<p>If I mentioned my mother's alcoholism in the Additional Information section?</p>
<p>I was in foster care for it when I was younger, and I'm okay with telling them about that because it doesn't directly affect my life today. </p>
<p>But my mother's still an alcoholic. She's drunk about half the time, and this screws up my life in various ways. She yells at me and lies to me constantly, and sometimes I have trouble finding transportation to places (I don't have a driver's license, though I probably should at this point. No one competent is around to teach me parallel parking). </p>
<p>I want to mention this (without writing an essay about it) because it's a major part of my life and it partially explains why I don't have many ECs. But my mother's alcoholism will almost certainly affect my college life as well, and I don't want to seem as if I'd be a liability in some way.</p>
<p>This is tricky. Because every college out there has had issues with “bady behaved parents”. I personally think colleges really don’t want to take on students if they think the adults involved in helping pay the bills are really irresponsible. Or might cause a scene on campus. Or hassle the college… I think you should mention that you have been in foster care. And that maybe your mom has some health issues that have kept you from participating in ECs. But you don’t have to tell them that the health issue is alcoholism. That is how I would handle it. Others may have different opinions.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with inparent on this one. I think this is a major issue in your life that you have had to deal with and even be in foster care because of and that you have been able to be as good a student as you are under this unfortunate circumstances is integral to your ‘story’ and a testament to your resilience and demonstration of your ability to perform in the future. I don’t think a college is going to steer clear of you because of your mother’s illness. I guess with conflicting advice, you will have to go with your gut, but I’m sure you’ll get more opinions.</p>
<p>This is what I would be worried about. It would be great if admissions offices didn’t see this as any kind of a liability. But they are human, and have all dealt with very messy family situations in the past. IMHO, colleges do not sign up for those situations if they can see them coming. They want to help students who have overcome adversity. BUT, not when it makes things more difficult for them; dealing with erratically behaved parents is on that list of things that are problems for them.</p>
<p>I think you should mention it, but be careful about the way in which you do so. Make it clear that it has had a major effect on your life, without blaming your mother’s alcoholism for all of your problems.</p>
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<li>Drunken phone calls directed at me and occasionally the college (!), but I don’t need to tell them that in advance. </li>
<li>I’ll have to deal with her when I go home. </li>
<li>Most of my financial support is coming from someone who is mentally unstable more than half the time. I can see that causing problems, though I can’t articulate exactly how. I’m trying to pick colleges where I’ll mostly be dependent on merit aid and the $5500 Stafford loans I’ll be able to take out for myself.</li>
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<p>I agree with mentioning foster care, and saying ‘health issues’. That puts enough emphasis on the fact that you’ve overcome adversity at home but not giving them more information than they really need to know.</p>
<p>I am saying… they will already know this is a possibility. Which is why you really don’t want to give them the info so they can figure it out.</p>
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<p>This is more your problem than theirs… but if they think you may need MORE aid in the future because she may have earning difficulties due to her alcoholism, that is a red flag to any school that is not need blind.</p>
<p>As far as that goes, she’s retired on disability and I think she gets a fixed pension, but that won’t be reported on the Common App. It’ll just say “unemployed,” I think.</p>
<p>She also tends to drive, operate machinery, etc. while she’s drunk (especially when I’m not at home, because that’s a change and change makes her drink) so there’s also the possibility of something bad happening to her, and colleges might not want to deal with the financial consequences of that.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that you have to live with this fear. </p>
<p>I don’t think it’s going to grossly impact your college admissions. </p>
<p>I think perhaps your GC could mention it in her letter about how you’ve done so well in the face of a difficult life. </p>
<p>I think that you should keep your own applications rather upbeat. You want to be careful that someone can’t interpret it as making excuses. If I recall, I thought that your ECs were fine.</p>
<p>I also think that you should try to go away to college - nothing too close to home.</p>