My grades were impacted by my mental illness

Hi. I’m currently a senior in High School and as the title of this discussion implies have struggled with mental illness. I didn’t mention it on any of my applications because I have heard that colleges sometimes reject you because of it (they don’t want any bad publicity in case of suicide, etc.) However, in my interviews I think questions of my grades in Junior Year may come up. I didn’t fail any classes. I got one C+ in a Dual enrollment course, and a couple of B+s in advanced math, AP English, and Honors Physics. I don’t know whether or not to tell my interviewer that those grades were a result of being hospitalized and some bad patches of depression. I am currently a lot better have been medically treated and discharged am stable and safe without medication and therapy and for senior year I have gotten all As. Anyways… I guess I’m just wondering whether it’s worth it to qualify my grades by bringing up something else that could be a turn off for selective schools? Any advice is greatly appreciated Thanks!

“health issues that have been resolved” should cover things.

You can always be truthful and say that “health issues” impacted your grades. You do not need to specify what those issues were. They impacted your attendance (I assume) which would naturally affect your grades.

I’m glad you are doing well. As you move ahead, please consider the impact of stress on possible re-occurence of your depression as you choose your college. Making sure that there are supports available (on campus and/or off campus) in your choice of school is also something to take seriously. Consider it extra insurance for your mental health–you may not need it, but if you do, you will be glad it is there. Some schools take this issue much more seriously than others–it is worth taking a look so you will know what type of environment you will be heading into.

Best of luck to you, and stay well.

No. If you want a college to know this, I would have your GC write about it in their LOR. How “selective” are you aiming for?

The good news is that there are many schools that will accept you, and if you do your research, you can seek out ones that will provide decent continuing mental health support and weed out those that won’t do much for you in that area. Given your history, I would go for good mental support over prestige when making a college choice.

The bad news is that C+ in the DE class is going to follow you for a while longer. As a college class, that transcript has to go to not only each college to which you apply, but to any transfer colleges and graduate schools as well. It could be part of your college GPA at some places.

Yup, go with “health issues” if it comes up.