Should I mention my parents' divorce in the "additional details" section for the UCs?

College Essays
1

<p>In junior year my parents got divorced and later got back together. I think this definitely interfered with my grades, since it was emotional, intertwined with financial issues, and I had to comfort my mom a lot. And then when they got back together it was even more troublesome and emotionally difficult, since I didn't think it was right, and I still don't.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm guessing the answer is no, but it definitely did have an effect on my ability to cope with, well, AP Calculus. I guess maybe I don't want the admissions counselors to know that it affected me that much?</p>

<p>I wrote about financial hardship in one of my essays and mentioned "familial tensions" in passing, but I didn't go too much into detail because it was more about how I overcame and what I learned and all that.</p>

<p>So, anyway, should I include a little blurb in the Additional Details section - like, "In Sept. of my junior year my parents got divorced, causing financial and familial stress."??</p>

2

<p>This is something to have your GC mention.</p>

3

<p>It’s for the UCs, so there is no counselor recommendation!</p>

4

<p>How big are your grade drops (if at all)? If you went from say, all A’s to a B’s & C’s, perhaps you may want to mention it. Possibly post in the college admissions forum for better answers.</p>

<p>Disclaimer: I’m just a high school senior so don’t make any big decisions just from what I say.</p>

5

<p>Yes, you should. This could be part of your first prompt. But make sure to elaborate it. Ask yourself all the WH’s questions. Like how did your parents being divorced affected you?</p>