College Essay About Medical Issues

ahrosenzweig
Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:33:08 +0000

I have a pain disorder. Because of this I’ve been in constant pain with few, infrequent, and brief interruptions and a constellation of other symptoms.

A couple years ago I’d practically dropped out of school. Because of this I ended up at a very academically intense online school, but because of the missed time I’m graduating a year late. I’m confident I can return to normal school because I’m now more equipped to handle my health problems even though they haven’t dissipated.

I want to convey all this in a way that isn’t too depressing and doesn’t make the colleges think that I won’t be able to handle the stress associated with a top tier school but I’m not exactly sure how to approach it. Should I start with an anecdote? A relatively happy one or a sad one?

I don’t know how to not make this essay all about facts and chronology…

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Edit: I also think it’s important to say this is not my main common app essay but an additional essay because I don’t want to seem like my health is all of who I am.