Hi! Current junior here. I’ve been thinking about college applications and was wondering-- would writing an application essay about overcoming depression look like a sob story, or should I go for it?
The thing is, my grades in freshman and sophomore year weren’t great (a couple of B’s), and I’m hoping to get into an Ivy League (mainly Cornell). I’m worried that if I write about my depression during those years, I’ll sound like I’m trying to make an excuse for those low grades. I’m definitely not, though. Overcoming depression was a huge part of my life and I really feel like it would be a good representation of me and my experiences.
So, what do you think? Would writing an essay about depression be too morbid or look like I’m fabricating some sob story to cover up my bad grades? Or will colleges be glad to see this about my life experiences?
Some other factors (just in case):
GPA UW: 3.8
SAT: 2310
tons of great EC’s (lots of leadership) and clubs and volunteer work
Generally speaking, college admission officers do not want to read about how the death of your pet goldfish impacted your life.
IF you can handle the essay with extreme care, I say go for it. YOU determine the most memorable events (or lack thereof) in your life. Unless you reevaluate what you want to write for your personal statement down the path, start gathering key moments during the time of depression, and make sure that you devote the liberal part of your essay on how you persevered and how this strengthened you.
I’m not an admissions officer, so I may be completely wrong.
But if it were me, I’d keep away from that,
The last thing that school in particular needs is someone who may be prone to depression. There is a horrible (though unfair) reputation for people jumping off bridges there that they are rather keen to overcome.
Additionally if you may be prone to depression I do not recommend that school for you. You will be tested there, and will not alwys be happy. And it is overcast a lot there, which may not be helpful to some prone to depression.
Again, this is just my off-the-cuff, and non-expert, opinion.
I don’t think depression would look like you are fabricating some story to make up for your grades dropping, because honestly, if you have a 3.8UW, I don’t think your grades are all that bad. I agree with the second part of what viphan said, just emphasize how you overcame this and grew as a person.
The only thing I would be wary of is that students are often advised to steer clear of mental health related topics because some colleges view them as a liability then (potential relapse in college could mean them spending money on you in the student health center, or you not graduating, which also looks bad). I’m not sure if this is true, and if it is, it is a sad state of affairs, but it may be worth keeping in the back of your mind. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me will come along and shed some more light on this topic.
Also @viphan, maybe I just missed the humor in the first part of your comment (very possible), but if you are comparing depression, a serious mental illness, to losing a pet goldfish, that’s a very inaccurate and borderline offensive comparison. Depression, as I’m sure the OP can attest to, is not like grief. It’s a chemical imbalance in the brain leading to feelings of deep sadness and hopelessness that are very difficult to shake.
I would caution against it. The issue isn’t that it will sound like a sob story. Mental illnesses, and especially depression, have a stigma in college admissions because adcoms might worry that you could relapse, especially since going to college is a big change that can lead to stress, homesickness, etc. on its own (and I never thought I would face depression again after three years of calm, but here I am). Especially if your stats are borderline, they might choose someone who is “healthy” over someone who might not succeed academically, take a leave, drop out, etc. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been in remission; you really don’t want to label yourself that way. Consider that Cornell has a reputation for having a high suicide rate (however true or untrue that actually is). Mentioning depression would be risky.
Definitely, though, let your guidance counselor mention it in his/her recommendation letter (and even then, it’s safer to mention some vague illness or “difficult circumstances” instead of uttering the d-word). And IDK, your stats may be good enough to not even mention it (I think your GPA’s around average for their class?).
I get what you’re saying about it being a major part of your identity; I feel the same way. But what you think is an asset may be perceived as a liability, and you don’t want to take that chance.
Well, it wasn’t the death of my goldfish. It was a lot of different factors (cue epic sad backstory: my parents used to be farmers and now they’re at 200k+/year income so there are HUGE expectations for me, I developed eating disorders, super high-pressure school, three suicides in one year, etc.).
I’m thinking about stressing how much I learned from depression and how I’ve recovered from it. I’m a-okay now and healthy and happy, but I understand that colleges will be wary of relapses. I think I’ll go for it but like y’all said, keep the topic delicate and stress how much it’s impacted me, but also how much I’ve developed and learned from it.
Like @viphan said, if you can write the essay in a delicate way, go for it. As long as you avoid any morbid/sad “poor me” content, I think you’ll be okay. The most important thing is to focus less on the depression itself and focus more on how it HELPED you. Sure, it’s a gray sky and life but you have to show that light at the end of the tunnel. You have to show your resilience and let the adcoms understand your character by demonstrating how you’re better for it all.
Your essay is a tool for marketing yourself to the college. Is this really the top thing you want them to know about you? I doubt… I am sure it is cathartic for you to write about depression, but save it for a journal or writing that is not for the eyes of admissions. Anything that makes it seem like you are at risk of any kind of mental health issues is a red flag for admissions. To you it may seem like ages ago and like it has been overcome, but to an adult, a year or two is the blink of an eye – and they also know that this can definitely recur, even if you think you have it licked. They are looking for reasons to put applications in the reject pile at schools that get way more applications than they can accept. Don’t give them a reason.
I am a college admissions coach and I think you should go for it. Be careful about the tone of the essay and make it positive in a sense that you explained how you have changed due to that experience. If you want me to point you to resources, let me know.
As another adult here, I agree with @intparent that you should choose something else about yourself to write about. Admissions may worry about a relapse. I understand that it was a big part of your life, but I am sure that there are other facets of your personality or experience that you can also write about.
Please note that there is a separate forum for College Essays and this has been much discussed topic over the years (use search.) Pretty much every expert you will find says no, do not use this topic, it is TMI. There is always an exception to the rule and I have read a great essay (that worked) on someone with an eating disorder but that person, I would note, was the class Val and it was 5 years before. Eating disorder is another thing to generally leave out. Aside from the view of risk factor and not selling yourself I personally think there is only so much there is to say. Almost every story of this type sounds the same and follows the same pattern. And believe it they have already read every variation. I think it is especially craven to be trying to explain away a couple of trivial B’s. Suck it up, you got a couple of B’s, it won’t keep you out of anywhere, but not having an interesting essay might.
Please take this lightly but —OMG Cornell has enough problem trying to shake the image of gorge jumpers, although they do not actually have a higher rate of student suicides than other colleges. I can imagine them with a money jar where they have to put a quarter in every time one of the adcoms gets a depression essay. Think–if it is the most important thing in your life to write about, will it be clear you are over it? I think you are over it when you don’t have to write about it, that you have another life brimming with things you must share. And do not think for a minute your protestations of how everything is behind you can be relied upon. How can the adcom make the decision that you are well enough to attend, with imperfect information, without medical affirmation. So proceed if you must but know that this is risky and not unique. Be sure you have some colleges on your list that don’t require essays.
Okay, @kalefornia, let’s be certain I understand this. Your family evolved from farming to an annual income that’s in the top (probably) three percent of Americans; fundamentally, that’s why you were (are?) depressed.
The same application “reader” (at Cornell or at other most-selective National Research Universities) that evaluates your essays will also review MANY others from applicants whose problems are not caused by real affluence, but rather by abject poverty, and/or by acute and documented physical and mental problems, and/or by actual disfunction families, and/or by extreme lack of opportunities, and so forth. Now, please put yourself in the place of this admissions staffer, imagine how sympathetic you’d feel, and then estimate how your essay would be scored.
Find another topic and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
@kalefornia, I think it’s a weak topic. The Adcom has probably been depressed at some point himself/herself and will be bored stiff with this topic. Depression is very common and–this is harsh, but honest-- as a reader I don’t care how your feelings changed you. What I care about is how you function in the world and how you are going to impact my campus. Write your essay, and rewrite it, and get it out of your system, and move on to a topic that will make readers feel “I want that kid here now!” This does not have to be some grand life changing experience. An Adcom told my D that the best essay she ever read was about how the kid liked to wear a new pair of socks every day. It’s not an important topic, but the writer really conveyed how creatively he thinks and that’s what they wanted to see. They couldn’t put it down.
@TopTier Okay, I don’t want this to turn into a pissing contest, but have you ever been depressed yourself? If you have, you’d understand that depression isn’t something that can be based off how rich or poor your parents are. To assume that that’s all there is to the story is plain ignorance. I’d rather not go into the details online, but you can rest assured that I’m not “feeling sorry for myself”. To be honest, it’s ridiculous and almost laughable that you think depression is only justified for people in “abject poverty”.
@redpoodles I totally understand where you’re coming from. However, you made one point: “the adcoms don’t care how my feelings changed me”. I’m a bit confused-- isn’t this the whole point of the essay?? To show that I’m more than some numbers and statistics? I get that the small things are just as worthwhile to write about, but does that necessarily mean I shouldn’t write about bigger things? In any case, thank you for your input. You made a lot of good points.
@kalefornia I won’t tell you what to write about, but I will tell you my personal experience. As someone who faced depression and various other things, I was extremely tempted to write my essay about that; overcoming it truly did change me as a person. As for college admissions, I don’t think it is advantageous to do so. I wrote about 5 different essays and eventually went with one that put forth the most confident, suave, and happy version of myself- but I managed to make it all organic and passionate by addressing things that got me out of my depression while not mentioning said depression.
Writing about and reflecting on your depression is very soothing, but adcoms generally prefer a more positive essay. Good luck to you whatever you choose!
@kalifornia, clearly, you should write this essay. it’s burning to come out of you. do write it, and make it the best you can. then, like cakeandtears, write three others, because they will follow after you get that one out. you have plenty of time, and next year, as you’re filling out your applications, you will be in the best position possible–you’ll have several thoughtful essays to pull from. best of luck to you. and you’re right, depression (and addiction) can happen to anybody.
No! The point of the essay is to make them WANT you on campus. The point of the essay is to get admissions to say “yes, that person adds some spark or special interest to our student body”. I think students forget that admissions officers don’t really know you… all they get is this tiny slice of you that shows up in the components of your application. I am sure there is something more positive and interesting in your life that you can write about. But I get the sense you have already written the essay, and now just want to defend it. We do see students do this all the time out here. Sometimes they can’t be dissuaded. Just know that this does not make for the strongest application that you can put forward.
It may be “burning to come out of you”, but you do not have to write your college essay about it. Blog, journal, submit it to a magazine, whatever. But it isn’t a great topic for admissions.
@kalefornia (re post #13): By all means, write an essay that indicates that concurring your depression has shaped your life, but be prepared when those who evaluate your essay question its legitimacy (due to your circumstances in comparison to the challenges faced by many others) AND find nothing in it that compels them to admit you.
I recommend mentioning your battle with depression in a couple sentences but I’m guessing that if you build your essay around that kinda topic, it won’t do you any good. Its unfair really. People that overcome depression are the strongest amongst us, however it is a depressing topic to read as an adcom. Plus, they get hella essays about mental illness so it won’t really make you stand out. I hope my advice helped. I wish you the best
