<p>I have been diagnosed with schizophrenis and bipolar, severe mental illnesses, as well as severe anxiety disorders. I been living in the onset of these conditions for all my high school years. This is no depression or behavioral problems. Nobody has been able to tell me whether or not I should include this information in my college applications. Not even my school college counselor. </p>
<p>Living with these illnesses, I have a remarkable story of obstacles and the success. I really want to write my common app essay on that topic but I am not sure how it will affect my chances.</p>
<p>Please, if you know of any situation like mine or have any suggestions, please help!</p>
<p>Your HS counselor is choosing not to tell you what you should/should not divulge to schools. It is your privacy she is trying to protect. If you choose to write about your diagnoses in your essays then YOU are coming forth with your private medical situation. Be aware some schools are shying away from admitting students with mental illness.</p>
<p>I suggest that you not write about those issues because colleges are wary of accepting students with mental health problems because colleges know that college itself is a stresser that can cause the exacerbation of mental health issues, which also may go unnoticed because students are fairly independent, without having family and others around who may notice that their mental health has deteriorated.</p>
<p>Make sure that you talk with your therapist/psychiatrist about where you should apply to college because it will be important to apply to places that have excellent mental health treatment available in their area.</p>
<p>"Not all counselors agree on what advice to give families. Some discourage students from bringing up mental illnesses and emotional problems altogether. Others say full disclosure helps when a student’s records show poor grades or other inconsistencies that are likely to make colleges suspicious. Shirley Bloomquist, an independent college counselor in Great Falls, Va., says she once called a liberal arts college in Massachusetts to say she was disappointed by its decision to reject an applicant who had written about overcoming a drug addiction. The student had completed a drug rehabilitation program and had been clean for a year. “Colleges are more concerned than ever about student emotional stability,” Bloomquist says. “I think it is imperative that the student, the parent, and the high school counselor discuss the situation and decide what should or should not be revealed.”</p>
<p>Sally Rubenstone, senior counselor with CollegeConfidential.com and coauthor of Panicked Parents’ Guide to College Admission, says being forthright about past behavior or mental health problems doesn’t mean “The Jerry Springerization of the College Admissions Essay.” “Sometimes I have to implore [students] to stay mum,” she says. “There are clearly times when personal problems are too personal—or inappropriate—to include in a college essay…”</p>
<p>Colleges cannot legally deny admission specifically on the basis of mental illness, but it’s hard to account for how that characteristic figures into the calculus of who gets in and who doesn’t. Admissions officers undoubtedly are aware that the shooters at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois had troubled histories before they applied to school: Indeed, the graduate student responsible for the NIU attack had written about his emotional struggles in adolescence in his admission application. Admissions officers, ever mindful of the diversity on campus, also are aware that reports of depressed college students are on the rise.</p>
<p>OP- Please read the link Northstarmom has recommended. While you have the right to be proud of your achievements despite your mental illness whether it is prudent to be the topic of your essays needs to be carefully considered. Best of luck.</p>
<p>I really appreciate everyones input. It is all very useful. </p>
<p>Especially in my essay, I dont want to mention my illness as an illness but more as a situation that has stimulated my intellect, fueled my passion for my studies in the humanities, and helped my explore how I relate to life around me.</p>
<p>For me it has not been an illness that has set me back, but more something that has helped me grow. It is not an excuse for me (although it will explain particular circumstances of leave of absences). I have extraordinary ecs and leadership positions as well as national recognition, my grades are not lacking behind either (I will end up taking 11 APs by the time I graduate and will be in the top 10 of my class)</p>
<p>To fuel up the discussion, since we are not talking about someone that will cause consequences or will be a burden to a school, but instead can spice up an awesome application, should I still opt not to mention my illness at all?</p>
<p>“To fuel up the discussion, since we are not talking about someone that will cause consequences or will be a burden to a school, but instead can spice up an awesome application, should I still opt not to mention my illness at all?”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, bipolar and schizophrenia are chronic diseases, which also can flare up during times of stress and transition, such as when one is a college freshman, which is a time of great stress and transition for anyone.</p>
<p>Please talk to your mental health professionals about where it would be best for you to go to college, keeping in mind that it would be very important to be near professionals who are experienced in treating your diseases, which means being able to rely on more than college counseling centers, which tend to be excellent for short term problems, but not great places to get help for chronic, serious conditions like yours. My perspective comes from having been a clinical psychologist (I don’t practice now), having worked as a therapist in a college counseling center, and having friends who have illnesses such as being bipolar.</p>
<p>You do have a lot to be proud of in terms of how you’ve done so well despite having serious illnesses. I know other people with similar conditions who’ve excelled in high school, and have done well in college. They have, though, worked closely with their mental health professionals in terms of finding a college that would meet their needs. This has included going to colleges that were within a few hours drive of home so that if needed, they could see their regular mental health practitioners.</p>
<p>While you’ve done remarkably well, I continue to think that your writing about your mental health conditions will reduce your chances of admission to places such as private colleges. Since public universities basically use stats and state of residency as admission factors, I doubt if you’re describing your challenges and how you’ve overcome them will make any difference to your admission.</p>
<p>DS touched on his disability (Asperger’s) in most of his essays with the thought that he didn’t want to go to a school which wouldn’t want him if it knew about it (regardless of the law). On our visits, we also made it a point to talk with disability services, as their interaction with him would be an important part of his success there. So, even without it being in the essay, if they could put 2 and 2 together…</p>
<p>I would be hesitant to make your disability the theme of the essay, however. You probably don’t want them thinking that you define yourself this way. DS wrote his common app essay on how he enjoys getting catalogues because they allow people to quantify their choices, compared it to situations where it doesn’t really work, and concluded that even when it doesn’t, it’s such a universal want that people still try to do it (example: college admissions!). You can see his different approach to life in the essay, but it doesn’t focus on his Asperger’s.</p>
<p>If you use examples in your essay which touch on situations you’ve confronted and how your disability affected them, that’s fine, but I feel it should be incidental to your main point. Perhaps that’s already what you had in mind?</p>
<p>If I were you, I would NOT mention the illness at all in your essay. Unfortunately there is still a certain stigma surrounding mental illness, and college admissions officers may just see red flags if you mention having schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. Is there a way you can focus more on your academic or personal strengths? Discuss an activity you did that had a profound impact on your academic improvement or life?</p>
<p>Well, the topic of overcoming adversity is very common… only send it in if it’s a very interesting essay, not the “I’m burdened by this but I did that” sort.</p>
<p>I have bipolar disorder and it is something that has definitely impacted my life. My main common app essay addressed it and I discussed it in all of my interviews because 1) I wouldn’t want to go to a school that would reject me for it and 2) my interviews were a good time to find out about mental health services. More than once I had interviewers who had personal experience with mental illness and all were very sympathetic and glad that I had disclosed it. While I don’t doubt that there may be schools out there that would discriminate against you, I don’t think the situation is as dire as many would suggest.</p>
<p>If you want to talk about this more in-depth, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Northstarmom wrote:
“I suggest that you not write about those issues because colleges are wary of accepting students with mental health problems because colleges know that college itself is a stresser that can cause the exacerbation of mental health issues, which also may go unnoticed because students are fairly independent, without having family and others around who may notice that their mental health has deteriorated.”</p>
<p>I agree with this completely…you probably shouldn’t tell them. You don’t want THEM deciding for YOU what’s right for YOU and how much YOU can handle.</p>