For now, I decided to write my Common App essay about my relationship with my father and how that changed when he told me that he has bipolar disorder and how this influenced my passion for psychology. I have decided to not specifically name the illness in the essay, but I was wondering if this topic is too overused or not? What do admissions officers see when they see an essay like this? What are the pitfalls to avoid? Also, I’m having trouble articulating how bipolar affects my father. Any advice? Thanks!
A lot of times writing about someone else in a college essay can be hard because you need to make the essay about you, but I think you’re on the right track. Just make sure your essay shows the reader how your father’s mental illness has influenced you and what you want to do (psychology) and not how your father’s mental illness has affected him.
That’s a very interesting topic and I bekive you can take advantage of it to let them get to really know you but yeah as Paraguas said make it more about you not your father. Maybe it has changed the way you look at people with mental illness, or it probably affected you growing up having to suffer from that many mood swings in a short time, there’s alot to focus on but make it all about you without making it about you…you get it?
Definitely will make sure I do that! Thanks for the advice!