilemma, it is a mental health issue. If you blurt out about cutting in response to any random prompt I’d wonder if you can’t see clearly, or if you haven’t put it far enough behind, see</p>
<p>I’m sure this has been a huge struggle and it is great to hear about your progress, but I can’t advise making it the main focus they should know about you for admissions purposes.</p>
<p>I phrased that sentence poorly. What i should have said is “Write down on paper the essay that is in your head.” Once you have something down on paper, something you think is a wonderful example of who you are, put the essay aside. Revisit the essay in two weeks. If you still like it, show the essay to one of the teachers who will be writing your college recommendations, as (aside from your parents and friends) they know you the best, and can judge whether the essay “sounds” like you.</p>