i suffer from mild anxiety and depression, am on the autism spectrum, and also suffer from chronic depersonalization/derealization disorder (all prof. diagnosed). i’m a very intelligent person and i know i have good chances at all the schools i’m interested in, but i’m worried that if i mention my mental illnesses, specifically being on the autism spectrum, that it will hurt my chances. you’d never know any of these things by just talking to me, but i was considering mentioning them in my essays. however i won’t if you think it’ll hurt my chances. thoughts?
This is an often asked question and a search can find good threads. The downside is colleges will be concerned how well you integrate with their community-- especially if you’re applying for a resident college.
No, don’t discuss it. Colleges may not want to admit a student who can’t handle the work. That’s lost revenue for,them.
@Lindagaf i can handle it though. a lot of the colleges i will apply to typically value more quirky kids, and seem to enjoy actually knowing their applicants versus just seeing the same resumes over and over. i wanted to talk about my actual self. i know that illnesses don’t define you but i’ve suffered from chronic depersonalization since age 5 (childhood trauma) and since it started at such a young age it kinda did shape who i am, so this was something that i was very interested in discussing in my essays.
I think the only thing that is okay to address is the autism aspect. However, be careful not to write an essay that says “I am an autistic person,” rather than an essay that shows the kind of person you are despite being autistic. And I really would not talk about your other issues. You have not been to college yet. College is tough. It isn’t just higher level work and a ton of course work. It’s dealing with social apsects, being away from home, new responsibilities, and so much more.
I don’t think your autism is a red flag as much as the other issues. I may be totally wrong, of course.
There are tons of threads here every semester about how the poster became depressed and is now failing multiple classes or having to withdraw. I thought I could handle college too, but it’s been a test of my willpower, time management, and emotional stability at every turn. Be cautious.
I agree. Last year, my daughter wrote about how she’s changed due to having a severely mentally ill older brother. She has started advocating for mentally ill people. She DIDN’T mention that she had been diagnosed with anxiety.
Even if you know you can handle the work, the college won’t know that.
@bodangles , I wish I could like your comment a hundred times. OP, forewarned is forearmed. Being in college is not easy for anyone, but some kids adjust better than others. There is no reason to draw negative attention to your issues. It’s great that you think you will be fine in college. Isn’t that enough, to know that YOU feel confident in your abilities? Maybe autism can be thought of as “quirky” but I wouldn’t say the same of mental illnesses. I doubt you will find a single person who will think writing about it is a good idea.
so just to be clear you all think that writing about how my lifetime of dealing with chronic dissociation is a bad idea? i wasn’t planning on mentioning the anxiety or depression in my essays, and possibly not even autism. i probably should have worded my original post a tad more specifically.
Is that who you are? The goal of the essay is to let the college know what kind of person you are. You want them to read the essay and think “I know this person better, and I like him. I want this person at my college.” If you really want the college to know about your mental illness, then ask your guidance counselor to address it.
Are mental illnesses best treated like other illnesses, in regards to disclosing them to people? If you suffered from diabetes, would you write your essay about being diabetic? Maybe, but my understanding of people with chronic illnesses is that they don’t want to be treated differently. Research what the campus offers in terms of health care and counseling/psychiatric services, or research what is avaiable in the town your college is in. You should take that into consideration anyway, given that you will probably continue to receive counseling services while in college.
It’s up to you what you write your essay about, but bear in mind, it’s one of the few pieces of your application that puts a personality to a bunch of stats. You want it to make a good impression, because you want them to admit you. Medical issues can be dealt with when you are accepted. Again, this highlights the importance, in your case, of being sure there will be access to appropriate health care for you.
Edited to add, if you feel compelled to write on the topic of your derealization disorder, then you have to do what makes you feel true to yourself. Be aware that you might find your choices very limited by your honesty though, and not because they would dislike you, but because of concerns about your abolity to handle the work.
Yes, bad idea.