I would mentioned it on half the applications and not at all on the other half. A way to hedge your bets in case AO don’t like the idea of a former heroin addict at their college. Good luck.
He is a former heroin addict. Now just a student applying to college. Hence the 4.0 uw each year for two years and 1580 sat.
@Hanna might offer some guidance
But it’s also a sad reality that many “former” addicts fall prey to the illness again. A man who was a former addict and became a counselor died of a heroin overdose in Maine a year or two ago. I really think AOs might be hesitant to admit someone with a previous addiction. I hope I’m wrong.
You’re not wrong. But we tend to hear about the losses not the victories. Plane lands safely at Logan is not in the headlines.
Remember, and its hard to remember here, but they aren’t just interviewing you, you are interviewing them. Being transparent gives them the opportunity to tell you why you would fit in and how they would support you in your continued recovery. I would definitely talk about it. And I wish you much good luck. Congratulations on 2 years’ sober. That’s huge!
One thought would be to describe your issue as substance abuse or addiction and leave the details aside. Drug of choice is not the story here or the restoration you have undergone.
Empireapple- “at the many leftist top institutions of the Northeast you are in. You’re exactly who they want to admit and give a leg-up to.”
I don’t think giving people a second chance or supporting those who struggle with addiction is a left or right issue. It’s a matter of humanity.
Politicizing it in the manner you did diminishes the OPs achievements as a student. I suspect most admissions officers won’t look past a former drug addiction but incorporate it into their holistic assessment. None of that however goes anywhere unless the applicant can succeed academically. In this case the OP has proven their capabilities.
Your implication that the OP would be accepted because of the addiction is both inaccurate and calloused in my opinion.
Congratulations on your two years sober, that’s a wonderful accomplishment. Like another poster mentioned, emphasis in your essay should be on the plan to remain sober more than events that led to the addiction or the life it was you lived while addicted, particularly avoid playing the victim. If I were an AO I’d be inclined to admit someone who shows the tenacity necessary to live a sober life after addiction and your GPA increases are incredible. I really think you’ll be attending a great school. Keep up the good work! Attending college has a different set of stressors and you’ll need all the support you can get so prepare yourself.
Please commit to living in substance free housing, for your own sake and importantly for the protection of any roommate you are assigned. I applaud your progress. Please keep in mind that you are now an adult, that the conduct you engaged in is a felony with long mandatory prison sentences in many states, and that possession in a communal living space could implicate others, both legally and emotionally.
The most important thing in life is ALWAYS your health. I like the advice others have given that you should really look at the community at each of the schools you are applying to and see how they can support your sobriety. Keep your essay about your recovery and who you have become. I think that shows incredible strength on your part. If some school doesn’t accept you because of this, then that’s not the kind of school that would have a supportive environment for you. Congratulations to you, and best of luck with getting into where you are meant to be.
On a side note, at my D’s HS they paid for recovered addicts to come in and give an anti-drug speech. I always thought this was a tremendous lost opportunity because they talked about facts and figures rather than their personal journey to sobriety and how hard it is to remain sober. I also know that many alcohol addictions start in college. I think your experience can truly help others and that by sharing your story on campus, you could actually save someone’s life. I guess my point is, you should look forward and be proud of who you are now and how you can help others, rather than being ashamed of who you were then or worried that you’ll be negatively judged. If someone judges you negatively, that’s on them, not on you and you don’t really don’t need to be around such negative people.
@treephoenix - I’m impressed by the clarity of your writing AND the clarity of your thinking. I completely agree with your “full disclosure” approach; it’s part of who you are and, if any particular college is uncomfortable with you, so be it. I expect you’ll have lots of good options.
Your future looks bright!
Also don’t forget to include some aspects of how you plan to stay sober and utilize the resources of the university to contribute to society. While drug addiction is prevalent in society you should also let people make their own choices regarding how they view you. If someone is alarmed (if you mention this to a roommate for example) that is their own choice. I don’t agree with the poster it is “on them” No, it is their choice. Addiction is serious and everyone has the right to make their own assessments regarding risk. I can guarantee that not every student and parent is going to be ok with this news should you decide to share it. Good luck to you. I really hope the addiction is completely in your past and you will go on to do great things.
@MaineLonghorn From my personal experience–my son and his friends in recovery- AO were impressed with their stories, their commitment and admitted them at a high rate.
OP made some very bad choices in his youth, suffered for them, and is now making better choices. He seems able to accept his personal accountability for his past actions and committed to putting that part of his life behind him while recognizing that it will always be a part of who is is/was and shaped him to what he is today. I wish him the best of luck in that, and am sure he understands that some may decline to share in his journey, just as he might say he is unprepared for a roommate who is a recovering alcoholic or had repeated suicide attempts. Good to know one’s limits.
When college students need to stop out to go to rehab, they are generally invited back afterwards. (One I know became the president of his frat upon his return - his brothers had seen his struggle and were wowed by the work that had gone into sobriety.) So to assume that such a student is unwelcome is inconsistent with their practices.
Nocreativity1…the reality is the strongly leftist institutions have a different focus in terms of their population/mantra/climate/cause. This is a future “60 Minutes” piece where Harvard can come out the winner. Admitting Blake Worthington graduate form Choate who played varsity tennis, is (gasp) white from CT, mother went to Georgetown and father to Cornell just ins’t in vogue right now. Except when when he can be full pay. Face it…admissions isn’t about stats any longer. It’s about the identity of an institution.
You can consider it calloused but it’s the reality of our climate. If you in any way think admissions (particularly at the liberal minded institutions) is solely about stats, achievement and ability, you’re kidding yourself.
^^Not a matter of vogue, bUT a question of having a class who can, and will, have an impact in a world which requires diverse perspectives and diverse leadership. When the world was run by white men, admitting and educating them was a surefire way to ensure that your grads were making an impact.
No doubt, high achieving kids who don’t get into top schools, or who get in but do not attend, will have an impact too.
But the value of the OP is their experience which could be useful in the community and/or classroom.
No different than a business school that doesn’t want 100% of the class to want to go into the same career.
Empireapple- “If you in any way think admissions (particularly at the liberal minded institutions) is solely about stats, achievement and ability, you’re kidding yourself”
I agree that admissions is not based SOLELY on stats, achievement and ability. Your supposition that the narrative of an applicant can overcome a lack of stats, achievement and ability however is wrong. The students that get into elite schools today not only have great stats, achievements and abilities but typically need to offer something else.
In reference to the OP he/she has all of the aforementioned stats and qualities plus a personal story that displays the ability to overcome hardship. Offers of admissions wouldn’t be a result of addiction but a product of succeeding in spite of addiction.
Just having great stats and gasp (mom and dad being legacies from great schools) no longer “entitles” the progeny to a spot at the table. It sure as heck doesn’t exclude you either. In today’s world you have to excel and stand out among your fellow “Blake Worthington” types.
Your over simplification of the “reality” of admissions diminishes all those that get accepted and portrays as victims all those that fall short. The reality is that elite schools no longer auto admit or reserve as many spots for the stereotypical Choate student you reference. They now make that same student compete amongst others in his/her cohort. Similarly the URM, first gen or student overcoming addiction must first prove academic achievement and ability to compete and stand out among their cohort. The kids that fall short aren’t victims of the system nor do they lack stats, achievement or ability they just didn’t make the cut.
Suggesting an alternative “reality” is as you put it kidding yourself.
Interesting story. I generally agree with what others have said. Clearly you have strong willpower to do so well in school after serious addiction. I am personally not usually in favor of writing your Common App essay about that. The additional information section of the essay is a better place for this type of information. Understandably, many students feel compelled to write about a traumatic episode in their life. But I maintain that most people are far more interesting than their addiction/eating disorder/sexual identity and so on.
Is there some other story you’d like to tell to shed light on the person you are? Consider using that for your main essay. In your situation, I would use the current essay in additional information. If the school is aware of your past addiction issues, I would ask you counselor to include that in his/her recommendation. I think you will generally do well in admissions, but you might want to consider colleges that are highly regarded but not Ivy League like. Colleges such as Wash U and Emory, and some of the LACs such as Bowdoin and Pomona might be very interested in your profile. Good luck!
Overcoming hardship that is of one’s own making is slightly different than overcoming hardship that is forced upon one. Kids are homeless, get cancer, get shot in school, etc, through no fault or action on their part. Choosing to use heroin, and then overcoming that choice, is not the same, and is likely in part due to the OP’s privileged position in society to afford private rehab and avoid police involvement.