Writing about my depression on my UC APP Fall semester 2019 Transfer

College Essays
1

Hi this is a sophomore is California community college. I’m writing my UC app as a social science major.

I particularly want to go to UCB or UCLA.

Here are my stats
GPA: 4.0 (I have all As and 2 Ws from biology and calculus2)
PreReq: Done by fall 2018
IGETC: Done by fall 2018
EC: Much from high school but not so much from college

I’m currently working on my personal statement for UC APPs and I want to write about how I went through serious depression last semester but I’m scared that it might sound like I’m looking for sympathy from the admissions. I’m much better now but I feel like that depression was so big in my life that it’s just a part of me that I have to share. Will it look bad to the admissions? Really would like some help.

2

Mental illness – especially depression – can be a huge red flag for schools. They don’t want the liability.

Will it look bad to the admissions? Yes.

Really would like some help. Find something else to write about.

3

Pick a different topic.

4

it seems like a very risky topic to talk about. I’m not sure why you would want to bring it up. If you had bad grades for a short time period because of it, ok, but it seems like you have good grades.

5

The worst thing about writing about Depression is that AOs have seen it so many times before. You want to write about something uniquely yours. Although important, I’d look for something else.

6

As we’ve written and read here over and over again, any sort of mental health issue makes you a liability to colleges. It’s not the best way to convince them that they should accept you over someone else who does not share those same issues.

Find another topic to write about, one that paints you in the strongest possible light.Remember, the point behind this essay is to get them to accept your application.

7

My best friend had a 3.4 and wrote about being bipolar and having an ongoing drug problem during college. She got admitted to all her UC choices and is now a freshman at Berkeley. Her advice to me was show them a genuine piece of who you are. The adcoms are gunna read thousands of essays that are catered and bland to getting accepted. Don’t write about depression for the sake of it, but if it shows them part of who you are, then do it.