usc2011

Would that be bad topic because I do not want the admissions officers to think im a emo kid which honestly im not, in fact im quite loquacious and happy to be honest but it was a long struggle that i battled for about four years of my life. I wrote a practice essay on it and I kinda felt as if it was more easy to show my voice in it because it became a real problem and stuff. Opinions?

kollegkid

C'mon, you can't be serious.

It may be true, but do you want to come off as a mental risk?

hoogli

unless you can give persuasive reasons to show that it would make you a better fit at the college, then keep it to yourself.

it's not impossible, but pretty hard. i've done some crazy things (like http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/200...ison_home.html) buuuuut i don't plan on writing about them unless i can think of a very good reason to do so.

P.S. if you're an admissions officer who somehow found this and are thinking "OMFG *** WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING THIS FREAK", talk to me first about it before making assumptions. =)

EDIT: wow, i just realized how inaccurate the police description of me was. i don't live in an apartment, for one thing, and the other errors... if i told you you could almost literally find my house on google maps.

explode

I would not recommend it, as touching and as well-written your essay may be. The topic just isn't good. It'd definitely make the adcoms think twice before admitting you.

ADad

You might be interested in this link:

Mental Illness in College Admissions Essays

usc2011

Thanks I'm still weary about using the topic but I'm so attached it .....but I am not taking risks just to write about one thing. I got plenty of others. Thanks to all for your advice

m&m&m

You could write a truly wonderful essay about this, especially if you've given lot of thought to it. BUT . . . this is not the occasion!!! There will be lots of more appropriate opportunities, from English or psych classes to an outstanding piece in the college newspaper.

Someone I am very close to--who is a wonderful person and would be an asset to any college--used to cut herself and started a support group on her campus, which has been very valuable to a number of people. So I am very sympathetic with what you have been going through and I think your desire to bring this hidden subject more into view is great!

However, colleges are very alert to red flags that might indicate suicidal tendencies--so you don;t want to give any impression that you might be. this has become a big, big issue in recent years as colleges try to balance wanting to offer help and wanting to just not deal with the risk of being sued for not somehow foreseeing and preventing the worst from happening. Virginia Tech has no doubt made these concerns even more prominent.

The purpose of the admissions essay is to get you admitted and, believe me, an essay on cutting will not help your chances.

world changer

Yeah. You're supposed to avoid all the Ds: depression, drinking, drugs, divorce, etc.

I'd say that cutting qualifies as a form of depression.

usc2011

Yah thanks there i'm totally thankful I asked on this forum this advice realy convinced me..wth was i thinking lol