<p>Just a question. A friend and I were wondering if it would be okay for a person to mention that they were untreated for mental illness (such as bipolar disorder) or ADHD/ADD to explain an inconsistency in grades. At first I thought that this would be okay, but she thinks that since many people are misinformed about it, there would be some sort of stigma associated with it. Would mentioning this help or hurt the college admissions process?</p>
<p>I think there is a stigma associated with both mental illness and ADD, both with colleges and the general public. However, if either of those conditions affected your friend's grades enough to jeopardize his admission to the school, then I do not see that he has much to lose by mentioning the problems he had and how he overcame them. He should demonstrate how he will be successful at the college in spite of his challenges/diabilities.</p>
<p>I think it should be mentioned in essays where you can explain how you overcame an obstacle. I'm doing that for my applications and already got accepted to the University of Central Florida.</p>