<p>I was bullied severely through middle school and high school, and that really affected my grades. Things are a lot better now, and I've gone from 2.9's to 4.0's in just a year (too late now, unfortunately... it's my senior year and most schools won't even look those grades). I know I'm supposed to mention in my essay the cause of sudden drops/rises in my GPA, but I also read that no one wants to hear an essay that's a 'downer' or 'whiny.' Should I not mention it?</p>
<p>Have you changed or learned anything through your experience? That's what your essay should focus on.</p>
<p>You don't necessarily need to discuss bullying in your essay; another idea would be for your GC letter to cover that.</p>
<p>Still another idea would be to include a supplemental statement about the bullying.</p>
<p>If you do decide that you want to discuss it, emphasize what you did to address/overcome the problem. Don't dwell on the details of the bullying.</p>
<p>Do you have other things to write about--personal, detailed, revealing things about you? </p>
<p>For good advice about essays, see</p>