My son has been working on his applications and is wondering whether discussing his experience with Cystic Fibrosis is something he should bring up. With advances in medication his health is great and with some luck will continue to be for a long time. While having CF has certainly been a huge part of his life story, he does not feel like it defines who he is. Has anyone had experience with applicants who are dealing with this issue? He has an inspiring story ( played high school soccer, runs cross country) which might track but he does not want to focus on the problems he has faced. How do admissions people generally react to these types of essays?
Since it doesn’t define him, it shouldn’t be the topic of an essay and there’s no need to call it out. I don’t think it’s a problem to mention it in a way that show how it may have introduced him to something he loves or an idea, and I don’t think it’ll move the needle in either direction. Which is to say if it comes up organically in an essay, it’s fine to mention it. Or not. Overall, the essay should make the reader think “this would be a great kid to have on campus”. So the thing to think about is how having CF does that. He sounds like a great kid with a lot going on, so there is probably something more he can write about.
It doesn’t define him and he doesn’t want to focus on the problems he’s faced - so find something else to write about.
What’s his favorite cross country trail or soccer position? Why does he prefers pencils to pens? Why he uses a toaster instead of a microwave.
You need to show his personality but it needn’t be a direct topic. A Yale admittee by me wrote about the exhilaration of waiting for pizza delivery. Another about the yellow fuzz on a tennis ball. If I recall the story, last week, one poster said one of the best essays she read was about a blueberry muffin.
Anyway to answer your question - don’t do it because based on your words, he doesn’t want to.
You want a school to want him on campus. Pity - if that’s how it would come off - would not be that reason.
Good luck to him. Sounds like a fine young man.
It depends on how the essay is written. One of the best essays I read last cycle was about a topic that most people would have said not to write about but this student’s personality, compassion, and positive outlook on life came shining through. The students was successful in matching with an amazing school through Questbridge.
My advice is if your son wants to write about this, have him do a draft. He has nothing to lose by giving it a go and seeing if it works. If it doesn’t, move on to a different topic.
And CC has a free essay service if your son is interested in getting some feedback (he’ll just need to start his own account). College essay guys also have a guideline for how to effectively discuss a medical condition in an essay (also free).
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Your son can get essay help here: https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/follow-these-instructions-to-get-essay-help
Please note, the service is aimed at students. Parents are not eligible.
The most important thing about his essay is that it be authentic. If there’s something about his experience with cystic fibrosis that he has to say, then by all means he should say it. The daughter of friends of ours was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was in high school. She wrote about that experience on her college essay and was accepted to Harvard. She survived her battle with cancer and today she’s a doctor, bringing that empathy which she developed as a result of her cancer experience to the patients whom she treats. 
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I think it is fine to mention it if it fits with the rest of the essay. My daughter is similar to your son, CF definitely doesn’t define who she is. She did weave having CF into her main essay because it fit with the narrative, but it wasn’t the main topic. Her involvement with Great Strides, clinical trials, and the CF Foundation Teen Advocacy program also naturally came up in supplemental essays about community, etc.
BTW, you are probably already aware, but there are some nice scholarships available for kids with CF. They are competitive, but worth applying for. Vertex and the Boomer Esiason Foundation are two of the big ones.
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One of my kids has type 1 diabetes and epilepsy. They did not write about either in their essays, but put a short paragraph in the additional info section. They wrote very briefly that they were 4 when diagnosed with T1D, and remembered folding their clothes neatly in the hospital thinking if they were good enough, it would go away. Probably 4 sentences.
Overcoming challenges is often a topic in essays but my kid did not feel defined by health issues either and this was a good compromise. He could just write that he was diagnosed with CF as a child but with current meds, was able to play soccer and run cross country.
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That is your essay, but only if it is what he wants to write about. It is certainly not an “off limits” topic.
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The whole point for kids who do not want to be identified by a chronic illness, is that they do not want to be identified by that chronic illness! Is the idea that his accomplishments in sports are inspiring because of his CF? As parents we are often proud of our medically challenged kids and how they overcome their challenges, - in short, their characters. But if they don’t want to write about that, that is fine. They can write an essay just like a kid without an illness or disability, about anything at all.
That said, admissions may react favorably to a well-written essay on life with CF, overcoming the challenges of CF etc. depending on how it is written, just like any other essay. And there are prompts asking about overcoming challenges, which would be a natural place to write about CF.
If it is important for schools to know the context of the son’s accomplishments in terms of the CF, again, a very short, matter of fact paragraph in the additional info section can suffice- if he wants. Also, or instead, the guidance counselor can include in what they provide. If the GC is unsure, the family can provide info.
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Thank you for the post. We are intending to apply for the CF scholarships as well. What has your daughter’s experience been like living away from home? Did you guys look into CF clinics near the schools she applied to?
He wants to talk about it but doesn’t know how to do it without writing a feel sorry for me essay.
You indicated in your first post that he did no want to focus on CF so I am confused. He can certainly write about it. There is a free essay reader service here on CC which could help him get the tone right.
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I mentioned that he does not think it defines him, I think that people read that as meaning he doesn’t want to talk about it. He thinks he wants to talk about it but is concerned that it is not something he should talk about.
Then don’t.
He can write about something entirely different or about all of the things he’s successfully achieved. Just because you’ve got name your illness doesn’t mean you have to write about it. It’s a choice and certainly a fair topic if the student truly wants to. But know your audience.
In general, I’d keep away from anything that might make a school feel is an unecessary risk for them. I don’t know about CF or if there is any risk to them or their resources at all but they may not know either.
Depending on the school, an essay may not even matter. I’m sure most are deemed good enough and don’t impact one way or the other.
So I wouldn’t fret - or I might save it for schools that have a supplemental related to overcoming challenges. My daughter had a few of those. You may check schools to see if those exist.
Good luck
This was the part of your first post that I was reacting to :
he does not want to focus on the problems he has faced.
Again, it’s absolutely fine to write about CF.
(cross-posted with @tsbna44 )
I recently read an essay “My illness” which was the furthest thing from maudlin you could imagine. The kid’s theme was gratitude and it was silly and sweet and funny and profound all at the same time. And not just the big thanks- the researchers and scientists and funders. Also the little thanks- the tech at the infusion center who told him “Grape juice before you eat will help take away the metallic taste after your treatment”; the receptionist at the doctor’s office who had baseball caps for every major league team to match whatever the patient was wearing (switched caps a dozen times a day). It wasn’t a laundry list, it was a well crafted and funny way to show “illness stinks but people are great”.
Why not encourage him to do a few drafts of what’s in his head and see if he feels like any of them capture how he feels about CF? or capture how he feels about himself?
If they don’t work, he can pivot to something else entirely. But if he taps into a different vein it could be wonderful and distinctive and not “woe is me” at all.
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I am going to say it…
His struggles feel like an admissions advantage to me. I would make sure it is said and truly do not think it matters whether in a main essay, a supplemental (his community could be his doctor team), or in extenuating circumstances.
Once again, not sure that is saying he doesn’t want to talk about his experience, just not focus on the problems. Was mainly looking for advice on if it was a bad idea.
It is definitely not a bad idea.