<p>The letter may help your application {Explain poor performance} if your grades improve after the breakdown period. However, you are talking about Stanford where students applying are all unique in their achievements and who deal with as much pressure as you on a daily basis. To have the letter improve the chances would be difficult. It may however extract some level of sympathy. If the breakdown is related to courses in school, it might look negative {unrealistic decisions about the limit of one's ability}, if it is related to family issues {there will definitely be a level of positive concern on the part of the admissions to side with you}. Good luck.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If there's laws on not admitting based on race, shouldn't there be laws on not admitting based on disorders which one doesn't have control over?
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Even if there were such a law, with the reality of college admissions at places such as Stanford, where so much of the admissions process is subjective, it would be a difficult case to prove (that the applicant was rejected on the basis of his/her psychological disorder, and not because he/she was lacking something else) </p>
<p>I've heard that the current holistic approach to admissions was originally instituted so colleges could reject more Jewish/minority students, who typically had very high GPAs/numbers under the premise that these students weren't "well-rounded" enough.</p>
<p>Best of luck to the OP, no matter what you choose to do =)</p>
<p>I wouldn't mention the fact that you're bipolar. Seriously. When some people think bipolar, they think psycho. It's sad, but true. Also, they could worry if you're ready for college life. And for those who said it's unfair to reject because of a psychological disorder, one could say being dumb is a psychological disorder so don't look at grades or SAT scores. I agree that's an extreme example, but I believe colleges would be interested in what psychological disorders their students have just like they'd be interested in how intelligent their students are.</p>
<p>"When some people think bipolar, they think psycho." </p>
<p>I really hope that admissions officers are better informed than that. As other posters have pointed out I think that it's worthwhile to emphasize how you've managed to overcome difficulties. It sounds like you've progressed quite a bit and are focused on dealing with your illness and doing the best you can academically in the wake of having a tough time.</p>
<p>Right now, the current poster child for bipolar illness is Britney. Until someone well-known and high-functioning announces their battle with the illness and their success overcoming it, I'm afraid many people will believe that it is a difficult illness to treat and manage, and I imagine some of those people are on admissions committees.</p>
<p>I agree that successful treatment is the most important thing, not only for college admission but for quality of life for the person with bipolar. </p>
<p>Jane Pauley wrote a book about her experiences with bipolar disorder called "Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue."</p>
<p>don't lie to colleges. Colleges want honest people</p>
<p>^^No one has advocated lying to colleges. You aren't obligated to disclose psychological problems. If you just say you were dealing with "personal issues," there is nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>Perhaps a better way to go is to get better and sit out a year but take college courses to demonstrate things in the year off, then reapply. If that is possible. In the current environment, it is schools may be sensitive about someone with a psychological problem. If your record this year matches the time before your jr year, perhaps something from your doctor might help. This is a tough one, good luck.</p>
<p>no they arent goin to feel sorry for a nervous breakdown. sorry to be cynical but theyll look at that, and say "if this person is having a nervous breakdown in HS, what will happen at Stanford?"</p>
<p>Thank you all for your great advice. However, I am leaning towards coming out with the truth, as I already wrote an essay about my experience and thought it suitable for giving to colleges with the common application. If anyone would like to read it, PM me and give me some honest feedback, if you will. </p>
<p>So if I tell colleges that it was vaguely personal issues, my essay would contradict that.</p>
<p>Lovely Bonsai,</p>
<p>You sound like a strong kid who is moving forward toward a great life. The decision you have to make about what to tell colleges, including whether to have your GC handle it entirely, is a hard one. It would be good if you could have more info.</p>
<p>If your hs sends a lot of kids to top schools such as Stanford, I'm willing to bet that someone in the counseling office has experience with kids applying to top colleges who have been in similar situations with respect to psych issues during high school. It would make sense to ask your GC if other kids in your situation revealed or decided to withold diagnositic information, and how the GC thinks this affected their admissions outcomes. I think it would be very helpful -- an probably reassuring -- for you to have this kind of info. </p>
<p>Another way to go might be to post a very anonymous question on the Stanford board of CC and ask students who revealed/did not reveal this kind of info in their applications about their admissions outcomes, and also about the kind of support they've received at Stanford if needed.</p>
<p>I'm not suggesting that you base your decision on the info you get from your GC or CC posters, but the info you might glean could be useful.</p>
<p>Thank you, Nester. </p>
<p>Well, my high school has only been running for three years, and no one has even applied to schools like Stanford during that period of time. I will be the first student to even apply, and my guidance counselor is one who recommends that students apply to state universities. She's already aware of my condition, having been the person to move me from AP classes to regular classes because of my situation. </p>
<p>I'll definitely check out the Stanford board and see how things go. </p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Disclosing a mental illness does not bode well for you in the admissions process, but at the same time, it's for your own good if they weed you out because of it. People with bipolar disorder will typically struggle to an unhealthy degree in high-pressure social and academic environments. I hope I'm wrong though.</p>
<p>Okay. So I didn't apply to Stanford. Not for me. But I did apply to Cal. I have bipolar I disorder, and I wrote an essay about working at my county's PD's office and seeing what this country has done to people who are poor and mentally ill. Yeah, sure, I looked at topics on college confidential, and everyone talked about how mentioning "mental instability" is a "red flag" for those reviewing your application.
I don't care. I'm NOT mentally unstable. In fact, I'm a lot higher-functioning than most of my so-called "normal" peers.
Since you're bipolar, and bright, and obviously care about your academic future, I think it would do you a world of good to send in something explaining your nervous breakdown, from someone who could write on your behalf, (psychiatrist, counselor, etc.). I didn't. But that's because I over-nighted my 40-page-IEP to the DSP.
If you present yourself as stable, and as having overcome major obstacles in your life, (in a non-cliche, College-Confidential-approved sort of way, of course ;)) then they have no reason to count it against you.
I overcame a lot in high school- I was hospitalized twice, I lost all my friends, and had to start from scratch- I went on independent study for over a year because my meds made me so lethargic and apathetic. But I maintained my 4.0. I participated in demanding summer programs. I gained perspective.
The fact that I have a serious mental illness and can function made me determined to advocate for those who are unable to advocate for themselves, (PD clients). I made this clear to all eight of the schools I applied to. And if they don't accept me solely because I have bipolar disorder, then, to put it crassly, ***** them.
The obstacles I've overcome are the only things that have stopped me from becoming just another upper-middle class white girl with Kaplan classes and private college counseling. And thank God for that.
The point of this long and involved rant is that I think you should send something in your defense. You're not powerless in this. If your grades fell for a good reason, explain yourself. :)</p>
<p>There's a law professor at the University of Southern California (Prof. Elyn R. Saks) who recently wrote a book about dealing with schizophrenia. It's called The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, about her life with schizophrenia. Another law professor (Prof. James T.R. Jones) has written an article called Walking the Tightrope of Bipolar Disorder: The Secret Life of a Law Professor.</p>
<p>Admissions committees have a history of being disinclined to admit people with a history of mental illness. I'm hopeful that through the bravery of people like Prof. Jones, Prof. Saks, combined with advances in our understanding of mental illness, and the development of more effective drugs for treating them, that this prejudice will ultimately wither away. </p>
<p>But we're not there yet. It's important to be truthful, but you're not required to volunteer things that you're not asked about. If you do decide to write about your illness, however, your challenge will to be forthright, well informed, and ready to tackle any misgivings the admissions committee may have. If you have had a long period of stability while on medications, be sure to mention that fact. Like any other applicant, your goal will be to convince them that you're a brilliant, fascinating individual who brings something uniquely compelling to the table.</p>
<p>Isn't the OP in a situation where he/she has nothing to lose? If the reason for the grade implosion is not disclosed, then admission will definitely not be forthcoming. If there is a valid reason for the implosion, then the school MIGHT admit the student. I will say one thing, I hope whatever school the student chooses is close to home as a strong support system (outside of what the school may offer) will definitely be necessary. Also, the OP should really consider applying to an "easy" school. That way, if not accepted at Stanford, the OP can go to a school where there is not too much stress (which can exacerbate mental illness symptoms) and can excel at the undergraduate level before going on to a top graduate school with a strong record of success in college. College is stressful and record numbers of students are suffering from depression so every parent should be aware of the potential for their child to be afflicted with mental illness. Many mental illnesses make their first appearance during the college years. Every parent should make sure they have a waiver signed by their child at the beginning of their freshman year that gives them full access to their medical records. No on thinks they will need it but, like wills and trusts, it is better to be safe than sorry. Schools will not bring this up at orientation. You have to be proactive. Good luck to the OP.</p>
<p>If you do decide to discuss your disorder in your essay (which I don't think is the wosest choice), be very, very careful to present your bad year as something that is now definitively behind you. Mental illness in students has become a major concern among school administrations. It's not only--or mainly--the psycho killer fears. Far more, it's the suicide risk factor. There is a scarily high incidence of suicide among college students. And a new phenomenon in recent years (or newly publicized maybe) are copycat suicides, where several students in the course of a week or two try to take their lives in similar ways. </p>
<p>Initially, colleges responded by providing better, more accessible mental health counseling, which was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, in the last few years, the lawyers have been weighing in. Fear of being considered negligent ("Why did you let this happen to my child?"), resulting in lawsuits or bad publicity, has led many school to take a better-safe-than-sorry approach. A student admitting to thoughts of harming themselves (suicide, cutting, eating) is now often "for their own good" sent home and not allowed to return until they have a clean bill of mental health. My daughter has started a confidential self-help group for such students at her college, because students are afraid to go for help as it may result in them being suspended from school.</p>
<p>The easiest way for the administration to deal with such issues is to not admit mentally troubled students in the first place. Easier said than done, of course, given that a high proportion of teens go through big emotional problems. Anything that flags you as being such a student will work against you at admissions time.</p>
<p>P.S. Just one more thought to add to my above post . . . I respect your desire to talk about your condition and your experience. I think you can do a real service to others by helping bring these issues into the open air. But does that mean that a college essay is the best place to do it? Write that wonderful moving personal essay, by all means, and then think about where you want to send it. Like the Stanford student newspaper AFTER you've been accepted and are a student there. I'm sure there are many other interesting and wonderful aspects of you that you can use your college essay to highlight. Your illness is only one part of you. Remember a college essay is really a sales document.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, especially to aworldofcool and m&m&m. Your support means a lot to me.</p>
<p>Now, I've already written that essay about my struggle with mental illness, though I've decided to save it for a different future ocassion. I understand your perspective, and it seems best that I choose another topic to reflect upon and write about. Thanks for that feedback.</p>
<p>Other schools I'm interested in include Rice, UT at Austin, UC at Berkeley, and an easy school, UT at San Antonio, as someone had suggested earlier. And if all else fails, there are the local community colleges.</p>