I was diagnosed with depression just this week and put on medication. I anticipate starting CBT soon. I’m very grateful to be receiving help as this has been an issue throughout high school, especially concerning my academics. When I was in an especially dark spot last semester, I ended up failing English (which has always been my strongest suit) and Calculus. I also struggled in various other classes, most notably Spanish, which will be hard to explain considering the fact that I’m a native speaker.
The reason I ask is because I’ve seen differing opinions on whether or not this is the kind of thing to mention in the common app. I don’t plan on putting it in my personal statement at all, but should I include it under Additional Information? I’ve read that I should write about my recovery and how I turned this experience into something positive, but frankly I just got diagnosed; I’m not quite there yet.
I’m also a little worried about whether or not colleges are going to be less likely to accept me because I have a history of mental illness affecting my grades.
I wouldn’t recommend that. The main thing is for you to get well by addressing your disorder with meds, CBT, etc. and get back on track in other ways too, like academics.
You might not be ready to attend college immediately after high school based on where you are at that point, be cognizant of the right choices for you at every step of the way.
You might consider remediating these classes/grades…have you spoken with your counselor about that? With an F in English for a semester are you still on track to graduate HS on time?
Congrats on getting a diagnosis and starting a treatment plan. Best wishes to you!
I think it’s a fine thing that you failed some classes! I know this might sound weird, but sometimes getting a plain old F, or even a bunch of Fs, is the best outcome. In a lot of ways, it’s better to have depression cause grades that are way worse than what a person is capable of rather than just slightly lower than what a person is capable of. Because when it’s just a small amount worse, then a person may feel they have to come up with a way to “explain” why their grades were slightly lower, and may still feel pressure to aim for “highly rejective” schools.
But when you get some Fs, you can put all of that pressure down, and you can take a serious look at all the excellent schools that are going to want you as a student, with your transcript just the way it is. No, they aren’t going to be as famous as Harvard, but they will have professors who will see the promise in you, and will be glad to do everything in their power to teach and mentor a mature, thoughtful and articulate student like yourself.
I have seen success stories like this so many times. There are just a lot of really good schools out there where they will want you and admit you!
What are you looking for in a school? What geographic area? What majors are you most interested in etc?
Yes, this is my main concern. The reason I wanted to include it in the first place was that I thought it might provide an explanation for what happened to my grades. I can see how it could do more harm than good, though.
I did retake English over the summer with a much better grade and am currently sitting through Calc again, so I should still be on track to graduate with the rest of my class.
Thank you for the new perspective, it hasn’t been easy to see this situation positively so your reply really helps! I’m applying for schools in or near NC and am hoping to major in architecture, and if that doesn’t work out then maybe biology/ecology.
Great! I am going to tag @AustenNut because they often have good suggestions.
Do you have any other preferences? Big school vs small school? Rural vs. urban? etc. Also do you know your budget per year yet?
Also, just for fun, here are some real life success stories of people I personally know who got at least one F (sometimes multiple) in high school:
“L”: failed some high school classes when he was dealing with depression and family stress. He started at our local community college (accepts any high school grad no matter the GPA) which has some really great and caring profs, after 2 years transferred to the local 4 year public college (also accepts any high school grad no matter the GPA and also has many caring profs.) Got great grades at both schools. Attended a top law school and works in government. Married someone he met in law school. Living a happy life.
“E”: This is a relative of mine. Failed a few classes in high school due to undiagnosed ADHD + depression. Got into a non-selective public college as an English major but quickly failed out. Worked for a few years. Finally got his mental health diagnosed and treated. Went back to school at a local technical college. Discovered he had a real knack for engineering. Went back and got his 4 year degree at a public polytechnic college. Works for a medical device engineering/manufacturing company. Believe it or not, worked as part of the team that designed a medical device that ended up saving the life of the daughter of one of his high school friends! Living a happy life.
“M”: A real mix of grades in high school. Some As, but also a couple of Ds and one F (later she retook class and did somewhat better.) Struggled with anxiety starting in middle school, and later depression. Finally got the right mix of meds + a therapist she liked. Felt pressure to go to a “good college” because that sort of thing was big at her wealthy suburban high school. Parents hired a private college counselor who had her apply to all sorts of private schools that were reaches for her stats all across the country (stressful!) Got waitlisted at these reaches. Ended up at a nurturing, non-selective liberal arts college about 30 minutes from her home that was a safety (in the summer she got off the waitlist at one of her reaches, but decided against it.) Is having an amazing time in college!!! She can barely believe it because she was mostly miserable in middle and high school. Involved in a ton of activities she never predicted for herself! Has a great group of down-to-earth friends. Her school belongs to a consortium of LACs (which includes one of the reaches that rejected her) and she has taken some classes at those schools too. Is doing way better academically than she did in h.s. Internship at a publishing house. Happy.
Architecture is a very particular major as there are several different paths to becoming an architect, if that’s one of your interests. I’d strongly recommend checking out the architecture forum: Architecture Major - College Confidential Forums. I will also tag some folks who may have some insights for you: @momrath abd @Mashinations.
If you’re interested in being in North Carolina, these are a few options that you may want to consider:
UNC-Greensboro: Offers a degree in interior architecture: Interior Architecture, B.F.A. - UNC Greensboro. It also has a good reputation at providing a lot of supports for its diverse student body.
If you share other preferences about what you want from your college experience and what your budget is, there may be other possibilities we can suggest.
I can’t speak to the original question about including any information about your depression on your application - there’s folks on here though that are better to guide that. Glad you’re on the path to getting things sorted though!
On the Architecture component though - When you say “study Architecture” does that mean you have an end goal of becoming a licensed Architect? That is a very specific educational track versus someone that might want to study Architecture to go into some related field (Interior Design, Urban Planning, Real Estate/Development, etc)? Either path is just fine but the advice one might give is definitely going to be different depending on the intent.
You should not put this in your application as (unanimously – a CC rarity!) agreed above.
You could ask your counselor to put it in their comments without details. As in “x recently started treatment for an undiagnosed health condition, and their grades have improved significantly as a result.”
I am glad you are on the road to recovery. That is by far the most important thing.
As to your question, I agree with posters comments above and would not discuss your depression in a college application. That topic could raise some red flags with admission officers.
Keep in mind that the college application is not meant to be a soul-baring exercise. IMO any additional comments (or essay) should: 1) say something positive about yourself that can’t be found elsewhere on the application and 2) give admission officers a reason to want to have you on campus. I recommend you consider any potential topic with those criteria in mind.
You have just started treatment this week. Please take the time you need. College will always be there. Your improved mental health really needs to come first.
I know you are looking forward to college, but maybe it would be a good idea to at least consider a gap year. Please discuss this idea with your family and mental health professionals.
Really, put yourself first. College isn’t going to go away.
I do agree with others…when you do your college applications, this really isn’t a good essay topic. Or something to be included in additional comments. Hopefully you won’t need to consider this at all if you take some time.
You were
/are in a rough patch, just on medication, and waiting for therapy. CBT can have a waiting period in many areas and then it takes some time to be effective. You also have some difficult grades from when you were feeling your worse.
I am SO glad you are in a better frame of mind, feel better in school, and working on college applications. Have you considered first meeting with you pr academic counselor, reviewing your coursework, reviewing your coursework for this year, and making a thoughtful plan.
There are multiple plans for this year. One is how should I treat this on college applications. Here is another. Be on medication for awhile, get into and go through CBT, feel strong and healthy and have great grades for the year, find out if you can retake those classes and replace those grades. Be ready to assess where you are and what you want to do. Moving forward and be competitive with the whole you. Many schools takes mid year applications.
