<p>Just as a quick appendix to my last post, it’s not exactly what your topic is about (i.e. don’t try to rely on an “impressive” topic) because it is in a way insignificant. Rather it’s how you write your essay (displaying strong writing skills, sincere, etc.) and how you can use that topic, no matter how “small” it may seem, to show something about yourself.</p>
<p>Talking about your drug addiction will raise more questions about you than it would answer, long story short.</p>
<p>"I don’t see how “Colleges are looking to build communities of diverse, interesting, talented people” could not include recovered drug addicts. "</p>
<p>Easy: Colleges want diversity that will strengthen their student bodies, not diversity that may lead to problems. Colleges know that college is a very stressful time and that there are plenty of temptations. Consequently, colleges may fear that someone with a history of drug addiction may relapse and cause major problems for the college and themselves.</p>
<p>^^^Exactly as Northstarmom wrote. They seek diversity, true, but they are not seeking potential problems.</p>
<p>It’s really unfortunate, but certain colleges may avoid students with specific problems past or present (eating disorder, drug use, etc.) for fear of liability. This seems more prevalent with smaller private colleges. Larger public institutions don’t seem to take issue with past problems and some will encourage students to discuss hardships they overcame (such as the University of California system).</p>
<p>I have spoke to some private college admission consultants who believe that students who write about specific past problems may use the essay as a screening mechanism for the colleges they apply. Those schools that can see past the student’s problem and accept who he/she is will likely admit the student (given that the student is a good match academically). The schools that cannot get over the problem are likely not the place a student wants to attend anyway. So if your goal in discussing your past drug use is to screen for the “right fit,” then go right ahead. But if you are hoping to attend small private or liberal arts colleges, then think again before you proceed.</p>
<p>Don’t do it. This comes up pretty much every year and we always advise clients to stay away from this topic. It is high-risk and not high-reward.</p>
<p>I second the Gatekeepers reference. Basically, it is a very good book about how a highly selective Tier I liberal arts school makes admissions decisions. One applicant to the school (Wesleyan) had a fantastic record and should have been a sure thing for admission, but she was wait-listed and ultimately rejected because she wrote her application essay about a moral dillemma she faced after eating a marijuana brownie in school.</p>
<p>There was another thread on essay topics and this thought came up, wish I could pull it up for you. Everyone pretty much unanimously agreed that this is not a good idea & to skip over it. So skip over it.</p>
<p>I would personally recommend this for a major reach school if you’re applying to any. I say that because if you’re unlikely to get in on other merits, this can’t do much harm (there’s no distinction between “not quite good enough” and “hell no”), and you never know, it’s different.</p>
<p>However, do not risk realistic applications with this.</p>
<p>My point regarding diversity assumes admissions personnel have been taken out of the equation regarding this issue, by simply not mentioning it during the application process, as most others here also suggest. And that I understand why recovered drug addicts do in fact strengthen the diversity of a college, though I’d always bet against the average person having such an understanding.</p>
<p>I’ve been faced with situations like this over the entire course of my near-30 years of sobriety, all while working in a high-stress profession without a single day of unemployment. What I learned early on is that it’s best not to feed pearls to swine.</p>
<p>There will be an appropriate time and place after matriculation for the OP to come forward so that others may benefit from the OP’s experience. And the OP will benefit from this, as well.</p>
<p>Besides, I’ll bet the OP can come up with an even better idea about him/herself.</p>
<p>Well Im happy to see that my thread picked up some speed.</p>
<p>And as for me, as far as Im concerned, Im too headstrong about where Ive come from that I cant just push it aside in the picture of things, beause I dont feel like Im the same as everyone else, just cause I was in the 2nd percentile on my PSATs, and 9 months later sobreity brought me to the 99th percentile on some tests. Its not about numbers though, because everyones got numbers.</p>
<p>I do understand that a normal person might not get me though, so ill make sure Ill approach the right person about it.,</p>
<p>Numbers may actually play more of a role here.</p>
<p>I understand it’s hard to set aside an essay topic that you’ve put a lot of thought into.</p>
<p>If you feel strongly about going through with this essay topic, just make sure you consider your whole package. They may not toss your application on the spot, since it is an interesting topic, but they may definitely take another look at your grades and test scores, and whether they lend some “credibility” to you and the story that you talk about in your essay.</p>
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<p>Nobody is telling you to push it aside. In fact, many here would be very proud of what you have achieved. We are simply saying that the college admissions essay is not the place for this. Pick something else about yourself to highlight in the essay. </p>
<p>Also an adult here who has gone through recovery has a very good suggestion that after you get into college, find ways to make a difference such as volunteering at a student resource center to help peers who are struggling through what you went through. You would be an excellent role model in that way. </p>
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<p>For one thing, one person who replied to you is someone who is a recovering substance abuser. That person also advised you to not use the college essay for your tale of recovery. </p>
<p>Secondly, I am a college counselor. In my training to become a college counselor, this issue came up and the conventional wisdom in college admissions is to NOT use this type of topic for your main college essay. If you have to explain a transcript irregularity, suspension, or arrest, then you would have to explain extenuating circumstances in a separate statement (still not the regular essay) but if none of that is required, then your essay still should not reveal past substance abuse. Showcase something else about yourself. This does NOT mean to push aside your recovery, but it just means that there are MANY topics a candidate can show about them on an application and it is advisable to not pick past mental health problems, and to pick some other aspect of yourself to showcase on the application. It doesn’t mean in all of life to ignore that you have gone through recovery, but the college essay is not the place for that. Share it with people in other contexts. Give the schools reasons to accept you.</p>
<p>The college essay is not for telling EVERYTHING about you, but simply to pick one thing to show.</p>
<p>so would a jump from a 2.1 GPA to a 3.51 make a big impression???</p>
<p>I had all Cs & Ds throughout 9th nd 10th grade</p>
<p>than pretty much straight As throughout 11th, 12th, and my extra credits from recoursing my credits.</p>
<p>Than with a 31 on my ACTs, on top of all of my ECs and such coming in from my last 2 years of school when i got sober.</p>
<p>There are a number of topics that need to be avoided, and this is one of them! Remember that your essay topic conveys your feelings, ideas, and interests. Keep in mind you want to avoiding political issues as well!</p>
<p>So I got sent to a school for “struggling teens”, which aided in my recovery. If I was to write about my emotions and the switch that the school allowed me to make in my life, without including the gory details, might this do the job?</p>
<p>I still want an essay that is consistent with my abrupt change from lowerclassman time period to my 11th grade and on…</p>
<p>THanks!</p>
<p>OK, now (posts 32 and 34) you present us with more information than you did previously. </p>
<p>In this case, I still would not use the main essay to discuss substance abuse. However, I would include a statement in the section asking if any extenuating circumstances affected your academic performance. I would explain that during the first two years of HS that you had a substance abuse problem and sought out help and went through recovery and that in junior and senior years, you turned your academic record around since you were sober and had gone through recovery and that you believe that this strong record the last two years of high school indicate that you will be able to participate in college fully and are able to now succeed in a school setting. I would also ask the guidance counselor to explain on his/her report the upswing in grades and the cause for the low grades in 9th and 10th. (not sure how you know you have straight A’s in senior year as you are a senior and school just began …or are you in a gap year now? you are online during the school day) So, yes, you should explain this transcript irregularity with an extra statement in all your applications, putting an emphasis on how you have turned your life around, and have your GC substantiate this in his report. However, your MAIN college essay should be on SOMETHING ELSE!</p>
<p>(we cross posted and now you added that you were sent to a special school for struggling teens, and so yes, this all should be explained in a separate statement with your applications, but again, not in the main essay…use the main essay to showcase other qualities about yourself)</p>
<p>Many students jump GPA incredibly without any reason other than they did, especially in high school. Especially in high school. In high school, a 2.1 GPA just means you never did your homework and a 3.5 just means that you did. Attributing not doing your homework to drug use won’t work for you; the only thing it’ll work for is the continued prohibition against legalization.</p>
<p>Your GPA is good. I really like your ACT score. Another thing to keep in mind is that the upswing in your grades and your ACT score will stand out by themselves, regardless of what you write in your essay. Adcoms (admissions committee) will look at your “package” (numbers and essay). So don’t worry too much about trying to substantiate or draw attention to your numbers through your essay.</p>
<p>It’s good to be focused in an essay, like the focus you want to have on your recovery process and the affect that had on your grades. But I see a potential pitfall with this particular focus:</p>
<p>The story might be a little anticlimactic. I’m sure the adcoms have seen and heard it all with all the essays they’ve read over the years. To an adcom, your story may be a familiar and possibly worn out story. So something that’s personally impactful to you may not be as much to them.</p>
<p>I might be feeling like your story is a bit anticlimactic because I want a little more from your story. Rather than the impressiveness of your present grades and test scores being the end of your story/essay, maybe you could give the reader something more?</p>
<p>Perhaps a concrete/valuable/marketable skill that you attained during the process and how you might put it to use.</p>
<p>You don’t want an adcom finishing your essay and summarizing in their head: “Substance abuse, recovery process, good grades now. Hm. Ok.” I’m not saying make a flashy essay. I’m just saying that you have a unique foundational story you can build off of right now, and maybe you can write something really concrete and intelligent off of that.</p>
<p>Your numbers are really good. But it’s possible that because we’re dealing with an “adult” topic such as substance abuse, an adcom, especially one that’s quick to judge someone, may treat you as an adult and expect pragmatic/realistic/adult ambitions or skills or plans from you that go beyond things like grades.</p>
<p>By the way, do you have any plans for what you want to major in?</p>
<p>Engineerhead…this student, however, had to switch to a special small school for troubled teens and so some explanation will be needed by the student and by the guidance counselor to explain the last four years of schooling. It wasn’t simply an increase in grades. But this should not occur in the main essay. The main essay should highlight something else about the student.</p>
<p>That is a stupid idea. According to AA, an addict is always an addict. You have a disease, and no matter how hard God tries, you can still relapse. According to psychologists, you switched your OCD from drugs to something healthier. What is your new addiction. Religion? AA meetings? Studying?</p>
<p>Colleges, whether they side with mental health professionals or AA, know that no matter how many chips you get or breakthroughs you make in therapy, you’re still an addict, and they will automatically deny you because you are more likely to crash and burn in the stressful environment that is college than other applicants. Hide it.</p>
<p>NO</p>
<p>as honest and resilience-proving as that would seem, absolutely do NOT make that your essay topic
the goal of your essay is to paint a picture for the admissions officer of who you are and what you’re about, often by using stories or isolated experiences</p>
<p>when they return to your application, trying to make a decision, they are going to think of you as “the drug kid”. they’ll appreciate your honesty with them and how far you’ve come, but in 9/10 cases their decision will still end with a no because of this window into your past. it’s hard to present this case to a board of admissions officers and be successful.
so if your school does not report it and your grades did not plummett, i would not include your former drug addiction
if you feel as though you need to explain it, however, put it in the “additional information” section. instead of starting saying “i don’t want your sympathy,” use language and more subtle tactics to show your overcoming an addiction in an illuminating and resilient light.
good luck</p>