<p>How "personal" should I go w/ my college essay?</p>
<p>I used to have depression (severe) and eating problems. But I recovered completely from them and did it while keeping my grades up. I know this seems like the mundane teenage situation, but is it too shocking to write about? I have many good themes to relate to these topics and I want to say how it changed my life and how I view the world... blah blah. I am also good at invoking the Sympathy Emotion in other people without sounding offensive or cheesy.</p>
<p>I was just thinking about that sort of thing too..
It's hard to find the thin line between shocking or offending the reader and making it really interesting and sincere.
In your case - depression and eating problems - how can you know if the college will be alarmed by that and won't want to take a chance to enroll you.
Writing about your flaws is great, but when it comes to medical conditions it might be a little tricky.</p>
<p>Those are just my thoughts.. I'd like to hear what others think too</p>
<p>Yea, especially with depression and ed's, I heard that some colleges are very sensitive to it, and will even send students home if they suspect anything. So I do not want to give them a false alarm before even entering the school!</p>
<p>Thanx for the advice. I asked my parents about it too, and they said it is best to avoid them. I am sure that my life is interesting enough to have other topics to write about.</p>
<p>Is that what you feel best represents you? Are you able to do this in a tactful way? Can you still make someone smile from time to time at different parts of this essay? If you really think that you can cover all of the positive aspects of you that make you awesome, then go for it.</p>
<p>Admitting to a history of mental illness is NOT what you want on your college essay; this is highly confidential information and could definitely hurt your chances. Nor is it wise to speak of cancer, HIV, or any serious illness prior to acceptance. College officials don't go out looking for trouble. And yes, it's true, after you are accepted, college officials will send you home if your health--mental or physical--is seen as a serious risk to your welfare or that of your fellows.</p>
<p>Yeah, we've all read the ubiquitous TIME/Newsweek articles about college students with eating disorders and especially depression. It seems to me like saying "Buyer, you better beware like there's no tomorrow."</p>