I grew up in an emotionally abusive household, and I feel that it was the biggest obstacle I faced in my life. It didn’t particularly affect my grades (I maintained a 4.0 through high school), but it was mainly because the expectations held by family and friends was very high. My anxiety and depression made me fall behind in school particularly during my junior year, but I always found a way to get my grade up despite my mental health issues. I don’t want admissions officers to think I’m pleading for attention or making excuses, but I feel like my application would be incomplete without mentioning how far I’ve come.
I can’t incorporate it into my personal essay because it wouldn’t fit the narrative, so how should I approach it in my Additional Information section? Would you recommend putting this in or completely cutting it out?
I’m sorry you’ve had mental health struggles and an abusive home life. I would not divulge any of this on your app. You do have a 4.0 GPA, and you say junior year was particularly challenging, so it doesn’t sound like your mental health challenges are behind you. Are you getting help/counseling? Have you already sent in applications describing your situation?
I agree with the above if anyone mentions it, it should be your HS GC. Are they aware of this information?
Leave it out. The adcoms don’t want to take a risk on someone who might have a breakdown during college. Unfortunately mental health is not treated fairly in college admissions.
While I think you shouldn’t address this in your application, I DO think you need to research your colleges to make sure they have support for mental health issues that is easy to access.
I have a slightly different perspective. I feel like your life story would be incomplete without mentioning how far you’ve come. But a college application is NOT a life story. A college application is more similar to a job application. They don’t really want to know the deeper you, they are just making a snap decision as to whether to “hire” you on in the role of a student at this college. The admissions workers are not people in your trusted inner circle; they are random people hired to make fast decisions of yes or no. Save the deeper aspect of who you are for the people you decide merit being your chosen family.
You should be very, very proud of all that you have overcome. Children who are emotionally abused by their parents suffer tremendously, as you know.
But, I agree with the previous posts. I would leave this off of your application — you do not have poor grades that need to be explained, so it seems unnecessary. The strength of your academic profile will speak for itself.
Is your high school aware of the difficulties in your background? If anything, your GC’s recommendation could include a brief mention about your impressive ability to succeed despite having a difficult home life. Demonstrates tenacity.
Please do seek mental health support both now and at your future school. Best of luck to you.
Your application is NOT a confessional. It’s an application for a position as a student. An admissions officer is reviewing your application to ensure you can succeed.
Rightly or wrongly, your post is full of red flags that might give them reason to believe it would be hard for you to succeed. Your grades are good. Don’t draw attention to something negative. It’s none of their business.
I agree with others that it’s a good idea to seek help to address your mental health issues.
If the GC were to know about this, child protective services might be involved. I don’t know about college admissions officers, but guidance counselors are definitely mandated reporters.
OP, figure out what it is in the story of your dealing with emotional abuse you want an AO to know and how it makes you a more attractive candidate. Tell that.
If you threw yourself into school work out of fear of your parents and then found escape and beauty in fractals, that’s a good story. If your family’s values caused you to question your own or treat people differently in a way that makes you a better friend and community member, that’s a good story.
Your story of personal progress is critical to who you are. But is it the reason a school should admit you? And is it how and why you want to stand out?
This is a very good point. OP has bluntly stated that they grew up in an emotionally abusive home. It’s unclear whether child protective services was ever called in or whether the emotional abuse is ongoing. If OP discloses this to their GC for the first time now, it could trigger mandated reporting.
I understand that this is in your view important background info that admissions committees need to have, in order to properly understand the context of your high achievement. But I urge you to leave this out of your application. Colleges are overwhelmed with the number of students in need of mental health services, and so when faced with a choice between students of near-equivalent qualifications, will choose the student without mental health issues every time.
Emphasize your strengths, your achievements, your hopes and dreams, and how that particular college will help you to achieve them. Stay on a positive note. And I agree, factor in easy access to counseling services when you’re choosing your school; also factor in funding for summer classes or summer internships that will keep you from having to go home on breaks.
I don’t know how CPS works in other states, but at least in the state where I live (midwest), CPS does not consider emotional abuse. They only investigate sexual and physical abuse, and the physical abuse needs to be pretty significant.
The cop whose kid died while left to sleep in an unheated garage was just sentenced in NY. From the testimony, it seems like the emotional abuse (which was ongoing, since the Dad won custody) escalated to neglect and then physical abuse pretty quickly.
I’m going to guess that in jurisdictions which have had sensational cases like this, allegations of emotional abuse will at LEAST open a file and trigger a social worker visit.
OP- I bet you can use the space more effectively in describing who you are. And hugs to you for being resilient!
This is, I think, the case everywhere. But they’d have to investigate any referral. Then they’d close the case as unsubstantiated. And things would likely be only worse for the involved teen, due to the added stress in the household.
OP, you’re almost out. Only 7 months left until graduation. Consider applying to be a counselor at a sleep away camp this summer. YMCA camps have a particularly good reputation. Try to find a job where you are living away from home this summer. The summer before young adults leave for college can be an extremely stressful time even in the best of families, as the young adult is almost out the door and wants independence, and the parents are feeling that they have to pour the rest of their parenting into the limited time left before college.