I’ve gone through a lot, an alcoholic mother, depression, an eating disorder, self-harm, cut off from extended family, I create a lot of art, I write, I’ve done a lot of weird and unique(ish) things but what am I supposed to write about to not have a ‘sob story’ or how to push the positive aspects of who I am and my hard work? I have a low GPA but I’m working on raising it this year. I was told to explain why my GPA and grades were so bad but I don’t want it to be a sob story. Literally, what am I supposed to do?
Generally, one shouldn’t talk about their grades in their personal statement. And you are right, the essay shouldn’t be a sob story. You don’t want AOs feeling sorry for you, you want them to say ‘we must have this person on our campus’.
Have you considered writing your essay about your art? Maybe Something about envisioning and creating your art, showing your emotions thru your art, and/or how you feel after completing your art?
My GPA is currently 2.7 due to some mental health issues I had to prioritize and my school’s college resource consounselor told me to talk about that and explain that it’s why my grades weren’t that good. I was thinking about writing about my mental issues and branching into how my art was a way to express myself and how it impacted my art and how I think about art. It’s one of the reasons I want to be an art teacher, to give that ability to someone else. I definitely like your ideas!
If you address your grades do so in the additional info section, not the main essay. If you choose to mention mental health issues, tread lightly, and mention the mental health issues are resolved (if true). If unresolved, I recommend you not address that.
Is your counselor also addressing these issues in their rec? They should.
I like the idea of saying your art brought you out of a funk, or some dark times or it helps uplift your mood or something like that.
I agree with this. It puts a very positive feeling into how you have dealt with all you have dealt with. Focus on that positive energy you have created.
The essay should give the reader a look at what makes you, you! If I strip away the other circumstances whats something that you want people to know about you. What inspires your art? Maybe a place or a person that you draw inspiration from.
I wouldn’t stress out to much, just let your creativity shine through
I think your counselor is a little off base here. Even though they’re supposed to be guiding you, this may unfortunately be a situation where you need to subtly/tactfully be the one to guide them. The best place for the “reasons for low grades” issue to be discussed is in the counselor recommendation. Ideally, what you write in your essay should dovetail with what your counselor says in their recommendation. Your essay should be positive and forward-looking. For example, you can talk about how art is meaningful to you, how it has been both an outlet for your feelings and a pursuit that has inspired and motivated you to get through challenging times, and how your goal as an aspiring art teacher is to help others to have the same kind of transformative experiences that you have had. If your counselor then explains that you had challenges that affected your grades, the AO’s who read your whole application will easily be able to put the pieces together. But every sentence you devote to describing your mental issues is one less sentence you have to paint a picture of your passions and your potential. Plus, emphasizing mental health issues will flag you as a high-risk admit, to colleges that are already struggling to address their students’ mental health support needs, and it may also set a tone of making excuses. These are not the outcomes you want. Try to collaborate with your counselor - write a very positive essay, and then ask if they could fill in the blanks with regard to the periods of struggle you have had.
What would you like the college to know about the challenges you faced, that tanked your GPA? Let the guidance counselor tell this in her cover letter. Use your essay space to talk about your art, your dreams and aspirations. Think about the things you love. Maybe write about becoming the art teacher who reaches out to and engages students like the one you were.
If at all possible, it might be better to only disclose having grown up with an alcoholic parent. If you don’t have to reveal your own struggles with mental health, I would advise avoiding disclosing this. It is not that you should conceal it out of shame, it’s that colleges are overwhelmed with the number of students who require mental health services. Student health counseling services are backed up, oftentime with long waiting lists for appointments. They are not eager to accept students whom they think will require mental health services.
It makes a difference if your mental health issues have improved, either through therapy or medications or both (and situational change). It would help to have a rise in grades, based on that improvement. The explanation about why grades are low is not that helpful unless they have improved.
If you are still struggling with mental health or with grades, or both, you could attend community college and show that improvement, then transfer.
Aside from admissions concerns, recovering or at least improving and accessing strategies and treatments, are important for YOU. Your mental health is most important.
Colleges don’t discriminate based on mental health diagnoses but they need to know you can do the work, and thrive on campus, despite those diagnoses, with treatments that allow for success. It is fine to write about overcoming challenges, but not if you are still in the middle of them
I often recommend that students look at photos from childhood to come up with an essay topic. A sort of life review. This may be painful for you however. Are you submitting an art portfolio? If good enough to merit submission, it could help you with admissions.
I am not saying colleges discriminate, but some schools flag every app that divulges mental health issues and sends those apps thru a different reading process…for example, those apps go to full committee review, or to a special admissions committee. Just another factor to consider.
