<p>Does having depression and talking about your experiences (be they good or bad) with depression hurt or help your chances more when it comes to college admissions?</p>
<p>It is usually a good explanation for lower-grades and/or improvement in high school. A college usually gives slack to people with illnesses and would definitely not hurt the chances of those people.</p>
<p>tell your gc about it...he'll say you overcame a tremendous obstacle or something. don't waste your only chance to talk to colleges (your essays) with whining and excuses, whatever your situation may be.</p>
<p>Do not mention it unless it affected your performance in high school.</p>
<p>yeah definitely don't mention it.</p>
<p>think of it from the college's perspective:</p>
<p>depression has a tendency to relapse</p>
<p>depressed kids do not fare well in social or academic endeavors</p>
<p>depressed kids cost more money to keep at the school (counselors, etc.)</p>
<p>depressed kids have a lower chance of graduating on time, or at all</p>
<p>depressed kids are more likely to commit suicide and draw negative attention to the school</p>
<p>depressed kids are more likely to dislike the school and broadcast this disdain publicly</p>
<p>They don't wanna know that you've got/had the crazies.
Don't tell them.</p>
<p>"They don't wanna know that you've got/had the crazies."</p>
<p>I know I shouldn't laugh...but that was somehting else. </p>
<p>And as far as talking about the depression in your personal statement...was it a major aspect of your life? It just seems there are far more "cons" than "pros" when writing about such matters...</p>
<p>is not a hook! gtfo</p>
<p>It hurts your chances. Colleges have had major problems with students with mental health problems who have killed themselves or others. Colleges also know that college, particularly freshman year, is stressful for all students. It's especially stressful for students who have a history of mental health problems.</p>
<p>There are many previous threads on this subject. Check the archives.</p>
<p>Also, read an "article" (big whoop, but take it for what's it worth) - where an admission rep said he is sick to death of reading about what he called the three "D"s : Depression, Divorce and Drugs. Personally, I'd avoid those topics.</p>
<p>Okay, okay I understand. So I'll hide my depression from the admissions people.</p>
<p>That's a little sad, but okay.</p>
<p>Talk to your college counselor about this. She will know how to get the message about your illness across to your colleges without shouting it from the rooftops.</p>
<p>That said, unless it has severely affected your schoolwork you probably shouldn't mention it on your part of the application. Especially, if your doctors don't feel that you have recovered.</p>
<p>This is an interesting thread. College admissions offices are typically known for being socially progressive, yet when it comes to mental illness they perhaps need to catch up with the times.</p>
<p>Some of the greatest musicians, mathematicians, writers, and scientists were victims of mental illness</p>
<p>"depression has a tendency to relapse"
-Students who have pulled themselves out of poverty or difficult family circumstances also statistically "have a tendency to relapse" back towards expressing characteristics of their former environments. Everyone deserves a fair shot at being evaluated against the backdrop of their particular challenges and opportunities (and in the spirit of hope that they will rise above their circumstances).</p>
<p>"depressed kids do not fare well in social or academic endeavors"
That is simply untrue. There are many succesful giants in business, the sciences - in absolutely any field, who are both being treated for depression AND enjoying a successful life.</p>
<p>"depressed kids have a lower chance of graduating on time"
"depressed kids cost more money to keep at the school (counselors, etc.)"
The schools are more at risk for spending money and time on students who have not yet experienced or been diagnosed with depression, than with those who self-report and are already managing their condition. </p>
<p>"depressed kids are more likely to dislike the school and broadcast this disdain publicly"
I am not aware of any studies conclusively demonstrating a correlation between criticizing one's school and depression, but I would be interested if anyone is aware of one. Also likely to criticize a school would be intelligent, socially progressive types who might for some reason feel victimized by discrimination, or for some reason need to use their voices. I would hope universities are receptiove to those people, because they are the history makers.</p>
<p>"depressed kids are more likely to commit suicide and draw negative attention to the school"
The number of depressed kids who committ suicide is quite low. Among those who are open about it and getting treatment? I bet those numbers are much lower. Poor people are also more likely to committ suicide than the general population. So are homosexuals. Should we exclude those groups as well? I think not.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, despite my feelings on this topic, I agree that you should keep your depression secret. If it were 1950, I would tell you to keep your sexual preferences secret as well.</p>
<p>"So are homosexuals. Should we exclude those groups as well?"</p>
<p>yes we should :-P</p>
<p>and no, don't tell them about your depression because they'll think that you might end up killing people</p>
<p>Virginia tech?</p>
<p>Hopefully there is a lot more to you than your depression. If you just view yourself in that context and describe yourself that way, then it would be negative. If you mention it as part of a bigger picture, then I do not see why you would have to hide it.</p>
<p>"
"So are homosexuals. Should we exclude those groups as well?"</p>
<p>yes we should :-P</p>
<p>and no, don't tell them about your depression because they'll think that you might end up killing people
"
So, you think that homosexuals don't deserve a place in college? Wow, are you a bigot.
And you think that people shouldn't report their depression, especially if they are managing it. The school then knows that the person is aware of their problem and they have handled it well in the past. I don't think you should mention it until you are accepted, but after that, go ahead. The school now has a responsibility to provide mental health care just as they would for physical injuries.</p>
<p>"depression has a tendency to relapse"
-Students who have pulled themselves out of poverty or difficult family circumstances also statistically "have a tendency to relapse" back towards expressing characteristics of their former environments. Everyone deserves a fair shot at being evaluated against the backdrop of their particular challenges and opportunities (and in the spirit of hope that they will rise above their circumstances)."</p>
<p>The problem with depression is that the admissions officers know that college is very stressful, especially freshmen year. Students with prior histories of depression are prone to relapse, and if they relapse in college, they could end up killing themselves because if they're attending college away from home, they're not likely to be under the regular care of a therapist who knows them well nor are they likely to be surrounded by friends and family who knows them well.</p>
<p>As for people who start out poor being more likely to "relapse" into poverty --If indeed that's true, why should that prevent colleges from accepting them? The purpose of colleges is to provide people with educations. Should students relapse into poverty, that's not a life and death matter as is relapsing into a suicidal or even homicidal depression.</p>
<p>Also, the purpose of one's college app is to give colleges reasons for accepting you. The purpose isn't to tell colleges about one's various troubles and vulnerabilities.</p>
<p>spideygirl, i know it is nice to try and vindicate individuals who suffer from depression, however:</p>
<p>first of all, i was speaking from the school's perspective. an admissions officer doesn't need more than common sense to understand that potential students with a history of depression are likely to cause problems.</p>
<p>i definitely shy away from attacking people who are victims of depression, however to claim that social/academic affairs are unaffected by depression, that a risk of suicide is not a worry, and that financial resources are not consumed (if a student is already seeking treatment for depression, you can be almost SURE that treatment will continue when they arrive on campus... and this time the school will be paying for it) is a nice favor towards someone suffering from depression, however it is not the correct utilitarian way of looking at it.</p>
<p>that's not to say anyone is to blame for these types of things, or that the school is necessarily doing the most ultimately "moral" thing by shying away from these types of students (who, in fact, may be in the most need of an opportunity for something like a great education) but from an institutional standpoint they are very real concerns and i assure you they will be on the minds of adcoms in exactly the format i presented.</p>
<p>I do see the other side to this, but there really are two sides. I was just trying to offer some perspective. Looking at the statistics on sales of antidepressants, it just seems a little ridiculous to consider a depressed student on campus as a threat. It is likely that in every admissions office there are people on antidepressants! VA Tech is an extreme situation, and I am sure that man had problems which were way more complicated than garden variety depression.</p>
<p>"As for people who start out poor being more likely to "relapse" into poverty --If indeed that's true, why should that prevent colleges from accepting them? The purpose of colleges is to provide people with educations. Should students relapse into poverty, that's not a life and death matter as is relapsing into a suicidal or even homicidal depression."
My point was not about someone "relapsing" into poverty, but that some of the negative environments people pull themselves out of to better themselves can produce effects which resurface in their future (alcoholism, violence, mental illness, etc.). I just hope that all applicants can be looked at according to where they are today, with a hopeful eye, knowing that some of them will not turn out OK but believing that they all deserve a shot (if their grades are appropriate in light of their challenges and opportunities).</p>
<p>"Also, the purpose of one's college app is to give colleges reasons for accepting you. The purpose isn't to tell colleges about one's various troubles and vulnerabilities."
I totally agree with this point. Don't report the depression (despite my political thoughts on the matter).</p>