<p>You’re very kind and sincere, rcny019, thank you for all of your help thus far. I really hope I will be a part of NYU '12!</p>
<p>I read a couple of articles about schools being reluctant to admit students they know have mental health issues. After the NYU suicides, they became very concerned about the mental state of their incoming classes, BUT AFTER VA TECH schools became even more paranoid because they don’t want to be held accountable for the actions of someone they knowingly admitted had a history of mental disorders. I wouldn’t play it up, what they don’t know WON’T HURT you. Good Luck</p>
<p>I just don’t know how to explain my disorder in a fashion where the admissions committee won’t just look at me as a “potential threat”. I know I can’t base my essay completely on my disorder, but I haven’t found a way to work around it since it’s been such a huge part of my life. It explains almost every aspect of why I haven’t gone to school, etc.</p>
<p>I would say to just take the risk and accurately describe your story. Without it, the adcoms would never know the reasons for your grades and course load, and just assume that you never tried in high school. The key is to make sure you convey that you have OVERCOME your disorder, that it is all in the past, and you are 100% sure that NYU is the place you want to be.</p>
<p>scorp_ion - If you wouldn’t mind, would you be so kind as to critique my essay when I am done writing it? I think it would be a huge help to me to have someone look over it and see my strengths and weaknesses in my writing and make sure that I have the right mix of emotions and understanding in my essay, without sounding overly dramatic, desperate, or sounding like a martyr.</p>
<p>First off, I find your story really impressive and if I were the adcom I would be begging someone with your drive and determination to attend my school. Sadly though, I am not an adcom and I really have no idea how NYU will take your story.</p>
<p>My question is, do you have any friends or family in NYC, preferably manhattan? I’m very fortunate that I have an aunt and uncle about 7 blocks away from Wash square and two cousins who live uptown and all of their friends treat me like family. This is the kind of support group that someone in your situation needs. I know that needing other people can be hard, but it’s always good to have a safety net. Even just having another friend that is attending NYU as well is better than nothing. </p>
<p>Lastly, I’m not sure if I missed this but have you visited the city yet? I’m from the midwest but I’ve been going to nyc once or twice a year and I know I’m in love the city. Make sure ny is the place for you.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck!</p>
<p>Melissa…maybe you should just through caution to the wind and write from the heart. My stats were low for CAS and I got admitted, probably thanks to my passion for writing. I had a paid consultant tell my mother “she’d never let a daughter of hers write such a risky essay” and refused to stop proof reading after one paragraph. I had at least 6 other experienced (college essay readers) critique it (or rather my mother did) and the feedback was outstanding. I wasn’t planning on changing a word anyway. I think if you really want to go to a school that you might be reaching for, you have to write an outstanding and yes, even provocative essay. Maybe with sooooo many kids being told NOT to write about mental health issues, an essay written about overcoming a condition with flying colors might just stand out! I remember reading in that book about adcoms called “the gatekeepers,” this one adcom said he was disappointed that very few kids wrote about 9/11 that fall admissions round. It seems all the applicants thought “everyone else would be doing it” and as a result, few did…and the good ones really stood out.</p>
<p>So ignore my previous comments posted above, big risks are sometimes necessary for big rewards.</p>
<p>Best of Luck Keep us posted!</p>
<p>Your GPA isn’t that off and a first-generation URM is always much sought after.</p>
<p>I think the whole suicide/VA Tech thing will only be a factor if you let it. Play up your RECOVERY and your amazing (truly is, I commend you) successes today. Being valedictorian, good GPA…I think you have a shot. It IS NYU though, so you can’t bank on anything (I’m applying too, hopefully we’ll both get in!). But honestly…are you really asking if you should apply to your dream school. The answer is YES! If you don’t apply, you’ll go crazy from not knowing if you’d have gotten in. Good luck :)</p>
<p>I don’t know guys..if it were me, I would really consider making up some other reason why my grades were low…maybe, how I was overweight and had a lot of problems with getting picked on in school and then I decided to take charge of my life..I lost a lot of weight, started concentrating on my studies and became head of my class… I know it’s not what happened but it still convey’s the whole “overcoming adversity” angle, which is the whole point of your story PLUS you won’t scare them off, considering NYU’s recent history, don’t think your story won’t scare them off because it may very well do just that…good luck.</p>
<p>Although I was overweight, I was never picked on while I was in school. I was only socially inept because I allowed myself to be, which stemmed from my illness. I feel that it is pertinent to address my disorder in my essay because it is the main thing that has crippled my life for 5 years, besides I’m not embarrassed of being Bipolar, I’m rather proud that I have overcome it and I believe that will make me more unique and authentic rather than playing the martyr and laying the blame on being overweight because I mean, 1/3 of the teenage population is overweight and it just seems cliche to me. I’d rather be true to myself and write about what actually hindered my academic life and get rejected rather than “play it safe” and get admitted.</p>
<p>NYU is undoubtedly my dream school as well as my top choice, but if I can’t be admitted for being myself and how far I have transcended from my past, then maybe a rejection letter would be the best thing to show me that maybe NYU isn’t the right place for me to flourish and grow in a diverse environment.</p>
<p>julia_curieux - Sadly I have not been to the city yet, I’ve not even been to New York. But, I feel a strange spiritual connection with the city that makes me believe it is the right place for me. Thank you :)</p>
<p>Hey..I see where you’re coming from and I respect that…I know being overweight wasn’t the reason..I just thought it may be a good idea to lie a little to ensure you don’t get discriminated against because you deserve to be at any school you wish to attend.</p>
<p>From my point of view…any story that conveys a sense of overcoming difficult circumstances will be honest as it pertains to your character and determination.. </p>
<p>I feel that your disorder can be viewed as a personal matter, I know you feel like you need to share it, I’m just not entirely convinced that you SHOULD share it. It’s really no one’s business what your medical history is… You had some problems, you overcame them and you ended high school by excelling beyond everyone’s expectations.</p>
<p>I’m also concerned that NYU may not be the only top school who may reject you for this reason.. You are justifiably proud to overcome what you have in your life, just be aware that many adcoms won’t view it as a positive… You can blame those schools that reject you as narrow minded and “not right for you” but in the end, if you miss out on attending your top 3 choices, blaming those schools really won’t mean much… you deserve to go to the best school possible, I don’t want to see you miss out on getting the education you deserve.</p>
<p>Wherever you end up, I urge you to guard your personal history…too many people in this world discriminate against people with some disorders… you should be soley judged on your abilities, your accomplishments and your attitude towards others, not your past or medical condition… don’t be so trusting of people… I am older and have much experience, I can tell you that many people you meet will not have your best interest at heart and aren’t deserving of knowing you or your life story. Take Care.</p>
<p>Melissa- can you explain this Valedictorian thing? it for the computer learning school or your traditional High school. In our school the Valedictorian is the kid with the highest GPA overall…it seems impossible in one year to counteract 3 years od D’s and C’s to become number one ranked in the school. </p>
<p>I think you could certainly mention your struggle with mental illness cause it is a stretch school and you quite frankly have nothing to loose (If you had a 3.8 with 2100 I’d say don’t risk it)</p>
<p>Buuuuut, I would really edit yourself. Not too many details. Stay away from terms like “ASYLUM” instead maybe you can mention you were “hospitalized” several times throughout high school for the condition. And don’t touch on the sexual abuse thing at all (In my opinion) it’s a “Too much information” kind of thing and might put the Adcoms over the edge.</p>
<p>I think your background, raising yourself as your single mother worked long hours, first generation with no real encouragement…you decided after beating the illness that no one was going to insure your strong future but you…so you set your own goals, losing weight, catching up acadmically, making college a priority.</p>
<p>Explain how being raised poor meant you were focusing on catching up the best way you could to turn your illness-related poor acadmic track record instead of taking private “Princeton review Classes for S.A.T” prep like MOST of NYU’s applicants. And the weight loss thing can be VERY interesting to an ADCOM, you can talk about how you did it yourself (again no costly procedures or expensive Jenny Craig) and how it gave you the physical success that went hand in hand with the acadmic success.</p>
<p>Make it a real “pull myself up by my boot straps” story and not a stream of consciousness need to explain the details of the hurdles. This way the adcoms can focus on the strides while having the grades and tests explained. Don’t be afriad to play the poverty card, it can be as valuable as the mental illness history without harming you.</p>
<p>salem - Wow, that was amazing advice. I will definitely use some of your points within my essay.</p>
<p>About my school - It is a small charter school which is computer-based. There is one instructor assigned to each classroom and their sole purpose is to make sure none of the kids “act out.” We are all assigned to a cubicle which are placed side by side next to each other with a computer. All of our curriculum comes in the form of Apex Learning and Plato Labs. All of our work is self-instructed, besides the Apex/Plato internet instructors whom explain the directions to us. We are given assignments in which we print out and turn in like a “regular school.” Our work is then reviewed by our in-class instructors and sent to the corporate office of Apex/Plato where they decide our final grades and satisfactory of our work.</p>
<p>About being valedictorian, I was misinformed by my “guidance counselor”. I am currently 1/63 students in the senior class, and 4/316 of the entire school (#1 academically, but #4 due to my attendance record) so I am valedictorian of my class, but not the entire student body.</p>
<p>Since I left without completing an entire year of school, most of my grades were exempt from my transcript, so only few C’s and D’s appear on it. </p>
<p>Directly from my transcript: Beginning State (Unweighted) GPA as of 08/20/07: 2.790 District (Weighted) GPA: 3.080</p>
<p>Current State (Unweighted) GPA as of 01/08/08: 3.525 District (Weighted) GPA: 3.685</p>
<p>Why not apply and see what happens. Maybe you can get a fee waiver if you don’t have the $65. </p>
<p>I would suggest you visit NYC. It’s one thing to see it on TV and the movies, it’s totally different to be there.</p>
<p>Also, You will need to be able to afford NYU. Figure on it being 50K a year. You will get a Pell grant and stafford and perkins loan, but all together that will be ~15000. NYU FA told me that they only give a maximum of $2400 in Perkins loans (at least that applied to freshman). 3500 stafford, extra 4000 if you parent gets turned down for a Plus loan and I’m not sure what the maximum Pell grant, so let’s figure 5000. At a few thousand more in work study.</p>
<p>Unless NYU gives you a 30-35K scholarship, you are going to have a problem. It is possible, but unlikely. </p>
<p>There is more to going to NYU than getting accepted.</p>
<p>Heck, I had to pay $300 for my son to attend a 3 day orientation in the summer. </p>
<p>Keep dreaming, but be realistic.</p>
<p>One piece of advice - you might just want to say that you had serious health problems, without explicitly saying that they were mental health issues. You have no obligation to disclose the specifics. I have a physical illness, and I’m leaving it vague anyway…the point is to explain the situation, and then quickly get to your points about what you HAVE accomplished. Good luck!</p>
<p>You seem stable now.</p>
<p>Great story. Ethnicity: African-American. Rank: 1/320. 4.0 GPA this year.</p>
<p>Apply, you are not ‘wasting’ your time. At least afterwards, you’ll never think “what if I…”
Consider the options others suggested.
Good luck.</p>
<p>I’m telling you, it’s going to be hard enough to get in without mentioning “mental health issues” and talking about getting put into an institute or hospital for mental disorders… you’re really going to be sabotaging your chances in my opinion. </p>
<p>lollipop89 had it right, you can still convey the same message by saying you had health problems, weight issues, growing up poor and being a female minority and you overcame it all… that’s compelling enough right there…if that story doesn’t get you in, nothing will…don’t think that telling them you had mental health isssues will help because I honestly think that it can only hurt what ever chances you may have. NYU has some history with unstable students committing suicide, in their eyes, you’ll look much more like a liability than an asset, Think about it.</p>
<p>I apologize for not being on here for a while, I just got finished moving and did not have internet for a while.</p>
<p>Track87 - I decided to take your advice whilst writing my essay and only mentioned my disorder in one sentence of my full essay, the rest was focused on growing up without a father, my mother working 2 jobs and still being barely above the poverty line, and my transformation in high school. I think it is much better than focusing solely on my disorder because it seems as if I woulf be playing the martyr.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I was forced to move on a 3 day notice so it hindered my application process…I submitted the NYU application around 11:53PM on January 15 but noticed the 65$ was not deducted from my bank account and went back to the website on the 16th and it said my application was not submitted…I must have forgotten to hit the payment key although I could have sworn I did. I still hope they review my application, though. I’ll be writing each university I have applied to a personal letter of things that I could not go into absolute depth in my essay, so hopefully it will help.</p>
<p>Thanks again to everyone who has helped me during this process!</p>
<p>Well, I got my new SAT scores about a week ago. Not sure how much of an impact they’ll make, but I’m happy with them. I made a 190 point improvement in 1 month :)</p>
<p>Old scores: Math - 440 Critical Reading - 580 Writing - 500 Essay - 8/12 = 1520/2400</p>
<p>New scores: Math - 490 Critical Reading - 590 Writing - 130 Essay 10/12 = 1710/2400</p>
<p>Does this make my chances any better, or still the same?</p>