Is mental health a bad college essay?

If you decide to include your mental health or disability history in your application, there are specific aspects of your experience that you should focus on. Rather than talking about the mental illness itself, focus more on the recovery and management aspects and what you have learned from the experience.

Is it bad to write about mental health in college essays?

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.

Is mental health a problem in college?

60% of college students reported experiencing one or more mental health challenges in 2021, according to the National Healthy Minds Study(. pdf). The percentage of students experiencing mental health problems has increased nearly 50% since 2013.

Is it OK to write a sad college essay?

If your "sad" topic is truly significant to your life and has shaped your character or values, then it might be a strong choice. However, be mindful of the following considerations: 1. Avoid writing a sob story: Your essay should not be an attempt to gain sympathy from the admissions officers.

Should I write about my OCD in my college essay?

If you are struggling with a mental condition, like OCD, for example, and it's still something that actively gives you a lot of trouble, it may not be a topic you want to write about. This doesn't mean you shouldn't show any weakness in your college essays.

Should You Talk About Mental Health in Your College Essays?

Should I talk about my ADHD in my college essay?

You might opt to put information about your ADHD (or any other health or mental health situations) in the additional information section so that admissions officers are still aware of your experiences but you still have the flexibility to write your personal statement on whatever topic you choose.

What is inappropriate to write about in a college essay?

Avoid topics that are: Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships) Not personal enough (e.g. broad solutions to world problems, inspiring people or things) Too negative (e.g. an in-depth look at your flaws, put-downs of others, criticizing the need for a college essay)

Is it OK to trauma dump in college essays?

Don't just trauma dump.

Simply writing about your trauma will not showcase any of your positive traits, which is what colleges are really looking for. Instead, be sure to discuss how the trauma affected you as a person, and what you did to move past it. This will illustrate your introspection, and resilience.

Is depression a bad college essay topic?

This is perhaps the trickiest exception to the general rule of avoiding discussion of mental health. But, if having a mental health disorder is central to a student's life story and they feel that their personal statement would be unreflective or incoherent without it, they should reframe their diagnosis as a strength.

Should you trauma dump on a college essay?

If a student does decide that they want to write about trauma in their essay, they should be cautious of how they frame it. Students should make it clear that their goal is not to seek sympathy from the admissions officer, but to demonstrate how they've grown from their trauma.

Should you tell college about mental illness?

These individuals had mixed opinions about whether, and how much, applicants should disclose about their mental health. Neitfield wrote, “Officially, colleges say that students can share as much about their mental health as feels comfortable.

How many college students drop out because of mental health?

One study found that five percent of students do not finish their education due to psychiatric disorders and estimated that 4.29 million people would have graduated from college had they not been experiencing such disorders.

Do schools care about mental health?

Most public schools offer mental health services to students, although utilization remains unclear. In the 2021-2022 school year, 96% of public schools reported offering at least one type of mental health service to their students.

What not to write in a personal college essay?

Inappropriate Topics

Stay far, far away from anything to do with illegal activity, alcohol, substance use, and anything else following these themes. You don't set yourself up for success using topics like these. The admissions committee could cast judgment, and you're certainly not putting your best foot forward.

Can a bad college essay negatively affect my application?

Q: What about a bad essay? Can that negatively affect my application? Of course. But the good news is that I've also heard admissions officers say that great essays will help you stand out from the competition more often than a bad essay will negatively impact your chances of admission.

Do colleges actually care about essays?

A large part of the applicant review process is envisioning how the student might fit into the campus community. Because written communication is present in college coursework, it makes sense that the admissions essay is considered an important admissions factor to pay attention to.

Should my college essay be emotional?

Try including an emotional impact in your college essay – it can help create a powerful and memorable experience for the reader. Don't be afraid to share moments of vulnerability and honesty to create a genuine emotional connection with the reader.

Do colleges consider depression?

Colleges cannot legally deny admission specifically on the basis of mental illness, but it's hard to account for how that characteristic figures into the calculus of who gets in and who doesn't.

How long should a college essay be?

If your institution doesn't provide a specific word count, it's best to keep your essay between the length established by the longer college admissions essay format: 250 to 650 words. Word count is just one factor to consider as you craft your college admissions essay.

What happens if you have a bad college essay?

If a student's essay isn't great OR good, the admission officer will probably just skim past the essay and move right on to your transcript and your test scores to evaluate your candidacy for admission. Bad essays don't get read. Period.

Is it bad to go over word count on college essays?

Frequently asked questions about college application essays

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

Is lying on a college essay illegal?

First, we will deal with the easy bit: if you knowingly employ deception (stating something on the application that you don't believe is true) in order to receive an advantage (admission to college), then that is most definitely fraud.

What is the most common college essay topic?

How do you make a college essay not cringe?

Do colleges like kids with ADHD?

Some elite colleges will reject about 90 percent of their applicant pool, making high school seniors across the country quake in their boots. What you may not know is that students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have advantages in the application process, as long as they play their cards right.