How do mental illness and extenuating circumstances affect admissions?

Applying to College
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<p>I'm nearing the end of my junior year right now, and this year has been a huge dip in the road for me. I've always been a diligent student and I had straight As in rigorous courses up until the beginning of junior year. My mom has severe anxiety/bipolar disorder, and her condition began to worsen around May of my sophomore year, and continued to decline. By the beginning of my junior, I could tell things were going downhill with myself as well because my feelings of lethargy and apathy were very different from my normal self, but I treated it as burnout and tried to grind on. I talked to my GC and she does have psychological training, and she 'diagnosed' me with depression/anxiety. She met with my mom and I, and referred me to several therapists. However, my mom never brought me to any. My dad works overseas and only visits semi-annually, so he was out of the question as well.</p>

<p>My school runs on the quarter system, and I ended up with grades of B, F, F quarter 1, and B, D, F quarter 2. I'd dropped a class at the beginning of the year with a Medical Withdrawal (that my dad took me to the doctor's to get during his short return), so that is on my transcript as well. In quarter 3, I earned straight As, and in the middle of quarter 4 right now, I also am maintaining straight As.</p>

<p>I have been looking into the college application process, and I am afraid my screw-up the first half of junior year will severely affect my admissions chances. My GC said she can explain the situation in a letter, and I have a close relationship with her so I am somewhat re-assured by that. However, my GPA has really plummeted and seeing how much colleges focus on our "transcripts", I'm worried that their concern will affect my chances.</p>

<p>Also, I've heard how colleges are wary of students with mental illness, and are worried that such a trend (with grade drops) will continue into college. I have a strong grasp of my mental health now, and am well recovered; I actually feel like I have learnt a lot more from my illness than if I'd just had smooth sailing. My extracurriculars are pretty unique, and I also have teachers who I know can write me a relatively strong letter of rec. Does anyone have experience with situations like this? My dream school is MIT, but that doesn't sound so feasible at this point. </p>

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<p>Most will likely urge you to ensure you have a diverse list of colleges that are reach/match/safety both for your profile and your finances. It seems that when an applicant has MI in his background, a typical recommendation is to focus on all your selling-point outside of the MI experience (such as your unique EC) and let your GC do any needed explaining. When a transcript has great grades, then an unusual dip for a term or three, the reader usually assumes there were extenuating circumstances, like a death in the family, illness, homelessness, parental divorce, legal trouble, etc. So, the reader will be “looking” for an explanation. Given the extreme bias regarding MI (IMHO), you are right to carefully research this. I hope you will hear from others here with direct experience. One way or another, you will find a great education. </p>

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<p>@dyiu13‌, thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it! Do you think I should mention my MI in any supplemental essays, or should I just let my GC take care of it completely? </p>

<p>Does anyone else have any input on this sort of situation?</p>

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<p>Just let your GC address the issue. Your essays should be about you outside of that.</p>