Would you mention a chronic illness in an application essay?

Parents Forum
1

<p>My son has Crohn's disease and has had it since he was 11. He is considering writing about it in his application essay. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I am afraid that it could be held against him if they were afraid that he would have to miss a lot of classes and not be able to keep up. On the other hand, maybe it could be seen as a positive in that he has had consistently good grades in spite of everything and he could write about what he has had to overcome.</p>

<p>His disease is currently in remission and has been for a while, so I really don't think his health will be an issue in college.</p>

<p>Any thoughts? He's my oldest, so I have no experience with this sort of thing.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>I think it’s definitely worth mentioning-- the fact that he has struggled with such an illness and kept up a good record at school is a sign of maturity and ability. He can write about it in a positive way and say that it hasn’t impeded his progress at school and is in remission. (I would have a GC or other trusted third party read it for tone-- but that’s pretty much true with any essay.)</p>

3

<p>In my opinion, it depends on whether or not the student is applying to a highly competitive school with a high application rate and low percentage of acceptances. For those schools it is my opinion they are looking for reasons to eliminate…however, if the prompt is an adversity prompt then perhaps there could be some compelling angle eg “I missed 92 out of 181 school days and I still graduated with my class on time in the top 10 yada yada… or I started a support group and it now has 200 community members or something like that”</p>

4

<p>It’s not a good idea. </p>

<p>First of all, it would be a hard essay to write well, and secondly, there are plenty of better subjects. The essays provide an opportunity to share something only the applicant could do; a medical issue hardly qualifies. This would be similar to trying to explain poor grades … always a bad idea. </p>

<p>If there is a compelling need, discuss it with the GC to present the medical issue in the GC report or attach a supplement.</p>

5

<p>My D has a chronic illness and she is not mentioning it. We included it in the guidance counselor sheet so the counselor may mention it but no one else.</p>

<p>But I am not telling you what to do - everyone’s story is different and I am of the belief that you need to be genuine, especially in your words. Good luck to your son!</p>

6

<p>OP, first, congratulations to your S for dealing with his illness in such a positive way. I’m sure he’s mature and wise beyond his years. I believe for schools that read apps holistically, adcoms are looking to get a sense of the whole student. This information may help them see just how determined, resilient, and goal-focused your S is in the face of the sort of adversity other students do not have. There is no guarantee, but if your S has been inspired by his own experiences to consider the medical field, or community service, or research or psychology or a myriad of health-related goals, his own experiences could seem valuable to those departments/majors in certain universities.</p>

<p>Some state universities (UC system) may also look at his record from a disabilities perspective and offer another evaluation based on self-disclosure.</p>

<p>But there are no guarantees. Best of luck.</p>

7

<p>Let him write the essay. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to submit that essay - it might be one of several essays. See how it turns out. But an essay about a chronic illness can be powerful if done well. Essays are intended to give colleges a more fuller “snapshot” of the candidate beyond their paper stats. If a chronic illness has defined his character, then an essay about the illness would give the college a better idea of who this person is. A good essay will avoid the “poor me” message and emphasize determination, perseverance, and a desire to learn in despite the obstacle. </p>

<p>Last year I edited an essay for a friend’s son who has a chronic illness. I must admit that it was one of the best essays I have ever read. And he was admitted to the college of his choice.</p>

8

<p>My son wrote about his chronic illness in one of his essays (I think the one for Stanford).</p>

<p>He was accepted.</p>

9

<p>I think any situation where you have succeeded in spite of adversity is worth writing about.</p>

10

<p>I don’t think the main essay should focus on an illness as a core aspect of an applicant’s identity. If your son has really transcended the illness, there should be other things to write about. He should focus on his recent experiences.</p>

11

<p>My son also has Crohn’s Disease, diagnosed at 12, and he did write about that. It was positive and upbeat with a little bit of humor. He started off explaining that he had his life planned when he was 5 – he was going to be the Center for the Green Bay Packers. As the “Offensive Line captain” and Center all through pee wee football years, things were going exactly as planned. And then he got Crohn’s Disease. He went on to talk about the challenges, the new doors that opened, what he accomplished through sheer willpower, and what he learned the hard way. Ended with acknowledging that as a 6’4" 165 lb kid he probably wasn’t really going to play Center anyway, but come Sunday he’s still a huge fan.</p>

<p>He had many people, including a really tough English teacher, proof the essay, and they all gave it rave reviews.</p>

<p>For him, in addition to providing a way to share some of his strengths, it also provided an opportunity to point out that he missed 40+ days of school during some of his sick years and although his GPA suffered a bit (he was a master at getting 89s instead of 90s), he was proud of what he accomplished without any accommodations.</p>

<p>He didn’t apply to any Ivy League schools, but he did get accepted to all the schools where he applied, and he chose to go to Ohio State.</p>

<p>One thing that’s still frustrating to me though…despite explanations of all the challenges he faced, he didn’t seem to get any breaks on GPA requirements. Specifically, he really wanted to get into Honors. He had a 34 on the ACT, graduated from the most competitive high school in Cincinnati, but he graduated with an 89 GPA. His school doesn’t officially rank, but with an 89, they estimated he’s “Top 25%” instead of “Top 10%” and as a result, OSU wouldn’t put him into Honors.</p>

<p>With College confidentiality rules, I don’t think it’s too risky to divulge a disability if you have a good story to tell. (Again though, we don’t have any experience with the top tier schools.)</p>

<p>I do know that you’d never want to divulge having a chronic illness to a potential employer. Small to medium companies could become very concerned about insurance impacts. I’m just hoping that he makes it through college without any flares as I don’t know how he’d explain a transcript gap, a GPA drop, etc. I suppose any college student can run into health issues, so there must be a way, but that would all be new territory for us.</p>

<p>Hope your son continues to do well!</p>

12

<p>Thanks for all of your help (and good wishes). I’m going to share this with my son and see what he decides to do. I really appreciate the advice.</p>

13

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<p>You are obviously not very experienced with the disease in question. If written in a humorous, prospective manner, this can be a VERY good essay topic. </p>

<p>I had friends writing about “finding themselves” on their week-long, parent-financed trips to Guatemala, while I was able to write a humorous, heartfelt narrative about what I had gained from my trials and tribulations with Crohn’s disease (dx’d at age 8, so we’re talking years of my life spent in the hospital before I opted to get “the bag”). </p>

<p>You can always ask the Ivies/top LACs that admitted me what they thought though.</p>

14

<p>I agree with 12rmh18. If this is what the student feels passionate about, it can work well.</p>

15

<p>My daughter has more than one chronic condition. She chose to write about something else, because she is resistant to defining herself by her illnesses. I am not saying that is a virtue, just a personality trait, perhaps a response to longtime efforts not to be the “sick kid.”</p>

<p>However, she did write a very brief (2 paragraphs I think) piece in the supplementary essay section of her college app. about her first diagnosis, at age 4, which was more about the insight, a that young age, that she wasn’t entirely safe in the world. She wrote about folding her clothes nicely on the hospital chair, hoping that by doing that, she could somehow ward off the disease and magically get better.</p>

<p>She also missed a lot of school and did very well at school. She had a plan by which the teachers filled a sheet out every day, with work done in class, homework assignment, tests taken etc. so she could stay caught up. That way, she could be in and out of school, even within a day. She did not have tutors, but did all the work herself.</p>

<p>The guidance counselor included info on this on her applications, and I think a teacher and a music teacher both mentioned what she had accomplished “in spite of.”</p>

<p>She is a junior at an Ivy League school, where she is registered with the disabilities office and is entitled to accommodations, which she greatly resists using but has on occasion. She has had two medical leaves, meaning it has taken 3 years to do two years of college. It’s fine.</p>

<p>It is true that top colleges love kids who “overcome obstacles.” Admissions is entirely separate from the academic deans or the disability office. Admissions will just see that the student has accomplished a lot despite health problems. I think it is more of a plus than a minus, but the applicant should be careful not to be seen as using it.</p>

16

<p>I think the essay compmom described is a good example of the illness/obstacle overcome as backdrop for what is really important in the essay - the student’s self-awareness and maturity. Let him write the essay as one possibility, and then have someone objective (like an English teacher) read it and take it from there.</p>

17

<p>Whether or not he decides to submit this topic, the GC should mention it. Typically, the GC letter is seen as a testament from an adult and exerienced educator. </p>

<p>IMO, a good essay is a good essay. The question should be, how defined is any kid by his/her ailment? Is there something in that essay that gives the college a compelling picture of the kid’s persepctive and how he thinks and evolves and will add to that campus? Maybe.</p>

<p>Think of the impact of an essay on another good topic, and then the adcoms discover the health challenge, from the GC. But, a good essay is a good essay.</p>

18

<p>So the essay should not be the vehicle for explaining school absences and so on. The GC can do that, and your son or you can include info on that as well, along with the GC recommendation. This should relieve him of the feeling that he needs to explain…</p>

<p>There may be other compelling reasons to write about the Chrohn’s, as others have said, and there may also be other compelling topics. It’s up to your son and what inspires him to write. Good luck to him!</p>

19

<p>Thanks. The essay actually wasn’t going to explain school absences or anything like that. He was using it more to describe an achievement in his life and how to had to overcome some obstacles to get there. How he learned a lot about himself and what he can do, perseverence, etc. Definitely will not be “poor me” attitude coming through. Most days my son can forget he even has Crohn’s disease and it does not define him at all. It is more of a backdrop of lessons learned about himself.</p>