–I am a sophomore in high school but applying to early entry to a state college. it will let me drop out and attend college full-time in what would be my junior year in high school. –
I am working on the application right now and was drafting a personal statement that focuses on a suicide attempt I made in summer of 2022. I am not sure if this is a good subject to focus on as i don’t want the college to view me as unstable or a potential liability.
The story mostly focuses on my reason I did not follow through with my entire plan, and i state reasons i chose to live and how the experience has allowed me to grow. I should also mention this event was mostly brought up by me being extorted by an online “friend” that i vaguely mention in the story. (what a year )
I make sure to make the event seem positive and shows growth… but i’m not sure how reader(s) will react.
First, I’m sorry that you had to go through that, and I’m glad to hear that you’re doing better.
As for the answer to your query - No.
An important thing that you need to know about colleges, all colleges, is that they are risk averse. You do not want them to have any reason to think that you would be a liability.
If you write about it, they will.
This is likely especially true for an early entry program.
Despite what seems to be the common myth “How I overcame difficulties and barriers” is not a good topic for a college essay. You want the admissions people to read your essay and say to themselves “we would really like this person here - we think that they’ll do great and do a great addition to our college”.
A question, unrelated to your question, but related to your story - do you think that early entry is a good idea for you? Is it a good idea for you to leave your support system at this point in your life?
Do you have a good therapist, and will you still be able to see that therapist while you are at the program?
I assume that you are otherwise both qualified and a good match for the program.
Good luck, whatever you decide, and remember to take care of yourself.
I also agree and urge you to be cautious. Life is not a race. My son tried to do too much after his mental illness diagnosis and it set him back for a long time. You’ve been through a lot!
+1 to @MWolf’s post- especially for an early entry program where you don’t want any doubts about your maturity and ability to take care of yourself away from home.
Also, it’s a waste of real estate! you have such a tiny space to show where you are headed and why you are are ready (academically and socially) to be a part of their community! Look forward, not back.
Your college essays should be about things that make the colleges want to have you as a student. Not things that would make them second guess if this is a good idea.
I would strongly suggest you consider not graduating from high school early. In my opinion, this will not strengthen your application. Plus it will put you in the position of being a very young college student. What is the rush!
My opinion…for any college you choose to apply to…make sure there are very available counseling resources just in case you need them.
Getting a college degree is not a race…it’s a journey.
I hope you have the support you need. And I’m glad you did not follow through.
You answered your question yourself with the last sentence of your second paragraph.
Short answer heck no.
College is intense - not just academically but kids are on their own for the first time.
They are short of mental health resources and strategies.
As this was recent (which makes it more dangerous to include) I hope you are seeking the mental health support to help you toward the bright future you deserve.
No, this would not be a good topic for an essay. Think about the things you love, your hopes and dreams for the future, and come up with an essay about those things.
As for entering college early: for some students, it is not a bad idea. Those who are bullied or ostracized in high school may find college to be a much more tolerant atmosphere. If you can live at home while attending the first year or two of your nearby 4 yr state college, and if academically you are ready for college, and if a bad social atmosphere at high school contributed to your misery, then you may be better off going to college every school day, than to your high school. I’m not saying that entering college two years early is a great idea for everyone, but obviously you’ve had a very rough road. If you and your parents and your therapist think that college at 16 is a better choice for you than high school at 16, so be it.
I would NOT recommend your moving to live at college at age 16, with a history of a suicide attempt. You could wind up isolated, miserable, and without the day to day support of your family, could have a recurrence.
If you really want to address something about this topic, focus on YOU. The picture in the essay is always you and the frame is the other stuff. So maybe framing the story with your extortion experience and how you grew from that could work. You could say that at times, you felt very low, but you don’t talk about suicide thoughts or attempts. You can still talk about all the positive goals you have in your life.
I have a question: why the rush to start college? College is not easy. Not sure if you are looking to commute or not, but if part of the desire is to escape high school, you may not be ready for college yet. There are other ways to begin a college career, such as starting at a CC and transferring, which might give you a little time to mature.
Ask yourself this question: Will this essay entice them to want you on their campus?
Most people reading this will not focus on how you’ve changed. They’ll focus on the attempt. A big liability for the college – especially since you will me a minor in their care.
Thank you for all your responses! I’ll definitely choose a different topic to write about.
As for your concerns – I’ve decided to apply to this program because high school has been feeling like a waste of time, everyday is me trying to find research programs that will allow me to focus on my actual passions, and my school just does not have those resources. I want to study astrophysics or astrobiology, I’ve had this passion for a very long time. And the state school i am applying to has a great program for this!
I realize that this aspiration could change, but being a college student will give me more opportunities to find new passions as well.
And once i apply i can begin to seriously way the pros and cons of going, that is if i get in. Also i’m not allowed to dorm until my junior year of college when im 17/18. I live fairly close to the school so it would be fine.
I’ve always been one to plan way too much for my life, but i’ve realized that is what is giving me hope to be alive, as well as making me want to end it. Which is weird and confusing, but it’s okay. I think im in a good enough place that if i do not get in, i won’t be too hurt. its good practice to apply for colleges too!
TLDR: i’ll change the personal statement. And i’ll see if i get in, then way the pros and cons of actually going through with it.
I thought I might talk a bit about this. I will admit that I have not studied astrophysics (nor anything with “biology” in the name). I was a math major in university. I also not that long ago had a tour of a large radiotelescope that is somewhere vaguely near where I live. The radiotelescope is quite an impressive piece of equipment and my understanding is that information that it can gather is very useful in astrophysics.
Radiotelescopes use a lot of mathematics and computer science. They gather a very large amount of information and you really can’t analyze and make sense out of all that information without using computers, and the algorithms that computers use requires quite a bit of math, and of course some physics.
Which leads me to a question: How are you doing in math? Math is something that you typically can get a very good start on while still in high school. Also, whatever you are learning in math right now is going to depend upon what you learned last year, and will be a basis for what you are likely to learn next year or the year after. You should also be able to get a start on physics in high school. Both math and physics are areas where precision is important, which suggests that you want to learn each step quite well along the way in your studies.
Similarly at many high schools you can get a good start on computer science while you are still in high school. One daughter for example was programming small robots in high school. The class had robots running up and down the hallways in their school – much to the amusement of the rest of the students who were not in this particular class.
My point is that while you probably cannot study astrophysics in high school, you can get a very good start on material that will be useful when you get to studying astrophysics in the future.
Going to university is a big change in a person’s life. In many cases it involves living separate from your parents, which by itself is already a big change. You set your own bed time. You get yourself up in the morning and off to class. You decide when to study and when not to study.
And as @MaineLonghorn has stated, life is not a race. We all need to pace ourselves and take on challenges at a pace that we can handle (and this pace will vary from one person to the next). Astrophysics will still be there to study when you are ready. Astrobiology is something that I had to just Google to find out what it is. It sounds like there are issues there which are not likely to be fully understood in the next three or four years. You can take time to learn the fundamentals in related fields.
I am doing fairly well in math right now. I’ve been taking higher level courses of math since middle school, i am in pre-calc right now. Neither of my math teachers for the past two years have been very great though so i have been mostly teaching myself and getting help from my dad. i do like math, but busy work has been exhausting.
So, in college i’m expecting to do the same, and hopefully learn math thats more focused on what i am interested in instead of general mathematics.
I’ve always been one to plan way too much for my life, but i’ve realized that is what is giving me hope to be alive, as well as making me want to end it.
If you are still seeking reasons to stay alive, please please please make sure you have adequate help. Are you on medications or in therapy?
Entering college early may be exciting academically but socially it could lead to some isolation, though perhaps living at home will provide support. Could you stay in high school and just take a college course or two?
I am taking medications and see a school counselor i trust.
After the attempt i was sent to a residential program for three months, then went to PHP, then IOP, and now just medications and weekly therapy. I’m doing a lot better that i was, and a lot better than i thought was even possible at the time!
I’ll first see if i get in or not, then seriously think about how it would effect me mentally (though i already have). I don’t want to look back and think i missed a good opportunity, i just want to give myself options.
So you have only recently been out of the hospital/partial hospital. One of my kids went through this. I am glad you trust your school counselor. It is very possible that suicidality is behind you, but depression tends to ebb and flow. Medication can do wonders.
Was it hard reentering your school?
I admire your academic passions but kind of hope you give yourself a break and stay in high school, or perhaps a combo of high school and community college. Keep the stress down for a few more months at any rate!
Are there extracurriculars in high school that you are involved in? If you went to college early, do you envision any EC’s there?
i’m a fairly adaptable person, so returning to school wasn’t too hard, i got back into the flow pretty quick. I used to do rowing last year and have been attending robotics on-and-off this year. If i went to college i’m not sure what EC’s i’d do, i haven’t been looking through the EC’s too much, there’s a lot of options.
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