college application essay about mental health

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Should you discuss mental health issues in your college essay?

by Erica L. Meltzer | Oct 20, 2018 | Blog , College Essays | 6 comments

Image ©Nickshot, Adobe Stock

Note, January 2022: This post was written in 2018, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, many things have changed since then, not least the amount of psychological pressure that many high school students have experienced. Clearly, some of the boundaries and expectations surrounding acceptable/advisable topics for admissions essays have shifted, and applicants undoubtedly have more leeway in discussing mental-health issues than they did in the past. That said, I would still caution against making this subject the exclusive focus of your essay(s). If it happens to be relevant—and it very well might be, given the events of the last couple of years— then you should focus on discussing it in a mature way that conveys qualities such as empathy and resilience, and that demonstrates your ability to reflect insightfully on what may have been very difficult situations.

As regular readers of my blog may know, I periodically trawl the forums over at College Confidential to see what’s trending. Recently, I’ve noticed a concerning uptick in the number of students asking whether it’s appropriate for them to write about mental health issues, most frequently ADD and/or anxiety, in their college applications.

So the short answer: don’t do it.

The slightly longer version:

If you’re concerned about a drop in grades or an inconsistent transcript, talk to your guidance counselor. If these types of issues are addressed, the GC’s letter is the most appropriate place for them. If, for any reason, the GC is unable/unwilling to discuss them and the issues had a significant impact on your performance in school that unequivocally requires explanation, you can put a brief, matter of fact note in the “is there any additional information you’d like us to know?” section, but think very carefully about how you present it. Do not write your main essay about the issue.

The full version:

To understand why these topics should generally be avoided, you need to understand what information colleges are actually seeking to gain from the personal statement. Although it is technically a personal narrative, it is, in a sense, also a persuasive essay: its purpose is to convey what sets you apart from the thousands of others with equally good grades and scores, and to suggest whether you have qualities that make you more likely to thrive at university x than the other 10 or 15 or even 20 applicants clamoring for that spot.

Now, whether such thing can actually be determined from 650 words (with which some students receive significant help) is of course questionable; however, the bottom line is that, adcoms are looking for students who will be successful in college. Discussing one’s inability to focus or intense aversion to social situations does not exactly inspire confidence, even if a student insists those problems have been overcome. Leaving home, dealing with professors and roommates and more challenging classes… Those are all major stressors. There is a tacit understanding that of course some students will flame out, have breakdowns, etc., but adcoms are understandably hesitant to admit anyone who is already at a higher risk for those issues. You want them to be excited about the prospect of admitting you, not debate whether you’ll really be able to handle college. (In fact, I had multiple students with various issues who were not truly ready for college and who did flame out — colleges have good reason to take these things seriously.)

This concern goes beyond any particular student’s well-being: graduation rates get factored into rankings, and every student who doesn’t make it through drags that statistic just a little bit lower. If a student does develop serious problems while on campus, there are also potential legal/liability issues involved, and no school wants to deliberately court those.

Besides, if your grades are iffy, it is extremely difficult not to sound as if you are making excuses. You are much better off talking about an experience or interest that will make them look past the transcript and think, “Hey, I really like this kid.” And the reality is that if your grades are that iffy, you’re probably not a competitive candidate at super-selective colleges anyway. These schools are looking for applicants who are on the way to fulfilling their potential, not for ones who need to explain away chronic underachievement.

In addition, one thing applicants — and sometimes their parents — have difficulty wrapping their heads around is the sheer number of applications the average admissions officer has encountered. Situations that may seem extreme and dramatic to adolescents who have recently confronted them may in fact have already been experienced — and written about — by thousands of other applicants. A 17-year old may believe that describing their anxiety in morbid detail will make them seem complex and introspective, but more likely it will only come off as overwrought and trite.

I know that might sound harsh, but please remember that admissions officers are coming at this process with no pre-existing knowledge of you as a person, only a few minutes to spend on your essay, and hundreds of other applications to get through. They are also under intense pressure to ensure that the appropriate demographics targets are being met and all the various institutional constituencies (coaches, development office, orchestra conductor) are being satisfied. They’re not ogres, and they’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if yours is the fifth essay about overcoming anxiety they’ve seen in the last 48 hours, they will look at it and reflexively think, “oh, another one of these.” That is not a first impression you want to make.

Now, are there exceptions? Yes, of course, but they are rare. In all the time I did college admissions work, I had exactly one student successfully discuss anxiety in an essay. It was, however, introduced in the context of a family tragedy that had profoundly shaped the student’s life; given that background, the discussion seemed natural and matter of fact rather than overdramatized. Even so, I made the student take a good week to think about whether that topic was truly the one they wanted to write about.

Ultimately, of course, the decision is yours, and the choice depends on the larger story you want to tell as well as your ability as a writer, but these topics are so difficult to pull off well that you are best off avoiding them if you can (particularly if you don’t have access to someone with a lot of admissions experience who can review your essay). Find another topic/ experience that you enjoy writing about (and that others are likely to enjoy reading about); that presents you as someone interesting and thoughtful; and that suggest you are ready to thrive in college.

If you really are concerned about your ability to function in college, most schools have plenty of resources for you to take advantage of (academic support, counseling center, etc.). But those are things to investigate after you get admitted. Before that, don’t go out of your way to fly red flags where none are warranted.

Why is Dyslexia ok to mention on an essay, but overcoming selective mutism is not?

Dyslexia is a learning disability that lends itself to proof that it has been overcome through excellent scores in reading and writing. It’s not easy to overcome or cope with dyslexia so an essay showing how a student did it demonstrates their tenacity and resourcefulness. Grades and scores are proof that the dyslexia will not be a problem in college, while the essay can highlight the characteristics that led to the student’s success and which will serve them well in college.

I wrote about how my dog helped me overcome me ending my life/depression and moving to another school is that too common

Thanks for the tips and perspective. It seems like common sense to me as a parent and tutor, but now I have an “established author” to cite!

I want to write about how depression had change me. But my grades and statistics are all great. Is this okay to write? My bad mental health somehow didn’t manage to get to the others parts of my life.

Is it okay to write about how despite psychosis I could manage to get good grades?

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Guest Essay

I Edited Mental Illness Out of My College Applications. I’m Not Alone.

An abstract illustration of a person, made of stacked green and blue blobs, writing with a pencil.

By Emi Nietfeld

Ms. Nietfeld is the author of a memoir, “Acceptance.”

When I applied to college in the 2009-10 school year, I wasn’t worried about my grades or extracurriculars. Instead, I agonized over a dilemma that’s familiar to more students than ever as the Common Application deadline looms: What should I disclose about my mental health?

As I wrote my applications, my past was both my greatest asset and my biggest liability. I’d spent time in foster care and homeless, circumstances that made me attractive to the handful of selective universities that offered full scholarships to low-income students — my only hope at avoiding crushing loans. In an applicant pool filled with squash champions, concert organists and third-generation double legacies, I had my story.

But my experiences also affected me and my academic record in ways that weren’t so appealing: Like approximately 80 percent of current foster youths and many former ones, I had serious mental health diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and disordered eating. From ages 13 to 15, I was hospitalized repeatedly. Before being placed in a foster home, I spent nine months in a locked treatment center. I’d attended four to eight high schools, depending on how you counted. How could I possibly explain all that?

Officially, colleges say that students can share as much about their mental health as feels comfortable. But in practice, it seems clear that schools are nervous about accepting adolescents who divulge psychiatric histories. That perception is reinforced by high-profile lawsuits alleging discrimination against students with mental health disabilities, including an ongoing suit against Yale University and a similar one settled by Stanford University in 2019.

“We have all read the headlines of students on college campuses who have either harmed others or harmed themselves,” said Kat Cohen, a private admissions consultant who helped me, pro bono, with my applications. “These are the things that colleges worry about if they admit someone who is not stable.”

These mixed messages are forcing more and more students to make impossible choices amid a teenage mental health crisis. Should applicants play it safe and conceal their emotional troubles — even when it means leaving low grades and gaps in transcripts unexplained? Or should they tell the truth and risk getting flagged as a liability?

For those with mental health conditions, college admissions are unfairly arduous, an injustice that has long-lasting ramifications for both students and society. Many teenagers with psychological disorders end up at lower-quality schools than they could have attended otherwise, affecting their career options and earning potential. And since elite universities produce a disproportionate number of politicians and managers, society loses out by having fewer people in power who deeply understand mental illness and how it intersects with almost every major issue.

“In the age of Instagram activists, I thought it wouldn’t be as bad,” Jia Suo, a high school senior from Sugar Land, Texas, told me about the stigma of mental illness. “But when I got out of my treatment center my junior year, it’s not an exaggeration to say that I lost every single one of my friends.”

After an inpatient program for suicidal ideation (a diagnosis Ms. Suo attributes to normal angst misinterpreted by doctors), she did not receive credit for the classwork she did there. Looking at her grades — C’s and incompletes in a transcript filled with A’s — she figured she must have been given a zero for every missed assignment. She said she reached out to her guidance counselor and homebound teacher but was told it was too late and there was nothing they could do.

Initially, Ms. Suo wanted to explain herself in her college application essay. She wrote a personal statement about how her institutionalization motivated her to study law after meeting girls who had been sex trafficked and boys who languished in the facility for months waiting for foster homes.

But sharing her struggles was risky. A family friend who worked in admissions advised her, “Say you slacked off junior year.” Ms. Suo crossed her dream school, Cornell, off her list and has instead applied to 17 colleges without any explanation for the sudden drop in G.P.A. She resents that her brush with psychiatry will shape what college she attends, but it feels safer to talk about her institutionalization in The New York Times than in her applications. “I’m OK with the whole world knowing about it, but at the same time I just know the stigma they’re going to have at colleges about this.” In three months, when Ms. Suo gets the final acceptance and rejection letters, she’ll know the true impact.

When I applied to college, Ms. Cohen — Dr. Kat, as I and her other clients call her — advised the opposite approach at first. “You have to be extremely explicit,” I remember her warning me. “Otherwise they’ll have no idea how bad things were.” This surprised me. Until that point, the adults around me made me feel my symptoms were evidence of what was wrong with me, not evidence of what was wrong with my circumstances. Though I was deeply ashamed, when I applied to Yale early, I attached a timeline detailing my mom’s hoarding and my overmedication, culminating with me regaining my emotional stability as a scholarship student at boarding school.

I was rejected. My school guidance counselor called Yale’s admissions office and relayed to me that though my grades and test scores were similar to other applicants’, as she put it in an email to me, “regarding the past issues, the list was daunting.” Dr. Kat also queried her network and surmised that Yale wanted to minimize its risk after several high-profile on-campus suicides of college students around the country. “It was just T.M.I.,” she told me — too much information.

A spokeswoman for Yale this month said in a statement to The New York Times that she could not discuss my case because admission files are confidential. But she did say, “This account of an admissions decision from over a decade ago is at odds with our admissions practices and philosophy,” adding that Yale’s admissions process is “holistic.”

She continued, “The admissions committee does not discriminate against any applicant for health reasons.”

For my next round of applications, I wrote a simple explanation for why I had changed schools and thereby excised three years of my life: the diagnoses, the drugs, the self-inflicted scars. I became a parallel person who’d gone through the same things but come out unscathed. I hit “submit,” applying to 10 schools, including Harvard.

While I waited, I lived in fear of being found out. In my dreams, admissions officers interrogated me. They called me a liar and a cheater.

But after three months of nightmares, on April 1, 2010, I got into Harvard.

I screamed when I opened the email; I danced in the rain. Then guilt fogged the world. Harvard accepted 7 percent of applicants that spring. I felt alternate versions of myself trailing me, fates in which I hadn’t been able to hide my past and it haunted me into adulthood.

I spoke to current and former admissions officers this fall, seeking answers to the question that had mystified me as a teenager: How much should students talk about mental health on their college applications? Echoing the advice of other professionals, Claudia Marroquin, the dean of admissions at Bowdoin College, implied that applicants should not feel pressure to disclose. Pressed for more specifics, she told me that students “have to feel comfortable with what they’re sharing.” This platitude made me seethe with frustration: Even if I was comfortable sharing everything, I suspected that the colleges were not comfortable hearing it. The students I interviewed all sensed there was a line, but few of us were lucky enough to know where it lay.

Only Dr. Kat was willing to speak candidly. In the years since she initially advised me to discuss my struggles in detail, she has realized that this approach may be unwise.

“Without exception,” she said, “reading a personal statement about the applicant’s mental health struggles — that’s going to immediately raise a red flag unless it can really be contextualized as something that the student has triumphed over.”

She emphasized that mental health had to be handled on “a case-by-case basis,” ideally in close consultation with the student’s school guidance counselor.

But that, too, is fraught. At 16, I sought out Dr. Kat’s help because even at a private boarding school, my counselor didn’t have the bandwidth to give me the personal attention I needed. The pro bono services I received would’ve cost more than $16,000 in 2009 dollars. When I spoke to students about their experiences, far greater than the variety of emotional issues was the range in support. Even at Ms. Suo’s affluent suburban school, a single counselor could juggle more than 400 students at a time. Students with less help turn to YouTube gurus and Discord servers where peers workshop their essays.

Favour Osisioma, who immigrated from Nigeria to rural Tennessee at 13, started 2020 on track to attend an elite school. Then Covid hit. She found herself caretaker for her two younger siblings — the three of them remote-learning on one computer while their mom worked 100-hour weeks and Ms. Osisioma worked part time at McDonald’s. “I felt that it was my job to bring my family out of poverty,” she said. Her grades fell, escalating the anxiety she’d had before the pandemic into paralyzing panic attacks. She remembers an adviser saying, “‘I never expected you to disappoint me in this way.’”

Ms. Osisioma agonized over how to explain this to colleges. “I was trying to get the perfect words,” she said. “But I wasn’t sure anyone would see me and think, ‘This is an attractive package.’” In her senior year, she won a number of accolades, including a prestigious Coca-Cola scholarship. A video crew surprised her at school with a jumbo check.

“I remember coming home and putting it down in my room and still crying because I didn’t know what to say in my applications about the anxiety.” At the time, a single guidance counselor was assisting 800 students with everything from class scheduling to college counseling. Staring at her Yale application, Ms. Osisioma watched the deadline tick past and became so overwhelmed that she couldn’t walk and felt herself going in and out of consciousness. She had to see a neurologist to rule out seizures. She ended up attending college a year later than planned at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She’s a university scholar there and enjoys her classes but feels a long way from where she hoped she’d be.

Meanwhile, prep schools often employ former admissions officers as counselors, with caseloads closer to 30 students. Jessica Smith, the director of college counseling at Westtown School in Pennsylvania, said she takes pains to protect “students’ private business.” She added, “Even when a psychiatric crisis affects a transcript, there’s a lot I can control about how much it shows up.”

Jaimi Salone, now in their final quarter at Stanford, benefited from this kind of advice while a student at the Blake School in Minneapolis, which they attended on scholarship. In their essay, they wrote frankly about depression, anxiety and shame after their mom’s cancer diagnosis and eventual death — providing context for why they “did not look like what was expected of a Stanford admit,” with a 3.06 G.P.A. and many absences. But at the suggestion of their college counselor, they omitted their sophomore-year hospitalization. “Is it lying to not include?” they wondered. “What is considered an accurate representation of me as a student when I actually do have mental health issues?”

Even after they got in, the stress stayed. “I was worried my admissions would be revoked if other information came out.”

My Harvard application taught me what was acceptable to share and what was not. I sensed that colleges wanted a pristine survivor who was not marred by trauma. At 16, I didn’t realize that it is impossible to emerge from certain hardships unscathed; the perfect overcomer is a fantasy that some young people are coached into creating. This illusion can do great damage. I saw that I was not that person, which caused me deep shame.

Effective admissions policies require grasping how mental illness manifests in different students’ lives. The same crisis that leads to an outpouring of support for a wealthy child might cause a foster youth to be sent to a locked facility, prescribed antipsychotics and forced to change schools. Stigma varies widely across communities, affecting how teenagers view their struggles and what leeway they get from adults. Some kids are far less likely to be diagnosed and treated; others receive superfluous labels and get overmedicated. Understanding these disparities is crucial in the face of worsening adolescent mental health and ever more competitive standards at the colleges that produce an outsize share of leaders.

For a decade, I believed my story was an anomaly, but every year that seems less and less true. There are so many young people unable to hide their crises. We all lose out if this disqualifies them from a better future.

Emi Nietfeld ( @eminietfeld ) is the author of a memoir, “ Acceptance .”

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An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of a city in Texas. It is Sugar Land, not Sugarland.

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college application essay about mental health

How to Discuss Your Mental Health on College Applications

Should you write about depression in your personal statement? Should you disclose mental health challenges elsewhere on your college application? Here’s what experts say.

Within the next few months, many rising high school seniors will be staring at a blank computer screen with the same question on their minds: What should I write about in my college application essay? This question can feel heavy. After all, by the time students approach the end of their junior year, they’ve surely heard lots about “THE” college essay. The concept can feel overwhelming so it’s no surprise that many students struggle when it comes to choosing the perfect topic.

For students who experienced a mental health challenge while in high school, this question takes on another dimension. Should they talk about how they coped with say, depression, or any other mental health condition? Should they refer to it only in passing? Should they avoid mentioning it at all? What is the best way to handle such an important topic?

While this is a very complicated topic, the college planning experts I talked with all offered similar advice.

The Purpose of a College Application Essay

Before thinking about whether or not you should write about mental health in your college essay, you should remember what the essay — or the “personal statement”— is all about in the first place. What is the purpose of the essay?

No matter which prompt students select, and for all college applicants, those with or without mental health challenges, the essay is the only part of the application in which college admissions officers have the opportunity to hear the voices of the student. The rest of the application contains numbers, statistics, and comments from teachers and counselors.

This is why the personal statement, as college planning experts concur, is where you should share part of your true self in the most positive light. Think about what a college wants to know about you as a person, or what a university would gain by having you become a part of the campus community. Dig deep to figure out what makes you, you.

Use your essay as an opportunity to bring your college application to life. Try to strive for it to represent you in an authentic yet optimistic way. One former reader of applications at a top university’s admission office shared a fun way to see if your essay checks out. She asked me, “Does the essay pass the midnight test”?

Picture an exhausted admissions officer with a stack of unread application files on her desk. She is reading yours at midnight at the end of a 16-hour day. Does your essay draw the officer in and make her eager to read until the end of your essay to learn more about you? Will she be eager enough for her to conclude that, yes, we want this student on our campus next fall? Or does your essay sound far too similar to some of the others she’s read that day?

The purpose of your essay is to take the reader beyond the numbers (test scores and GPA) and into who you are as a real live human being.

Experts on Writing About Mental Health

All counselors interviewed for this piece agreed that students’ college essays should not be about their struggles with mental health. Wendy Kahn , a Chicago-based college planner, and Anna Seltz, of Higher Ed U , a college consulting organization in Philadelphia, both spoke about how students should try to talk about themselves in a positive light, taking the opportunity to showcase one of their many outstanding qualities, like intellectual curiosity, personal growth, or maturity.

A couple of the counselors — Bruce Vinik of Vinik Educational Services and Marsha Shaines of College Strategies in Kensington, Maryland — said that the only case in which a student should consider writing about her mental health challenges is if the struggle truly defines her as a person. Even then, both counselors saw this as the rare exception, and suggest that instead, most students should take advantage of the opportunity to explore one of the many other attributes that makes them unique. Vinik says that mental health problems should only be shared in the essay if the college would not be able to understand the applicant without knowing about this part of her. Generally, he discourages selecting this as a primary topic.

The Additional Information Section

All of the college planners mentioned above agree that if your mental health struggle in high school clearly impacted your performance, then you should mention it in the “Additional Information” portion of the Common Application — but only in a factual manner. If you missed three months of your sophomore year to deal with a mental health condition, you should explain that you spent those months dealing with a “health challenge,” overcame it, and are now back on track, advises Vinik.

The three other college counselors generally agreed with this sentiment. All expressed that if the mental health challenges have made an impact on your grades, involvement in class, attendance, or ability to participate in school activities, you should provide a short, factual summary (no more than two paragraphs) for background purposes, always emphasizing your recovery after these difficult moments and your preparedness for a college environment.

Seltz suggests that talking about this in your admissions interview may be another route that applicants can explore. Seltz recommends taking an approach like the one outlined for personal statements above: Briefly explain how the challenge affected your grades and focus mostly on the fact that those problems are now under control. Making sure to emphasize the way/s that the challenge helped you to grow as a person is also important.

All of the college planners suggest that you talk with your high school counselor to ensure that what you are saying about mental illness in the college application is consistent with what the counselor may or may not say in her own counselor recommendation. Or, if you’d prefer that the counselor not address your mental health issues, request that as well. School counselors are almost always open to any guidance you may have for what you’d like them to include in or leave out of your letter of recommendation.

Dealing With Mental Health Challenges Past the Application

Being told that you cannot share a part of yourself that may have had a large impact on your life can be difficult to hear. Unfortunately, mental health is a stigmatized topic, and it’s difficult to explore its nuances and complexities in the short and streamlined format of a college application. It is also extremely important to remember that with or without mental health challenges, you are far more complex than a 650-word personal statement.

The fact that you are not writing about it on your application doesn’t mean that colleges don’t want the “real” you, or that you will be unable to succeed. A mental health condition does not disqualify you from having an excellent collegiate experience by any means, the same way that a physical limitation would not interfere with your success as a student. As you explore your college options, be sure to look for campuses that are particularly mental-health friendly, and focus on finding resources you can rely on as a student. From counseling services to wellness organizations, many campuses make student mental health a priority, and selecting this kind of college will help you embrace your challenges and thrive in a new environment.

If you are worried that your problems are not yet under control — and that college may exacerbate them — you may want to consider taking a gap year and working with a local counselor to prepare for the big transition. There are lots of really wonderful gap year programs for students in this exact position. If you think you might be interested in this option, talk with your school counselor about exploring what programs are available to you.

Be personal in your college application essay — but do so in an optimistic and positive way. The purpose of the essay is to convince the reader that you belong on their campus next fall. Don’t leave the reader with any unanswered questions or red flags about you. Be clear about who you are and your will to enhance whatever campus you find yourself on. This is the best way to tell the story of who you are.

If there are circumstances that need to be explained — such as time off, a drop in grades, or diminished participation in extracurricular activities, do so in a factual and concise manner in the “Additional Information” section.

Yes, you may have experienced a mental health challenge, and/or you may be going to college with mental illness. But don’t let that singularly define you as a person. You have the propensity to offer much more to a college than your diagnosis. And the personal statement essay is the place to show the college who you are as an individual, why you are ready for college, and what strong and special qualities you will bring to the campus community if accepted.

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Addressing Mental Illness in the College Application Process

After spending two months of my sophomore year of high school in a partial hospitalization program, I felt like a failure. I knew that I needed the treatment. I knew that it required a long absence from school, and that a long absence coupled with mental illnesses meant I was bound to struggle a bit academically.

And yet, I refused to be gentle with myself. There were moments when I wished I’d never gone to treatment—even though it had helped me immensely—because if I hadn’t gone, maybe I wouldn’t be doing so poorly in school. (Never mind the fact that, if I hadn’t gotten help, I would have eventually done poorly anyway.) At the beginning of sophomore year, I was taking a couple of AP courses as well as advanced math and science classes. By December, I’d dropped into lower-level algebra and chemistry. I started pulling D’s and F’s on most of my tests. And at the end of the year, I realized that I’d have to retake chemistry over the summer.

I couldn’t believe that I had flunked—actually flunked —a class. Ashamed of the fact that I hadn’t been able to handle what I thought I could, I spent the rest of high school terrified that I would never get into the colleges I wanted to attend. (Looking back, I want to tell myself to worry about my mental health instead of college acceptances, but for sixteen-year-old me, getting in somewhere was everything. It shouldn’t be for you, though. Please, please prioritize yourself.)

Fortunately, the time I spent worrying about college was also spent improving the state of my mind. From junior year onward, I remained in a steady balance of therapy and medication. My academic performance improved as my mental health improved; soon, I found myself better able to explore extracurricular interests, too. In the August before my senior year began, I determined that Emory University was my dream school, and in December, I was accepted.

I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten into Emory, but I also know that my admission wasn’t the result of pure, dumb chance. I worked hard in both school and therapy, as both a student and a patient, to overcome my struggles.

Anyone who’s similarly struggled knows how hard it can be to convince yourself that you’re capable, how depression can hold you back from doing what you want. My college application process was difficult, but I made it through—so I’ve left some tips below to help anyone who’s in the same spot.

Stop comparing yourself to others.

It doesn’t matter if they’re admitted students or fellow applicants. Don’t do it. I spent too much time looking at what others had done and lamenting the fact that I hadn’t done as much. But what I failed to realize at the time was that we were all dealing with completely different things. Your struggles are only yours; it does no good to compare yourself to someone who isn’t going through the same thing you are.

Show an upward trajectory of growth—it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Admissions officers understand that applicants are human beings with struggles and flaws. Contrary to what you might see on the Internet, they do not expect you to be absolutely perfect. It’s 100% okay to have lower grades in your first few years of high school—what matters is that you exhibit improvement. So if you struggled with certain classes as a freshman, try to find the subjects you did well in and take more challenging coursework in those areas as an upperclassman. Your performance in those will show that you recognize your strengths, that you’re driven enough to pursue advanced classes, and that you’re fully capable of overcoming difficulties. I might not have been great at math or science, but I did take plenty of AP history, English, and social science courses—my A’s in those were a marked departure from my F in chemistry.

Discuss college with your school counselor or case manager.

Many colleges require a school counselor’s letter of recommendation. Having a conversation with yours may help them to better address your experiences in their letter. They will also assist you more generally in searching for colleges, and can answer your questions about the application process. Remember, they’re here to help you!

Address your experiences in the “Additional Information” section of the Common Application.

If anything was diminished as a result of your personal struggles and you’d like to explain, this is a great place to do so. (I chose to focus my main personal essay on a different topic and only address my mental health in the Additional Information section, but you can choose whatever feels right to you!) My statement was brief, but to the point: During my sophomore year, I experienced mental health issues and underwent intensive treatment. As I was absent from school for a few months, my performance consequently declined. However, I believe that I have exhibited strong upward progress, evidenced by my grades and involvement. Succinct and confident, this paragraph explained my grade dips to admissions officers without revealing too much personal information.

Remember that grades and test scores are only a small part of your application.

I was so panicked about my low GPA that I forgot all of the other components that could determine my admission. I wrote a strong Common App essay and poured my heart into all of my supplements. I left my interviews feeling confident that they had gone well. And I listed my extracurricular involvement knowing that I had pursued unique, meaningful things. I hesitate to say that these factors ‘made up for’ my poorer grades, because it’s not like the good essay or the good extracurricular ‘cancels out’ the GPA. Instead, I like to believe that colleges are not lying when they tell you that their admissions processes are holistic. No one grade can single-handedly destroy your chances at acceptance. The colleges to which I applied viewed me as a whole applicant, a whole person; they acknowledged my grades, but recognized that there were valuable qualities in the other components of my application as well.

I was only able to receive decisions back from three schools before I got into Emory early decision and then had to pull all of my other applications, but these three acceptances were all positive.

Author: Julianna Chen

Julianna Chen is currently in her second year at Emory University, where she studies creative writing and Chinese. She is the managing editor of Lithium Magazine and a contributing writer for Adolescent.net. When not writing, she is watching a movie or eating a stroopwafel, sometimes both at the same time.

Is it OK to discuss mental health in an essay?

Mental health struggles can create challenges you must overcome during your education and could be an opportunity for you to show how you’ve handled challenges and overcome obstacles. If you’re considering writing your essay for college admission on this topic, consider talking to your school counselor or with an English teacher on how to frame the essay.

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How to Write a Mental Health in College Students Essay

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Writing is a skill that takes time to build. Essays force you to practice research, critical thinking and communication skills – college is the perfect time for you to practice these. However, there’s only so much you can learn about writing through preparation. If you’ve been assigned an essay on mental health, you may not be sure where to begin. You might also wonder if you should choose mental health as a topic for a college paper. Here’s how to write a “mental health in college students” essay.

What Not to Do

If you’re trying to choose a topic for a college application essay, mental health is usually not the way to go. Your personal statement should show colleges why you’re the best candidate to attend their school. Because many students write about mental health , your essay may get lost in the crowd. In addition, your mental health journey is only a part of who you are.

It can be difficult for many students to write about personal mental struggles without seeming overdramatic. Unless mental health struggles have shaped your whole life, it’s best to discuss other topics. If you mention mental health, stay brief and matter-of-fact. Don’t let it become the whole point of your essay.

Review the Instructions

If you’re writing this essay for a college course, start by looking over the assignment instructions. Don’t just listen to what your teacher says – look up the assignment on the syllabus to see if you can find a rubric or other relevant information.

Highlight the important points to make sure you know what matters to your professor. The instructions are parameters you can operate in to create an essay you enjoy. Make sure you check word count, essay structure and review corrections on past essays. If you’re confused about something, don’t hesitate to ask your professor for clarification.

Do the Research

Regardless of what class you’re writing for, this is the kind of topic that requires hard numbers. You don’t want to make general claims about rates of student anxiety or mental illness – to be credible, you need specifics. Be careful with your wording to avoid all-or-nothing statements. Everyone experiences mental health differently.

Your professor may or may not allow you to pick the specific mental health topic you write about. However, you can ensure that your paper is well-researched and organized clearly. Before you start writing, create at least a basic outline showing the flow of ideas. This will make the writing phase much faster because you’ll always know what to say next.

Write It Out

Writer’s block often stems from perfectionism. This paper won’t be perfect the first time, so don’t worry about writing it perfectly! Start with an interesting line that gets your reader’s attention and make sure you have a clear thesis statement. Taken by itself, this sentence should describe the contents of your entire paper.

Build your paragraphs to the right word length by using specific examples. You should start each paragraph with a topic sentence that takes your reader one step in your paper’s argument. Then, describe a specific example that further explains this idea. You can find specific examples in your research or simply explain more about what you mean.

Edit Your Work

Editing is an important final step before you turn an essay in. It gives you an opportunity to look at your writing as a whole and ensure everything makes sense. If possible, you should set your first draft aside for a while before you reread it. This will help you see your work with fresh eyes so you can edit it.

Editing involves strengthening your paper’s organization, rewriting specific sentences and checking for errors. You should make major edits first and then do a final read-through to catch punctuation and spelling mistakes. It can be helpful to read your paper out loud or have a friend look it over as well.

One Key Takeaway for Writing a Mental Health in College Students Essay

Many students struggle with mental health while in school. Whatever topic you choose and however you organize your essay, make sure to write it with a sensitive tone. This topic is nuanced and shouldn’t be treated as a black-and-white issue. Write from an informed and compassionate point of view and offer your readers hope.

Use this guide to write an essay on mental health in college students that astounds and delights your professor. Putting in the work will build research and communication skills you’ll use for years – whether you’re a psychology major, a premed student or studying the arts at school.

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Reflections on the College Admission Process and Mental Health

LaKeisha Fleming is a prolific writer with over 20 years of experience writing for a variety of formats, from film and television scripts to magazines articles and digital content. She is passionate about parenting and family, as well as destigmatizing mental health issues. Her book, There Is No Heartbeat: From Miscarriage to Depression to Hope , is authentic, transparent, and provides hope to many.

Karen Cilli is a fact-checker for Verywell Mind. She has an extensive background in research, with 33 years of experience as a reference librarian and educator.

eyecrave productions / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

Students experience stress, anxiety, depression, and even grief during the process of applying for college.
Parents play a key role in helping teens not to catastrophize when they receive admission rejection letters.
Keeping proper perspective and recognizing there are many other choices can help students bounce back after not getting into their top college choice.

The season of college acceptance letters has come to a close, and most students have made their choice of which university to attend in the fall. The conclusion of this process comes as a major relief for thousands of teens and their parents, but even though many can now take a collective exhale, lots of students are still grappling with the sting of rejection. The impact of the stress endured over the past six months should not be overlooked.

It can be grueling for kids and parents alike when it comes to the wait for college acceptance letters. If they are accepted, joy and excitement emerge. But if a kid is rejected , especially from their dream college, it is devastating. The entire experience can really cause a teen’s mental health to take a beating.

“I know the disappointment of not getting into your first-choice school has a tremendous impact on student mental health. Many of these kids have taken every possible advanced class, devoted countless hours to their extracurricular activities, and shelled out extra money for test prep tutors. Finding out that it was all not enough can be very depressing,” notes mom and homeschool teacher, Jana Strickland. She endured the application process with her son and knows the roller coaster of emotions it can bring.

Kids grapple with a lot of competition to get into college for very few slots. Applying for college can cause intense amounts of pressure and weigh heavily on a student’s mental health. It’s important to remember that proper perspective, flexibility, and the refusal to compare yourself with others can help students and parents cope with the admissions’ experience.

The Application Process

In 2017, students submitted over 10 million college applications. Admission rates range from about 5% to over 80% of all applicants, depending on the school. More selective schools offer fewer acceptances, increasing the pressure students feel.

“There were over 46,000 applications to my son’s first choice school and an admit rate of only 26%. His second and third choice school had even lower admittance rates. The demand for certain ‘must have’ colleges drives the stress and anxiety through the roof for parents and kids,” Strickland notes. “Waiting is stressful.”

While her son was fortunate to be admitted to a school he’s excited to attend, that’s not the case for everyone. It’s hard for teens to watch friends get into schools where they weren’t accepted. Those rejections can negatively impact students’ confidence , as they begin to think that something is wrong with them.

Mary Alvord, PhD

When you’re competing, parents and teens need to keep in mind that there are many factors. If your friend gets into a school and you don’t, that doesn’t mean that you’re less than.

“When you’re competing, parents and teens need to keep in mind that there are many factors. If your friend gets into a school and you don’t, that doesn’t mean that you’re less than,” explains Mary Alvord, PhD , co-author of “ Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens .”

Perfect SAT or ACT scores, advanced classes, and hours of community service aren’t the only things colleges look for. The inability to figure out exactly why a student is accepted or rejected can be frustrating. But realizing that you won’t completely understand the process, and preparing for the inevitable ups and downs, can help make the ordeal of applying to college flow more smoothly.

The Mental Impact and How to Cope

Depression , stress , and anxiety are just some of the feelings kids experience when applying to college. It’s a complicated process filled with hopes and dreams, but also intense pressure and heavy doses of reality. Being rejected from a top college choice can be jarring.

“They might be feeling really sad. Maybe they’re disappointed that their grades aren’t as good as they wanted them to be,” states Dr. Alvord. “It’s almost like a grief reaction; it’s like ‘I’m not meeting expectations’,” she notes.

It’s almost like a grief reaction; it’s like ‘I’m not meeting expectations’.

Research shows that large numbers of teens are dealing with mental health challenges before starting the college application process, which can make them more vulnerable to rejection. Over 30% of kids ages 13 to 18 have issues with anxiety. About 13% of kids ages 12 to 17 deal with depression. Additional pressure of having the perfect test scores, grades, essays, and extracurricular activities to get into college adds to the tension they feel.

In instances like these, parents’ support makes a profound difference.

“I think parents need to validate the kids’ feelings and not add to the stress. It will be really hard if you don’t get into that school, but there are other really great schools,” Dr. Alvord notes. It’s also important to make sure students have realistic expectations when making their college choices. “We don’t want them to catastrophize and get so upset that then they feel like they have failed,” she adds.

Helping kids to take their minds off of the pressure of waiting for admission letters, or the sting of rejection, is helpful. Experts also say teens should not take the rejection personally. Focusing on other options, talking to a therapist, or even activities that they enjoy can be a healthy distraction.

“We tend to break long waiting periods up into smaller ones and make sure there’s something to look forward to in between. Maybe put a weekend hike on the calendar, a bowling night, or a trip to the library for a new book—or three—to pass the time,” Strickland notes.

At the end of the day, the right outlook is key. Whether the college on their radar pans out or not, staying positive about future options now will make a world of difference later.

“First and foremost, keep perspective. There is no perfect college,” Strickland concludes.

What This Means For You

Being rejected is hard. And it hurts. After working hard for years on grades, activities, and tests, it’s understandable for kids to feel discouraged when they don’t get into a certain college.

Help your teens to redirect their focus to the options they have available, and to recognize that they have a bright future ahead. Give them the perspective they need and the proper balance to maintain good mental health throughout the process.

Pew Research Center. A majority of U.S. Colleges admit most students who apply.

Office of Population Affairs. Mental health for adolescents .

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How to Address A Mental Health Issue or Disability On Your College Application

Applying to college can be a confusing and intimidating process for anyone. If you’re a student with a disability or history of mental health challenges, you might find the process even more so.

As a student who has a mental health issue or disability, your high school experience may have been inherently more difficult in some ways, and it has most likely been different from that of your peers. You might be unsure of how to speak about your unique challenges or struggles without sounding negative. At the same time, you may feel that your application is incomplete without addressing them. Your disability or mental health may be an integral part of your identity.

If you’re getting ready to apply to college and you’re wondering if or how to present a mental health issue or disability on your college application, this is the post for you. Here, we will discuss the factors to consider when choosing to disclose your challenges on your college application, and we will outline the various ways in which you can present these in the framework of a college application.

Should I discuss my mental health or disability on my college application?

Your mental health history or disability may be an integral part of who you are, but that does not necessarily make it relevant to a college application. For starters, it is important to know that it is actually illegal for a college to specifically ask for these types of details about your life, since doing so can be considered discrimination. Based on this reason alone, you are never required to disclose mental or physical health concerns on your application. Doing so is strictly a matter of personal choice and you should not feel that you are lying by omission if you choose to leave this information out.

Before you choose whether or not you’ll disclose your history of mental health or disability, you should think about the overall function of a college application.

Everything on a college application should contribute to an overall positive image of who you are as a student and as a member of a greater community. While you don’t need to hide integral parts of who you are, you also don’t want to share challenges that will not in any way support your application positively. This is true not only for mental health and disabilities but also for academics, extracurriculars, and other experiences. You always want to put your best foot forward and keep the focus on your strengths and most positive attributes.

That being said, mental health issues and disabilities are not inherently negative, and there is nothing to be ashamed of when discussing them. You should not feel like you need to hide these parts of your identity, but rather that you need to spin them in a positive way much the same as you would any other aspect of your application. Simply put, you want to ensure that you are presenting your true self in the best light.

There are a few questions to consider when deciding whether you’ll include this information on your application at all. Ask yourself if your application will be confusing or incomplete if you don’t address these issues. For example, if you had to take a semester off to recover, you will obviously need to explain the gap in your transcript. Similarly, if you battled depression and failed one semester despite achieving a 4.0 GPA your senior year, you’ll need to explain the discrepancy. Never leave an admissions committee wondering what happened, since they will likely assume the worst if you don’t mention it at all.

If, after some introspection, you do find that these issues are ones that need to be addressed on your application, there are several places to do so. The specifics about why you choose to include these details in the first place will often dictate where the most appropriate place to discuss these issues is.

When and how should I discuss my mental health or disability in my college essay?

The essay is one obvious place to include details about your mental health or disability, but you should only do so if you feel that your struggles with these issues truly define you as a person and can be included as part of a bigger picture that shows your strengths in a positive light.

Remember, the function of a college essay is not to be an autobiography. You should not be writing your life story simply to inform others of your experiences. Instead, the function of a college essay is to be part of an overall marketing package. And what are you marketing? Yourself!

Whatever you choose as an essay topic should shed light on the attributes that make you a beneficial and unique member of any community. If your struggles with mental health or disabilities are defining features of this nature, then your essay is a great place to frame them positively. If you choose to do so, focus extensively on your recovery or management of these issues, and stress your ability to overcome the challenges you have faced.

Never leave an admissions committee to wonder if you will be a liability in their community. While it is of course illegal to discriminate against applicants based on their mental health or disability, it would be nearly impossible to prove that your disclosure of these issues was a direct factor in your not being accepted. Make it a nonissue by always keeping the focus on how these issues have shaped you into a better, stronger person and emphasizing that you have fully recovered or managed your condition.

When and how should I discuss my mental health or disability in the additional information section of my college application?

If you realize that your disability or mental health is not a truly defining feature of you as a person, you will probably not include it in your essay. But if there are red flags or question marks on your application that cannot be fully understood without this information, the Additional Information section of your application is the place to discuss it.

In instances where this issue has impacted your grades, involvement in class, attendance, or ability to participate in school activities, you should provide a brief explanatory background, usually no longer than a paragraph or two.

If you are sharing information about your mental health or disability in this section, you should do so only in a factual manner. You should not offer overly detailed or emotional descriptions, but instead keep it short and to the point. Since you have already decided that this information is not worthy of including in your essay, you should feel no obligation to provide extensive details or specifics.

For example, you might describe that you took a semester off to address a health concern that is now under control. Always emphasize your recovery or management of this condition and your readiness for college, so that the admissions committee is never left to wonder what your current status is.

When and how should I discuss my mental health or disability in a college admissions interview?

The decision process to discuss these details in an admissions interview should be similar to the decision process to include them in your essay or the Additional Information section of your application.

If you feel that these experiences are the most defining feature of your personality and can spin them in a positive way that presents your best self, you should definitely do so during an admissions interview. On the other hand, if you feel that these issues are irrelevant to how beneficial you will be to the college community, you are under no obligation to divulge them. The only remaining reason to do so would be if part of your transcript is incomplete or confusing without this additional insight.

If you do end up discussing these challenges in your college admissions interview, frame them as you would in your essay or your Additional Information section. Make sure to discuss them in a brief, factual manner, and always emphasize your recovery or management of the issue, and your college readiness above all else.

One Final Consideration For College Applicants With Mental Health Challenges or Disabilities

Keep in mind that in addition to making your own decision about whether your personal challenges will be included on your application, you should also discuss your decision with your college counselor or any teachers who are writing recommendations for you. You need to be sure that the details you plan to include on your application are consistent with any details that your teachers might include in your recommendations.

Also keep in mind that you can always request that your teachers do not disclose any details at all about your mental health or disability. If you find no reason to mention it on your application, it’s unlikely that they would have any reason to mention it in a recommendation, either, but you should always communicate with them ahead of time to ensure that you’re on the same page.

If you’re a high school student who has struggled with mental health or disabilities, you may feel uncertain about how or even if you should disclose this information on your college application. You should know that you are not required to do so in any way, and that the final decision is always yours to make.

For more about disabilities, mental health, and the college admissions process, see these valuable CollegeVine posts:

A Guide to Disability Accommodations for Standardized Testing
Getting Back On Track After a Disciplinary Setback
Dealing with Test Anxiety
How to Get Into a Competitive School if You Struggled in High School
What Makes a Good Recommendation Letter?
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Doubt, Discouragement, and Setting Appropriate Goals in High School

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

Mental Health Counseling Admission Essay

A college essay on mental health is a type of writing that requires your preparation. For this purpose, you can check out some examples. Below, we’ve prepared “Why I Want to Be a Mental Health Counselor Essay,” which will help you get inspired and write a successful application to your preferred educational institution.

Mental health counseling is a diverse profession with national standards for education, preparation, and clinical practice. The profession offers help to the ever-increasing number of Americans requiring mental therapy.

Clinical mental health practitioners are highly skilled professionals who provide flexible, consumer-oriented therapy. Mental health counselors offer a variety of services, such as evaluation and diagnosis, psychotherapy, solution-focused therapy, crisis management, substance abuse treatment, and prevention programs.

After carefully researching and critically evaluating my career options, I have decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling focusing on mental health counseling. This path will propel me toward becoming a mental health counselor. Not only am I an excellent listener with a desire to help the marginalized, but it is also evident that there is a growing need for clinical counselors in the country to safeguard against unemployment.

Furthermore, recent surveys indicate that clinical counselors receive competitive salary packages. Beyond the financial aspect, the mental health field is diverse and rapidly evolving. Much remains to be explored regarding brain function, and consequently, therapeutic methods in this field are not as advanced as in other medical fields. I plan to delve into this study area and uncover as much knowledge and information as possible throughout my career.

The decision to apply for the clinical counseling program in mental health was significantly influenced by an internship I completed at the Carter Center for Mental Health. Founded by Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the center aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental disorders in society. Despite increasing media coverage and information dissemination about mental health, myths and misconceptions still prevail in society.

At the Carter Center, I undertook a three-month volunteer internship to gain insight into working as a psychologist. However, after visiting numerous hospitals, outpatient mental health facilities, and hospices, I realized that my true calling might be in mental health counseling.

The internship was an eye-opening experience regarding the challenges faced by mental health patients, including those with depression, substance abuse issues, schizophrenia, eating disorders, personality disorders, and anxiety disorders. Witnessing the struggles of thousands of Americans with mental health disorders, I instinctively knew I had to contribute to the social welfare of this great country.

Cultural diversity and cultural prejudice are prevalent in our lives, and we must acknowledge and responsibly embrace them. Professionals have recently recognized the importance of addressing the challenges in serving culturally diverse populations. Cultural values, beliefs, and assumptions significantly influence mental health workers and other professionals’ service delivery.

These cultural experiences, traditions, beliefs, and assumptions shape our worldview. Thus, professionals should be conscious of their thoughts and strive to separate them from their work. Counselors and clients bring a range of values, attitudes, culturally influenced behaviors, biases, ideas, and assumptions to the therapeutic process. Some mental health professionals and counselors underestimate the significance of these factors in treatment.

I consider myself culturally enlightened, having grown up in a culturally diverse community in New York. This environment has taught me to embrace and appreciate cultural pluralism and diversity. Cultural diversity is an integral element that enriches society.

I have interacted with people from various cultures in school, stores, and my neighborhood, learning that humans are not as different as we sometimes think. We need to treat each other with respect and embrace each other’s beliefs, traditions, and cultural customs.

In addition to the internship, my drive for mental health counseling was subconsciously motivated by a teenage experience. Following the tragic death of my younger sister in a surfing accident, my mother fell into a state of depression. She frequently spoke of seeing my sister in her dreams. This placed a significant burden on my father to maintain family stability. Our relief came after my mother sought help from a post-trauma counselor.

She attended sessions with the counselor and, to our relief and joy, recovered within six months. She coped better with the loss of her daughter and realized that nothing could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

Reflecting on the counselor’s impact on my family, I appreciate this noble profession. I aspire to bring joy to families and individuals by helping them understand and cope with their mental health challenges.

Upon completing my Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling, I plan to practice for five to eight years in outpatient mental health facilities and other relevant settings to gain extensive experience in mental health counseling.

Additionally, I aim to join professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the American Mental Health Counselors Association, which require a Master’s degree in a related field and adherence to a strict code of ethics. Eventually, I plan to establish a private practice in New York, New Jersey, or California.

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College Applications. Made Easy.

Should You Disclose Mental Health Challenges In Your College Application?

September 1, 2022 By AdmissionsCheckup

Girl worried looking at computer wondering about her college application - should you talk about mental health in college essays?

The college admissions process might be the most stressful experience in a high school student’s life. We expect heroic feats from these kids. Choose your destiny amongst thousands of schools, navigate applications and deadlines, prove your merit with extracurriculars, ace the SAT, maintain perfect grades, write your life story in 500 words, and dazzle strangers in interviews. Don’t forget, your future depends on success, and your odds of getting in are daunting even if you do everything right. No pressure!

As counselors, advisors, and parents, we should do everything we can to support the well-being of our college-bound seniors , and make sure we’re not adding to their stress.

Mental Health on Campus

A staggering number of college kids struggle with anxiety and depression. UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute reports that 82% of college freshmen feel at least somewhat distressed about mental health. According to a study by Kiera Louise Adams at Oxford, nearly a third of students start college with moderate to severe depression. First-year college students must navigate a new world far from the support of family and friends. Counselors and parents should actively encourage kids to identify mental health resources at college to support their well-being. Don’t wait for a crisis to look for help.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 in the US, or chat at 988lifeline.org

Discussing Mental Health on College Applications

The disruption of the pandemic thrust mental health into the center of the conversation. Anxiety and depression are increasingly accepted as part of the human experience. Kids are talking about mental health on TikTok and YouTube. Therapy and self-care are now just a part of our weekly to-do lists.

Talking openly about mental health is becoming normalized. But should students address these challenges on their college application? The answer is a big “it depends.” We believe mental health should be part of everyday conversation. But admissions officers are people, and people have implicit biases that are hard to shake. So let’s start with some reasons a student might not want to disclose mental health issues on their application.

Need help with your college application? Get a critique from former admissions officers Start Here »

Discretion May Be the Safest Approach

First off, it’s none of their business. Schools won’t ask about mental health for legal reasons. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal to discriminate against people with psychiatric disabilities. The ADA applies to colleges. But in the highly selective admissions process, who’s to say why one student gets in and another doesn’t. Discriminating against students with mental health issues may be illegal, but unfortunatey, it still happens .

Admissions officers are the gatekeepers of their institutions. They want to accept the students most likely to graduate successfully. A student identifying themselves as struggling with mental illness could raise doubts. Again, it’s not necessarily fair or even legal, but there is little transparency in admissions decisions.

It is important for students to select colleges and universities that fully support them. If a school is not supportive of a student’s mental health, it may not be the right-fit school for the student. The family must also set up resources outside of the school if they feel the school does not support their student’s mental health.

Share Your Truth, Show Your Strength

Conventional wisdom would caution students against discussing mental health issues in their applications. College essay consultants have discouraged students choosing it as a topic in the past. However, we also encourage students to be bold, speak their truth, and stand out from the crowd. It may be time to question the belief that mental illness is a taboo topic.

Here’s one of the essay prompts from 2022-2023 Common App :

“ The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

This prompt could certainly lead a student to discuss how a mental health crisis has shaped their experience. The key is to focus on the second part of the question: What did you learn from the experience? Spend less time on the crisis, and concentrate on the positive gains. How did struggling with social anxiety, for example, lead to resilience, self-reflection, and growth? These are qualities that will help the student succeed in college.

Another reason a student may feel compelled to disclose a mental health challenge is to explain a dip in their academics or time out of school. This is a tricky situation, and addressing it in their personal statement may not be the best strategy. The COVID supplement, additional information section or a letter from a trusted counselor or teacher is a good way to provide additional context for the admissions office. Ideally the student’s essay should champion their strengths and show their vision, not only identify and explain their setbacks.

A student is only going to write a truly great essay if it addresses a meaningful and personal experience. There are some valid reasons not to address mental health challenges on a college application. But the student may still feel their mental health is a critical part of the story they want to share. In this case, we’d rather see a bold statement that shows who they really are, than a sanitized version of what we think admissions officers want to see. Ultimately, truth is more powerful than fear of judgment.

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Talking about personal struggle with health conditions/diseases in college essays

Not exactly sure where to post this, but I feel here is sufficient.

I have looked at a lot of threads on CC and what brought me to making this thread was a recent thread about what to write your college essays on when you are a privileged individual (link: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/1717301-how-does-a-privileged-person-write-a-college-essay-what-did-you-write-about-p1.html )

I have seen many people talk about either their experiences with school clubs, their fundraising efforts, any relationship troubles at home with parents, trips to 3rd world countries (a few people), and other somewhat ordinary stuff which shows both their personality and perspective and all of that is good, but I haven’t seen many people talking/writing specifically about having a disease (a few common ones such as maybe stage 1 cancer/diabetes/forms of leukemia and there are many more conditions which are lesser known & more/less impacting on one’s life) and talking about their experiences sometimes from a young age growing up and dealing with these health problems. What comes to mind is if you have had a disease since a young age you have had to deal with much more mature experiences (multiple hospital visits, blood tests, MRIs and medication, negative impacts on all aspects of your life such as social or physical limitations) and that it provides a really good basis for your college essay when strictly looking through the window of getting in or not.

I was just curious as to anyone who talked about similar experiences or health struggles they have to overcome in their application essays for college or for other programs. This subject might be a bit more private/taboo than other examples listed above (key club/nhs/math competitions and honor society experiences and many other things) but I wanted your guys’s input.

Bump for interest. Specifically, I have an inexplicable gap semester, and I had to take it for health reasons, but I’m not sure what all I is a good idea to disclose. Do I tell them the absolute honest truth about what happened, or do I leave it incredibly vague so that there’s no prejudice from the committee about “serious medical situation requiring missed semester”?

I would go for an essay about your health struggles if you think that you can write a strong one. It definitely sounds like it has been a huge part of your life and would stand out a lot more than an essay about NHS or volunteering abroad. Just make sure you focus more on how you have grown/matured rather than the disease itself (you don’t want to make it seem like a pity party). I’m sure you have lots of interesting things to say.

On a related note, I remember reading an essay someone wrote about pizza and PKU that I loved. It connected her thoughts about her disorder to what she’s doing today (I think she mentioned doing research) while maintaining a light, humourous tone.

It may be a good indicator of your background if maintaining health / dealing with illness was a major part of your life, or if you’re using that experience to show discipline (through nutrition, physical therapy, ADHD), a catalyst to discovering a new passion (you couldn’t play basketball, so you joined theater), courage (being on the debate team despite a speech impediment), or a budding interest in medicine.

However, I think it’s difficult to write a sincere illness essay, since most of the time, you’re either too young to know what’s going on, or you don’t have the superhuman resilience you want to put in an essay. Most of the time, when you’re chronically ill, you either suffer through it in a way that’s not very flattering to write about, or just integrate whatever health regimen into your daily life. And then if it doesn’t have that much negative impact on your life, then does it still fall in the realm of “ordinary stuff.”

And then there’s the potential risk of revealing a health condition that could pop up again and cause you to have to leave school frequently / perform poorly. That being said, I have read many essays about sports injuries, speech impediments, ADHD, and obesity in regular essays, and some brain injury, car accident injury, sustaining some weird illness/issue due to young-child-stupidity (e.g. swallowed a marble), and congenital conditions for doctor essays. I also hear many more people write about family members or friends from all over the board (Alzheimer’s, suicide attempts, heart attack, death) so they can show how they handle a situation deftly or are a good caretaker / friend.

I’ve also heard of the rare few people who can bring up a mental illness and handle it skillfully enough to get accepted. That has not been my experience; then again, choosing to write about an eating disorder for Ivies, which were already super-reaches, was not the wisest decision I’ve made… So @cameraphone‌ it really depends, but I would be reluctant to mention something that could lead to stigma.

I agree with @OnMyWay2013 ; mentioning mental illness can definitely make people think you’re fragile or incompetent. Or they just plain don’t want to deal with it. For a more tame example, I entered an essay contest at my university with a (well-written, I thought) essay about depression. Didn’t place.

I can understand your desire to address it because, just like with a gap in employment, college admissions folks may wonder. Here’s my thought: if you can point it out, use large brush strokes to explain that you were ill, and then focus on [paragraph 1] [paragragh 2] and [paragraph 3] on how it changed you (for the better)/learned from it. My son wrote an essay about moving around several times, including once in high school, but the positives he had to say about it brought tears to my eyes. Good luck in whatever you decide!

I gotcha thanks guys for all the replies. Yeah I guess writing an essay regarding your health struggles is very dependent on what exactly you write about as it can work and not work in your favor, although it can work for you if you make it both mature and well-written i suppose.

you know i wonder if there are a few essays talking about what @OnMyWay2013‌ was mentioning earlier along with others (speech impediments and food eating disorders to depression or life-endangering genetic diseases stuff and more severe stuff alike)…from the strict standpoint of getting into the college and assuming they are all written of equal level…do you guys think a college ad com might sway more towards the applicant who has dealt with more severe issues?

Not necessarily. I think adcoms will read many “sob story” essays that follow the same narrative of painting a picture of tragedy, then dramatically explaining how you rose above it. Taking a unique angle will make the writer stand out more, and this can be done regardless of the severity of illness, or even with any topic at all. That being said, if somebody was able to go through leukemia treatments and, let’s say, be valedictorian despite missing half the year, start a support group at her hospital, etc., that’s worth mentioning because those are more impressive accomplishments given the circumstances. But then again, the more “severe” the issue, the harder such accomplishments are to attain.

Adcoms lean toward more severe issues ?? No. That would be more for, say, medical research.

Remember you’re writing this as part of a college app. Rather than how disabling or debilitating this is/was, you want Adcoms to see how you succeeded despite-- and will be a great member of their community. And also remember it’s not just telling them. You need to show it.

D wrote about overcoming health issues associated with being born terribly premature. I think it’s fine to talk about a medical condition unless it’s one that might cause a college to have concerns about admitting you

if your main concern is explaining the gap year, you can ask your guidance counselor to address that in his or her letter (but also with a positive spin, such as “Despite the fact that…”). And then you can address a topic that you might be more eager to write about in your essay. At least thats my thought, but I’m just a parent, not an admissions professional.

i gotcha guys thanks for the info and replies. yeah i feel what you’re saying onmyway it will really benefit you if you show through examples like you said of how you overcame it but just talking about it i guess there would be quite a few applicatants just talking about something they “overcame” but not really showing through real life examples the significance and whatnot of it you know what im saying

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, can i write about mental health in my college essay.

Hi all! I'm considering writing about my experiences with mental health in my college essay, but I'm not sure if it's an appropriate topic. Do you think discussing mental health issues could be seen as too personal or negative?

Hello! Writing about your experiences with mental health can be a powerful and meaningful topic for a college essay, as long as you approach it carefully. Colleges appreciate when students are open and honest about their personal experiences, as it shows resilience and personal growth.

It's important to focus on how you've overcome the challenges related to mental health and what you've learned from the experience. However, you should avoid going into excessive detail about the specific mental health issues or sharing anything too dark or distressing.

For example, my child wrote about their journey with anxiety and how it led them to participate in mindfulness and meditation practices. This allowed them to showcase their growth and newfound coping mechanisms. Be sure to emphasize the positive aspects of your journey, and how it has shaped you into who you are today. Good luck with your essay!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

College admissions is a stressful process. Here are some tips for managing mental health.

T he college admissions process can be inherently stressful , made worse by decreasing acceptance rates at top schools and high tuition everywhere .

The uncertainty is hard enough on its own: Teens might find it difficult to make decisions when they don’t know what they want to do with their lives, and those who have a plan might feel they lack control of the outcome regardless. The pressure can creep in well before before reaching a fever pitch senior year, when the apps become a daunting task on top of homework, extracurriculars and other obligations.

Mental health experts want students to know that not everyone experiences college admissions the same way, and some may struggle more than others. It’s temporary, and many elements of the process can be helped through good planning and self-care.

IN-DEPTH: Teen mental health is in the crosshairs of college application season

Here are some tips for managing a difficult application season.

Make a routine

Applicants will likely benefit by mapping out a schedule and writing down personal and official deadlines. From there, breaking the apps’ larger elements into more manageable tasks can go a ways in preventing procrastination, according to therapists at Charlie Health, a mental health provider for teens and young adults.

Seniors might find themselves less stressed in the long run if they make college applications a part of their routine. It helps to structure essay writing and other elements of the apps around existing activities, allotting some time each day or on set days to knock out those smaller tasks one by one, said Katherine Gallagher, a pediatric psychologist at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Don’t overdo it, Gallagher cautioned. Students should stick to the time they have allotted for applications and set them aside when that time is up. Then, start fresh the next day.

STRESS TO SUCCESS: Read the Chronicle's occasional series on college admissions

Take breaks

Students should schedule fun activities just as much as they schedule their obligations, Gallagher said.

Self-care is an important part of relieving stress. Seniors should try to sleep eight hours a night, move around and make time for things that make them happy, according to professionals with the JED Foundation , a mental health nonprofit.

Avoid comparisons

It’s easy to get discouraged when classmates are achieving higher grades or applying to more elite universities. Those comparisons are unhelpful, and they detract from the reality that the college search is a highly individualized process, admissions and mental health experts have said. Many institutions will provide students with a great education, not just the ones that are most highly sought after.

AN UPHILL BATTLE: A look at the challenges first-generation students face in the competitive college application process

“There are about 4,000 colleges in the United States,” JED Foundation officials said in a blog post. “Although some may have higher name recognition or be harder to get into, that doesn’t mean they’re the best fit for you.”

Seek guidance

School counselors are there for a reason, JED officials said. They want to help students through the college application process, and they can be useful when talking through finances, weighing college options, writing essays or structuring application checklists.

Manage expectations

Many admissions professionals encourage students to make realistic goals and apply to a good mix of schools – ones they know they can get into and ones that are more of a reach. Being prepared for all outcomes can help lessen any disappointment.

Be ready for the annoying questions

JED officials advise students to have a couple stock answers at the ready when people ask them questions that bring anxiety, such as, “Where are you going to school?”

HIGHER ED: Pro tips from college admissions advisors Texas seniors should know

Quickly share the top two or three schools that you hope to attend, or simply say where you’re at in the process. It’s OK to redirect the conversation and say that you’d rather not dwell on the topic.

Parents can help, too

Caregivers should check on the overall wellbeing of their children and not just their application status, according to Consuelo Corazon Cagande, division chief of the Community Care and Wellness Program at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. It’s a good idea to aid childrens' self-care by arranging family outings or asking to go on walks, she said.

Parents and caregivers can also help where they’re able in the admissions process, by offering to brainstorm essays or helping set a schedule of priorities, Cagande said in a blog post .

Higher Education Today
American Council On Education
Carnegie Classifications
Race and Ethnicity In Higher Education

Mental Health Supports Are Key in in Community College Student Success

May 13, 2024

Title: Challenges and Opportunity: An Examination of Barriers to Postsecondary Academic Success

Authors: Sade Bonilla and Veronica Minaya

Source: Annenberg Institute at Brown University

Community colleges are a critical component of the U.S. higher education system, providing access to students from traditionally underserved communities. While they are a vital entry point to postsecondary education, community colleges face lower levels of completion compared to four-year institutions, stemming from educational, economic, and social inequities that persist among low-income and first-generation students.

The Annenberg Institute launched a descriptive study to examine the relationship between academic success and students’ time utilization, campus engagement, financial and mental well-being. The study focuses on community college students and finds that a nationwide increase in adverse mental health among college students intersects with high rates of food and housing insecurity.

The report emphasizes the significance of mental health factors as a barrier to academic attainment and suggests that facilitating access to mental health supports is a prominent avenue for supporting student engagement and success.

The study investigates how academic support can tackle adverse student mental health and increase engagement. It argues that students and institutions are equally responsible for students’ persistence despite hardships. This theory rests on the idea that the level of learning and effort linked to academic success is directly tied to a sense of community and social integration within a campus. Accordingly, community colleges with more student activities often find higher levels of student success.

Additionally, the study examines how financial resources influence student success. Food, housing, and financial insecurity remain pervasive issues that affect first-generation, low-income students’ ability to complete college. Nearly 40 percent of community college students were low-income in 2020, and 31 percent of these students were living at or below the federal poverty line.

Not only does students’ inability to access basic needs harm their physical health and well-being, but it also has negative implications for their academic performance. The need to prioritize basic needs leads to a limited bandwidth for students to focus on academics. The study argues that integrating basic needs resources for students is part of combating student mental health.

To read the full report and access more information, please click here .

—Eliza Gonzalez

If you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please contact us .

Keep Reading

Discovering Hidden Barriers to Community College Enrollment and Success

When students apply to a community college, they expect enrollment to be a clear, orderly process. Unfortunately, for far too many students, it feels more like a maze, full of unknown steps, unfamiliar terminology and unexpected delays. David Bevevino of the Education Advisory Board looks at how community college student onboarding is like a game of Chutes and Ladders—and what institutions can do to change it.

It Begins with Difficult Conversations: How Community College Leaders Can Support Faculty-led Student Success Efforts

If community colleges want to make a difference in student persistence and attainment—and to make the improvement sustainable over time—these efforts must be led by those on campus who have the most frequent contact with students: the faculty. Carrie B. Kisker, a director of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges, looks at where to begin.

The Rise of Mental Health on College Campuses: Protecting the Emotional Health of Our Nation’s College Students

Nance Roy, chief clinical officer of the Jed Foundation, provides action steps to support emotional well-being and reduce suicide and substance abuse for college students.

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COMMENTS

Should you discuss mental health issues in your college essay?
Yes, of course, but they are rare. In all the time I did college admissions work, I had exactly one student successfully discuss anxiety in an essay. It was, however, introduced in the context of a family tragedy that had profoundly shaped the student's life; given that background, the discussion seemed natural and matter of fact rather than ...
Opinion
For those with mental health conditions, college admissions are unfairly arduous, an injustice that has long-lasting ramifications for both students and society. Many teenagers with psychological ...
Talking about Mental Health in Your College Admissions Essay
The short answer is, no, generally not. Because college essays are so brief—the Common App personal statement is only 650 words, about a page and a quarter—students should use the limited space in their college essays to highlight. their strengths. Given how prevalent mental health issues are, having a mental health disorder is unlikely to ...
Writing College Essays about Mental Health
Anecdotally, one of my colleagues who reviewed applications for the University of California San Diego last admissions cycle estimated that about one in five of the essays she read related to depression or other mental health struggles. Essays that touch on mental health have become much more commonplace, resulting in a de-stigmatization of ...
Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?
Mental health is an important part of your well-being, and it's essential to start good habits in high school. This way, you'll be better prepared to cope when you face new challenges in college. You'll likely be experiencing living on your own for the first time and have new responsibilities without the same support system that you had ...
How to Discuss Mental Health in a College Essay
While mental health issues may be a part of your life, they do not necessarily define who you are, and the Common App essay is all about showing the admissions committee who you are. You can have multiple sides. The additional information section, however, was created just for reasons like these. While the Common App essay is not the place to ...
How to Discuss Your Mental Health on College Applications
The Additional Information Section. All of the college planners mentioned above agree that if your mental health struggle in high school clearly impacted your performance, then you should mention it in the "Additional Information" portion of the Common Application — but only in a factual manner. If you missed three months of your ...
Addressing Mental Illness in the College Application Process
Address your experiences in the "Additional Information" section of the Common Application. If anything was diminished as a result of your personal struggles and you'd like to explain, this is a great place to do so. (I chose to focus my main personal essay on a different topic and only address my mental health in the Additional ...
Should I write about my mental health struggles in my college essay?
7 months ago. Writing about mental health challenges can be a deeply personal and meaningful topic for your college essay, but you're right to consider the potential implications. If you decide to write about your mental health journey, it's important to focus primarily on the growth and resilience you've demonstrated despite your challenges.
Is it OK to discuss mental health in an essay?
Mental health struggles can create challenges you must overcome during your education and could be an opportunity for you to show how you've handled challenges and overcome obstacles. If you're considering writing your essay for college admission on this topic, consider talking to your school counselor or with an English teacher on how to frame the essay.
How to Write a Mental Health in College Students Essay
If you mention mental health, stay brief and matter-of-fact. Don't let it become the whole point of your essay. Review the Instructions. If you're writing this essay for a college course, start by looking over the assignment instructions. Don't just listen to what your teacher says - look up the assignment on the syllabus to see if you ...
Is it okay to discuss mental health in my college application essay?
Hi there! It's great that you're thinking about your college application essay early. Mental health is an important topic, and discussing your experiences can show courage and resilience. However, it's essential to consider the story you want to tell and how it will be perceived by the admissions officers. It's important to focus on how you've grown and learned from your experiences, rather ...
Reflections on the College Admission Process and Mental Health
Research shows that large numbers of teens are dealing with mental health challenges before starting the college application process, which can make them more vulnerable to rejection. Over 30% of kids ages 13 to 18 have issues with anxiety. About 13% of kids ages 12 to 17 deal with depression.
Mental Health in College Students
Mental Health in College Students - From Application to Enrollment. August 16, 2022. Sometimes it takes unspeakably tragic events to bring the existence of a widespread problem into the national conversation. In the past decade, highly-publicized suicides at Penn, Hamilton College, MIT, NYU, and Cornell, among others, have moved the ...
How to Address A Mental Health Issue or Disability On Your College
If your struggles with mental health or disabilities are defining features of this nature, then your essay is a great place to frame them positively. If you choose to do so, focus extensively on your recovery or management of these issues, and stress your ability to overcome the challenges you have faced. Never leave an admissions committee to ...
Should I disclose mental health struggles on my college application?
7 months ago. It's important to strike a balance when deciding whether or not to disclose your mental health struggles on your college application. If you feel that your mental health challenges had a significant impact on your grades, it could be worth mentioning it to provide context. However, it's crucial to focus on how you overcame those ...
Mental health counseling
A college essay on mental health is a type of writing that requires your preparation. For this purpose, you can check out some examples. Below, we've prepared "Why I Want to Be a Mental Health Counselor Essay," which will help you get inspired and write a successful application to your preferred educational institution.
Should You Disclose Mental Health Challenges In Your College Application?
Discussing Mental Health on College Applications. The disruption of the pandemic thrust mental health into the center of the conversation. Anxiety and depression are increasingly accepted as part of the human experience. Kids are talking about mental health on TikTok and YouTube. Therapy and self-care are now just a part of our weekly to-do lists.
Depression: Should I Talk about My Mental Illness in My Application
Here's my advice about how to handle this sensitive subject in your college application process: First of all, know that you are not alone. According to recent studies by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses seen by college counseling centers. In fact, there has been a 30% ...
My college application essay was about mental health
In my college admissions essay, I wrote about the mental health struggles I experienced in middle school. Born and raised in a low-income household in Queens, I attended public school until I was ...
Should I Mention Depression on My College Application?
Rubenstone, who served as Emily's counselor in the admissions process, says, "Colleges can run scared when they hear the word depression. " Emily, who got treatment, hoped colleges would pay ...
Talking about personal struggle with health conditions/diseases in
That being said, I have read many essays about sports injuries, speech impediments, ADHD, and obesity in regular essays, and some brain injury, car accident injury, sustaining some weird illness/issue due to young-child-stupidity (e.g. swallowed a marble), and congenital conditions for doctor essays.
The Importance of Mental Health in College Students
The stark reality of the matter is, that college students' mental health is on the decline, and the mental health crisis among college students is growing. According to Inside Higher Ed , a recent Healthy Minds survey found that 44% of college students during the 2021-2022 academic year experienced symptoms of depression, while 37% said they ...
Can I write about mental health in my college essay?
7 months ago. Hello! Writing about your experiences with mental health can be a powerful and meaningful topic for a college essay, as long as you approach it carefully. Colleges appreciate when students are open and honest about their personal experiences, as it shows resilience and personal growth. It's important to focus on how you've ...
College admissions is a stressful process. Here are some tips for ...
The college admissions process can be inherently stressful, made worse by decreasing acceptance rates at top schools and high tuition everywhere. The uncertainty is hard enough on its own: Teens ...
Mental Health Supports Are Key in in Community College Student Success
The Annenberg Institute launched a descriptive study to examine the relationship between academic success and students' time utilization, campus engagement, financial and mental well-being. The study focuses on community college students and finds that a nationwide increase in adverse mental health among college students intersects with high rates of food and housing insecurity.
Supporting The Mental Health of a College Student: A Brief How-to Guide
Collaborating with them to create a mental health plan. and more! To read about these pieces, and get some more detailed advice, we suggest reading 'How to Support Your Child During Their Time in College' from Journey To College, a web resource sponsored by the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
University Launches Project to Provide Much-Needed Mental Health Care
By University Communications Friday, 05 17 2024 SAN ANTONIO - A&M-San Antonio Professor Stephen Lenz is spearheading an innovative new project to address the behavioral and mental health disparities in South Bexar County.. The South Bexar County Mental Health Awareness Project will focus on training primary, secondary, and higher education personnel to recognize and assess symptoms of mental ...