I know many people say to avoid mental illness, but I think it’s relatively important to talk about when it has shaped a lot of your life. I talked about how I’ve dealt with mental illness in my family, how I was impacted, and how I overcame it. But, I did not let it overwhelm the main points of my essay. Is this acceptable?
Yes, it’s acceptable just as any topic is. It all depends on the execution and how well you tell your story. But if it’s your truth and if it’s an important aspect of who you are and how you’ve become a student that they want to have on their campus then it’s not only a topic you can write about then it’s one you should write about.
It’s not among the criteria colleges look for in candidates. Especially not the competitive world of musical theater. It’s not an asset one offers. Even if this is not a problem OP personally faced, ask yourself how it shows a college you’re one of their best applicants. How does it show how one will be part of the college community, away from home? It’s a tricky subject.
I think the advice is more about your own mental health struggles. Colleges are reluctant to risk those problems recurring on campus, and they know it adds risk that you will not finish your degree. So it definitely can reduce your chances of admissions.
Writing about someone eise’s mental illness doesn’t have that risk. But it is easy to make the essay too much about someone else, which isn’t your goal. It also is a “downer” topic — you are trying to get them to be excited to bring you on campus. This isn’t very helpful.
Most students are multifaceted and could choose among many topics. Read the tips pinned at the top of this forum. My guess is that you could make a better choice.
@intparent I completely understand your point. My essay ends on a positive note because I talked about how MT helped me build my self-confidence through a tramautizing experience. I tried to avoid mental illness being the central idea of my essay. I talked a lot about self-improvement as well.