Hello I’m currently doing college apps and I had previously dealt with maladaptive daydreaming up until sophomore year of high school and this issue greatly influenced me in wanting to become a psychiatrist. I’m applying to many ivy leagues and want to major in biochem with a minor in psychology. Dealing with/ defeating that issue was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and was able to keep a 4.0 gpa through this. Do you think It would be wise to mention this in essays since I’ve defeated it and is a huge factor into the person I am today and what I want to do with my life ( I am hoping to get into Harvard as my main choice)?
No.
This has been addressed MANY times here on CC and the answer doesn’t change. Read the pinned post Essay Tips to consider. Telling people about your mental health issues won’t make them want to accept you.
Alright thank you! I had seen the other posts/ questions but I just created a new one since those were mainly specific to anxiety and depression and didn’t really affect their majors or what they wanted to do . Thank you for responding!
In your case, the mental illness issue is relevant to your educational & professional interests so it is fine to discuss it in your applications. Plus, your former illness presented no issues regarding self harm or harm to others.
Also, it should help distinguish your application from the many thousands of other apps.
Have a guidance counselor mention it in his/her LOR, and leave it out of the essay. You don’t know how the reader will react. It doesn’t take much to get rejected from tippy top colleges.
But you need to distinguish yourself & your application from thousands of others in order to get accepted to an elite school such as an Ivy.
Do not rely on a counselor to justify your educational & professional interests, or to describe your former illness (medical condition).
Admissions officers are completely capable of distinguishing between mental illness involving depression & potential harm to self versus a resolved daydreaming issue that has opened up areas of interest to an applicant.
If you like, although not necessary, refer to it as “a former medical condition” rather than as a “mental illness”.
How you handle this matter will could well have an impact on any admissions’ decision. Readers appreciate the ability to deal with difficult issues in a mature, thoughtful & productive fashion. This is who you are and why you have become this person.
P.S. I suspect that some may have an knee-jerk reaction to the term “mental illness”. Such a reaction is unwarranted in your case.
It is essentially the well-worn path of students who have had medical crises (for themselves or family members) who now want to be doctors. AdComms read many, many essays like this every.single.year. So, if you are thinking that this is what will make you stand out / seem unique / impress an AO, think again (fwiw, it is passing rare to find a truly unique topic).
Even if it wasn’t such a frequent topic, it is really, really really hard to write that essay in a way that is fresh, avoids clichés, and is more focused on where you are going than telling the story of where you have been, especially when you are still so close to it. If you feel truly compelled, go ahead and write it- and then write a completely different one about something that shows a part of you that the rest of your application doesn’t. Give both to somebody who does not love you and ask which is the better essay for the purpose (remember the role of the essay is to add something about you that isn’t someplace and the purpose is to have the AOs who read it think that you would be a great addition to the class that they are building).
This is not the way to “distinguish” yourself. That should come from your efforts around you, your impact and achievements. And more.
It’s not that it’s a common topic.Nor about their worries about self harm. It’s whether you present a picture of your match, in all ways they look for. Whether a kid even seems to get what that is.
OP said nothing about the rest of his/her record. It does beg the question whether she knows what does matter. If this is just personal drive, for personal reasons, if she hasn’t extended herself, it won’t help.
And “selling” your interest in a tippy top based on post college career goals is risky. They want to want you for your 4 years, see the obvious contributions you’ll make while there, part of the community.
The essay is not where you explain career goals.
I disagree @Publisher . Sure, OP could mention daydreaming perhaps as part of a wider topic, but to write about it as she is planning to, IMO, raises a red flag for no good reason. I do actually think day dreaming could be a really interesting topic, but not the approach she suggests.
It isn’t likely that a Harvard AO, reading thousands of apps, is going to take the time to look up this person’s disorder. And like it or not, fair or not, it was a mental health issue and mental health issues can crop up again. Transitioning into college, especially a college like Harvard, is a very challenging time. They know this.
If the essay is written as suggested, this poster is going to discuss overcoming a disruptive mental health issue. Does she have nothing more interesting to say about herself, especially given that she is applying to tippy tops? Why give them a reason to say no?
I don’t think it’s that the OP isn’t writing about self harm. It’s just mental illness in general. There are better topics.
I agree with posts #6 and #7. Writing about one’s inspiration to pursue medicine can of course be an excellent topic, but it’s hardly original. The essay isn’t for discussing future career plans, though that may come into it.
That said, there are probably people who write about overcoming mental health issues who do get into top colleges, but I will always suggest to a student that there is some other aspect of their life or personality that would make for a better personal statement. It’s about giving them a reason to say yes, rather than maybe or no.
To be a likely candidate for the super selectives, the answer should be yes…
Different opinions are fine.
OP’s post caused me to look up the condition which I found intriguing.
OP: It really depends upon how you present this condition & its impact on your life & goals in the essay. That is my opinion; clearly, others have different thoughts on this subject.
As for it being a “frequent topic”, I would like to know of some topics which are not frequent. They probably do not exist.
Regardless, your essay depends upon the execution. Write it & have a non-family member critique your writing.
I was only wondering if i should mention it because it did influence my major and my hope to become a psychiatrist, and I was going to furthermore elaborate on how I would hope to use my major and education to break mental health stigmas in Arab countries, specifically Lebanon (I immigrated from there in 4th grade) since I noticed that many people close to me who had suffered with anxiety or depression did not seem to deal or even identify their issues and simple had a “just deal with it” approach to their issues instead of looking for help, because of the harsh stigma there.
I love your topic & your reasons for writing about it. If you complete a draft, I will proofread it & offer a brief critique. Has to be done via PM (private message) so you need to make at least 15 posts on this website before you can PM another member.
I am an adult poster with a graduate degree & a lot of writing & editing experience.
Can you make it about you? This isn’t like a graded school assignment. You want the AO to read it and think “admit” because they can see you at their college.
It’s a bit like a painting. The picture should be a portrait of you. The frame can be whatever you want, but it should make the picture look great.
As you can see from the responses here, mental health issues have huge stigma in the US too, it is everywhere.
It is unfortunate and I would advise you not to write about it as well. It is one of the “taboo” subjects, difficult to handle the fine line well since you are writing to total strangers who only have about 5-15 minutes of time to “judge” you, to see whether you could be a valuable contributor to a large community.
Write about your immigrant experience? Congratulations on your achievements and Good luck.
It’s not about stigma. It’s about your college application and what that needs to show.
This isn’t about ordinary good writing. It’s an application.
“because it did influence my major and my hope to become a psychiatrist”
Again, the personal statement essay is not meant to explain this. Maybe some supp asking why this major.
As this thread has progressed, I find two concerns.
First, your focus on Ivy League schools. You need to find additional colleges & universities with strong programs in your area of interest which are attractive to you for other reasons as well. You could compose the greatest essay the world has ever read and still be rejected by all of the Ivies.
Second, you want to write about this topic for very solid reasons. Forcing yourself to find another topic may result in a less passionate & less sincere essay.
Admissions officers are not afraid of applicants who have overcome hardship in their young lives. This is not depression, suicide attempt, or violence. This is an interesting, captivating mental condition which has been successfully overcome. Admissions officers live in the real world and you have successfully dealt with a real world problem that never presented any risk of harm to you or to anyone else.
Nevertheless, regardless of the topic, your essay must be well written & sincere.
Its not about passion. It needs to be relevant to an admit review.
“Why I want to be a psychiatrist” is not it. Especially not when they look for kids who see college as more than career prep. Seriously. They’re looking for traits they want.
OP, what have you done in this arena? Vol work, activism, etc? That could show a lot more.
I’m concerned about the “I’m applying to many ivy leagues”… why many??? They are all unique and offer different things - you should spend time figuring out which one or two might be the best fit for you.
I don’t think applying to an undergrad program with details about how you intend to use a degree from a grad program will help you much. What activities are you involved in now that show your interest and commitment to this field? I think the essays are a place to describe things you’re doing that show some of your positive traits, not a place to describe things you think you may want to do 8 or more years from now.