Should I mention mental illness to the college I'm applying to if my disorder affected my grades?

[gibby]

<p>No matter how it’s explained, when a student writes about family, personal or mental health issues, it tends to come across as excuse laden, potentially bordering on a sob story, which is why student’s should NOT write about those issues, even in the additional info section. It’s far better to let an adult in a supervisory capacity, such as your guidance counselor, be your advocate. Students should focus on other matters in their application – their love of learning, for example – and let a school official who knows the situation deal with the issue from the perspective of a seasoned adult. See: <a href=“How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Guidance Counselor Recommendation for Jane:
Jane is an outstanding young woman whose academic record may not fully reflect her ability. Her parents were divorced during her junior year, and, for several years before that, her home situation had been in turmoil with a great deal of fighting between her parents. Her father has an alcohol problem and Jane certainly endured a great deal of emotional distress. The fact that she has been able to do as well as she has done given the circumstances says a lot for her. Now that the home situation has stabilized, her performance has improved. I believe her senior year grades are a much better reflection of her ability.</p>

<p>Critique: You may wonder whether or not the above information is appropriate in a letter of evaluation. It is! We appreciate anything that gives us insight and perspective into a student’s performance and environment. Comments about problems that a student has experienced will help us understand the context in which they have accomplished whatever they have achieved. The extent to which they have dealt with these problems is useful to know as well.

</p>