Hi,
I am new to these forums and so apologize in advance if I've missed a similar post(s) where my questions have already been answered. So, I am a 40-year old student who recently graduated with a BS in Wildlife Biology. I am applying to several graduate programs including a Master of Veterinary Public Health and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Zoology and Wildlife Conservation. I also have a chronic illness for which there is no cure, so it will be with me through my graduate career. The symptoms of my illness wax and wane in flairs. I completed my BS degree with a 3.96 GPA; however, most semesters I took 11 hours rather than 12 (the amount of hours considered "full time"), and I also did not participate in many school activities, leadership positions, etc. as most of my time spent outside of my studies was spent traveling back and forth to doctors appointments and specialists out of town, researching experimental treatments for my condition (which is very rare), and trying to maintain my health. I am worried that my lack of leadership roles and participation in extracurricular activities will not look good on my app. I did do a lot of volunteer work at a zoo for years and have had some leadership experience in the professional world prior to going back to school. However, that leadership experience was in a totally unrelated field. So, I feel I need to address my lack in these areas in my personal statement. To do so would involve mentioning my chronic illness, which I have read on some topics here that is not recommended. So my questions is, do I go ahead & mention my chronic illness to explain my lack in these areas, or is there perhaps a different way this should be handled? Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.