How to Address Health Issues in PhD Application

[cgmoore1983]

Before asking my question, let me first tell you a bit about me. I apologize in advance that I sound like a boastful braggart, as nothing makes be feel quite so much like an ass, but I want to give a full picture so that you can give informed replies. I'm a 28 year old female with a B.A. in history and anthropology from UNC Chapel Hill (3.2 overall, 3.7 in history major), and an M.A. in history from UNC Charlotte (4.0 GPA). My masters thesis is entitled "To Chain a Man to Misery 'til Death: Marital Strife in Early Virginia," and is about unhappy marriages in colonial and Early Republic America. I have also worked as a teaching assistant at the college level for two years, and have been working as an adjunct professor at two universities (UNCC and Wingate University). Being selected for a teaching position at UNCC was highly competitive, and I think it says something about the faith that the professors have in me. These schools have given me the freedom to design and institute my own courses, and thus my research interests have evolved to include both gender and sexuality in early America. My teaching reviews by other faculty are very high and my ratings from students are likewise. In my free time I also run a blog devoted to an exploration of the history of sexuality. My GRE verbal score is a 720 and I have won several awards for best graduate research at several history forums.

Anyhow, to get to the point...I am now applying for PhD programs. I can't simply stay at UNCC, because they do not have a program (unless I feel like moving to their sister institution in Scotland). I'm in the process of writing my statement letters, and am a bit befuddled as to how to handle one particular issue. I had substanital health issues over the course of college and my masters program. It took me an extra two years to finish up my masters program because of this. However, I have taken a year off now, and my health problems have since been largely resolved. Should I address the fact that my undergraduate GPA is a tad bit low and that my time in the graduate program was extended due to health issues? In addition, there are a few W's on my transcript that came as a result of needing to leave school for surgeries. Should my overall work as a grad student, success in teaching, and writing sample stand for itself, or do you think I should address this point? The chair of the history department has indicated he would like to call the heads of PhD programs at the schools where I am applying in order to give me a leg up. I am wondering if this could be something he should address while speaking with them. My current list of schools include: George Mason University (my masters thesis advisor is now the head of the PhD program here), the University of Pennsylvania (reach for the stars right?), Rutgers University (I have a good friend who is a history professor here), the University of Maryland, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Indiana. Of course each of these schools also have exception gender history programs, and I have slected them for both personal connections and the historians I would most enjoy working with. I'm hoping these aren't out of my league!

Any advice is MUCH appreciated. I'm a bit high strung and this entire process is giving me a bit of anxiety.

[Simple Twist of Fate]

First of all, relax a bit. Sounds like you're in great shape.

Second, congrats on all your success.

Third, I don't think any of those are out of your league. In fact, if I were you, I'd be applying to any program with an appropriate advisor/program regardless of prestige or rank. However, be careful referring to the "University of Indiana" The good people at Indiana University might be offended (only joking - I'm starting there in the fall, though, so good luck with that app).

Finally, I think you definitely need to address that. If an adcom sees that your MA took longer than usual, they'll wonder why. If you don't offer an answer, they might imagine something far worse than illness. If your LoR writers are aware of your health concerns, it *might* (or might not - I'd be interested in what others think about this) be useful to encourage them to mention it briefly. To corroborate your explanation, if nothing else. I might also emphasize that your health concerns are mostly behind you. Whether right or wrong, vague references to health problems might make you appear to be a "risk" if you don't provide some closure. If anything, your health issues could help you to frame an excellent SOP - overcoming adversity, etc. This is all a bit cynical, of course, but there's no reason why you can't turn a potential negative into a positive.

Good luck with your applications.

[CageFree]

I think you should address them in passing... you're not going to spend a lot of time talking about your undergrad career. I had a low overall GPA because I was an Engineering major for my first year and bombed a bunch of classes, including an F in a calculus class. I provided a brief explanation for what was going on at the time, and I don't think it was a factor.

If those health issues are no longer a concern, that's very important for them to be aware of, as well.

[New England Nat]

I flunked out of college fifteen years before I applied to PhD programs. My SoP had a paragraph at the end to explain the horrific transcript, it was brief, direct, and did not offer excuses other than what happened. I'm sure it got me tossed into a lot of rejection piles, but strangely in most cases they were the least prestigious schools on my list. Yale for example is famous for giving second chances, and I know of two other Princeton students who have old blots that bad or worse.

Some adcoms will hold it against you, but you can't do anything about that. Other adcoms will be more interested in your forthrightness.

[victor.s.andrei]

Before asking my question, let me first tell you a bit about me. I apologize in advance that I sound like a boastful braggart, as nothing makes be feel quite so much like an ass, but I want to give a full picture so that you can give informed replies. I'm a 28 year old female with a B.A. in history and anthropology from UNC Chapel Hill (3.2 overall, 3.7 in history major), and an M.A. in history from UNC Charlotte (4.0 GPA). My masters thesis is entitled "To Chain a Man to Misery 'til Death: Marital Strife in Early Virginia," and is about unhappy marriages in colonial and Early Republic America. I have also worked as a teaching assistant at the college level for two years, and have been working as an adjunct professor at two universities (UNCC and Wingate University). Being selected for a teaching position at UNCC was highly competitive, and I think it says something about the faith that the professors have in me. These schools have given me the freedom to design and institute my own courses, and thus my research interests have evolved to include both gender and sexuality in early America. My teaching reviews by other faculty are very high and my ratings from students are likewise. In my free time I also run a blog devoted to an exploration of the history of sexuality. My GRE verbal score is a 720 and I have won several awards for best graduate research at several history forums.

Anyhow, to get to the point...I am now applying for PhD programs. I can't simply stay at UNCC, because they do not have a program (unless I feel like moving to their sister institution in Scotland). I'm in the process of writing my statement letters, and am a bit befuddled as to how to handle one particular issue. I had substanital health issues over the course of college and my masters program. It took me an extra two years to finish up my masters program because of this. However, I have taken a year off now, and my health problems have since been largely resolved. Should I address the fact that my undergraduate GPA is a tad bit low and that my time in the graduate program was extended due to health issues? In addition, there are a few W's on my transcript that came as a result of needing to leave school for surgeries. Should my overall work as a grad student, success in teaching, and writing sample stand for itself, or do you think I should address this point? The chair of the history department has indicated he would like to call the heads of PhD programs at the schools where I am applying in order to give me a leg up. I am wondering if this could be something he should address while speaking with them. My current list of schools include: George Mason University (my masters thesis advisor is now the head of the PhD program here), the University of Pennsylvania (reach for the stars right?), Rutgers University (I have a good friend who is a history professor here), the University of Maryland, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Indiana. Of course each of these schools also have exception gender history programs, and I have slected them for both personal connections and the historians I would most enjoy working with. I'm hoping these aren't out of my league!

Any advice is MUCH appreciated. I'm a bit high strung and this entire process is giving me a bit of anxiety.

Don't be anxious.

You have a really interesting profile.

Your undergraduate GPA isn't that terrible, and it's from UNC Chapel Hill, which is a public Ivy. That does make a difference.

Plus, your GRE verbal score is fantastic. I only wish you had mentioned your GRE math and AW scores, although your math score won't count as much as your verbal score for the sort of program you're looking at, and nobody cares about the GRE AW anyways.

You have extensive research and teaching experience, and you have connections at plenty of schools, so you probably have good LORs.

I agree with one of the earlier posters - apply to "any program with an appropriate advisor/program regardless of prestige or rank."

As for your health issues, be forthright and turn a negative into a positive: for example, saying that despite your health problems, you still tackled a tough course load while teaching at UNCC and working on your master's thesis. Show the adcoms that you were focused and tenacious, and make sure to work with your LOR writers to ensure that their letters reinforce your goal statement.

Best wishes with your application, and kudos for staying the course despite getting a few curveballs thrown at you by life.

[runaway]

First, congrats, cgmoore. And never feel bad for bragging around here-- I think this is one place where it's completely acceptable!

And thank you for starting the topic, because I've been wondering about a similar thing. I've suffered from mental illness most of my life, and this reflects on my transcript-- not so much in my GPA but in withdrawn courses, extra semesters, and a transfer to be closer to better care. At one point I thought I wouldn't be able to graduate high school, so I'm especially proud of my achievements thus far.

I think I'm a competitive applicant, and I've definitely proven that my illness isn't a barrier to doing high quality work. But I will always be in treatment of some kind, and it will have an impact on where I apply (ie, large metropolitan cities where I know healthcare is top-notch.) While it makes me an interesting applicant, I'm afraid it also might come across as a liability.

Do I address in my SOP or just check off the 'disability' box that I know most graduate applications include?

[TakeruK]

I think I'm a competitive applicant, and I've definitely proven that my illness isn't a barrier to doing high quality work. But I will always be in treatment of some kind, and it will have an impact on where I apply (ie, large metropolitan cities where I know healthcare is top-notch.) While it makes me an interesting applicant, I'm afraid it also might come across as a liability.

Do I address in my SOP or just check off the 'disability' box that I know most graduate applications include?

If you think disclosing the information is more of a liability than an asset, then don't disclose it. You aren't obligated to tell the adcomms or your supervisor about any disabilities or illnesses.

Since your transcript will show the withdrawn courses, extra semesters and the transfer, it might be worth a sentence in the SOP to say that this was for medical reasons, but you don't have to say why if you don't want to. Of course, if you think you can write about how you have succeeded in overcoming extra challenges and that it would strengthen your application, then it might be a good idea.

Alternatively, some applications have two essays -- one SOP that is more for academic stuff like your background and career plans, and another "personal history statement" where people would generally include special considerations, or that they are a minority, first generation graduate student, or any other challenges they overcame in getting where they are today.

Edited June 23, 2012 by TakeruK

[victor.s.andrei]

First, congrats, cgmoore. And never feel bad for bragging around here-- I think this is one place where it's completely acceptable!

And thank you for starting the topic, because I've been wondering about a similar thing. I've suffered from mental illness most of my life, and this reflects on my transcript-- not so much in my GPA but in withdrawn courses, extra semesters, and a transfer to be closer to better care. At one point I thought I wouldn't be able to graduate high school, so I'm especially proud of my achievements thus far.

I think I'm a competitive applicant, and I've definitely proven that my illness isn't a barrier to doing high quality work. But I will always be in treatment of some kind, and it will have an impact on where I apply (ie, large metropolitan cities where I know healthcare is top-notch.) While it makes me an interesting applicant, I'm afraid it also might come across as a liability.

Do I address in my SOP or just check off the 'disability' box that I know most graduate applications include?

Address it, but choose your words very carefully. Schools can be a bit touchy these days, especially after the Virginia Tech incident five years ago. I wouldn't directly call out the mental illness, though. I would refer to it as "a series of ongoing health problems." My words - pick your own. Adcoms will understand.

[jeffster]

It seems like you should address the physical issues, but you want to address it briefly and in a way that gives some closure. If your medical issues are still ongoing, then really it is a liability if the school were to compare you dispassionately to a similar applicant. Obviously you shouldn't lie, but the best possibility seems like a mention of some medical problems that required surgeries, which caused you some struggles followed by eventual perseverance (and apparently keeping up some great performance too!).

I wouldn't disclose a mental health issue, especially not if you're doing fine now. However, you should ask yourself honestly if this is the right thing for you - if you struggled with some things in undergrad due to mental health issues, how will you hold up under the strain of Phd work? I think if you've confronted yourself honestly over this, and maybe spoke with your therapist about it if you have one, and the answer is "I can handle it" then don't even mention it to the university.

Edited June 25, 2012 by jeffster

[thedig13]

A lot of this discussion thus far has centered around whether a difficult medical history hurts a candidate's chances of admission. I think some others here will agree with me: the best programs tend to be more accepting/accommodating towards this sort of thing.

For instance, at least one individual here on the TGC History forums has acknowledged that he/she was a college dropout for some time before being admitted to graduate programs in the Ivy League, and (apparently) he/she was not an entirely unique case.

Most importantly, before you think about entirely omitting health/personal problems from an application, consider this. Much of one's success in graduate study (and in academia as a whole) boils down to whether or not he/she is in a suitable program that can meet and adapt to changing individual needs. If an adcom refuses to acknowledge that setbacks occur and are often unavoidable or if you have to shamefully hide a legitimate medical condition from a Department, is that really the sort of system where you can reasonably expect a healthy dose of support and encouragement? What if your condition continues to be a problem once you start graduate study? Can you reasonably expect the department to be understanding and say, "Don't worry, you can take the month off to deal with Medical Condition X. We promise we won't kick you out of the program"? If a hypothetical school is really the sort of program that says, "Oh, a drunk driver ran you over and you had to have emergency surgery and breathe through a tube for a month? Well, we don't care! You're out of the program!", then do you really want to trust six years of your life and your (eventual) future in academia to those people?

In many ways, the application process is largely about finding the right place for you, a place where you can thrive and succeed and build the foundation for a career. Don't shamefully cover up a legitimate medical condition; use it as an opportunity to filter out the schools that can't or won't be understanding to your needs, and to identify the ones that will work with you (and whatever unexpected things come up in life, as they inevitably will for everybody) in a mature, responsible, and supportive manner.

Edited June 25, 2012 by thedig13

[TakeruK]

I think (not sure how it works in the US) that it would be a discriminatory act for a school to pick the one without mental/physical illnesses when having to choose between two similar candidates. At all the schools I've been to (no US ones yet), there is always school policies that allow for leaves of absences for medical reasons (or pregnancies/parental leave) without "penalty". So, theoretically, one could start a PhD, work for 2 years, take a year off (to be pregnant for example) and come back afterwards and resume their 3rd year as normal (in terms of funding, progress through the program, etc.). But I know that even if these rules exist at the schools you're applying to, things don't always work as they should.

thedig13 makes a good point about using this as a filter. But sometimes the adcomm isn't made up of the same people that will approve/deny your medical leaves. Sometimes it could be one person on the adcomm that is prejudiced against physical/mental illnesses but then will find some other unrelated reason to convince the other committee members to take someone else. So it's not really about shamefully covering it up, I think, but more about protecting yourself from people on the adcomm that don't properly represent the department/school's policies.

I think the applicant (and their health providers) should be the one that assesses whether the applicant's physical/mental health is suitable for graduate school, not the adcomms. If you believe you are suitable, then there is no need to mention it and I think it would be better to bring this up AFTER you have been accepted (and all decisions regarding fellowships, RAs, etc. are made, if possible). Then if you get a negative reaction to this news, you can filter those places out.

I agree with the sentiment of thedig13's comment, that the application process is about finding a place that will fit your needs, and allow you to thrive (in all ways). But I think the key person that needs to support you and understand your needs is your supervisor, not the admissions committee. You have no idea who is going to read your application, but after the results, you can talk to potential supervisors about your needs. This way, you can use it to filter out schools without risk of them filtering you out!

[New England Nat]

TakeruK is right, it's probably illegal, but it would be entirely unprovable. Remember in most programs we're dealing with places that have 10-20 times the applicants than they have spaces to fill. While I do think you should own up to any holes in your past record (I couldn't have hidden mine from my papertrail), I would encourage a generic description like "a series of ongoing health problems" rather than identifying mental illness. There is still a lot of discrimination against those who suffer from mental illness.

There is an exception. I have a family member who worked in disability studies, and there not having any identifible disability really hurt him in his career.

[cgmoore1983]

I just wanted to thank everyone for weighing in on my question. I'm not entirely sure how we got to mental illness, but I suppose I should have given a bit more background on my medical issues. I had a tumor pressing into my auditory nerve and parts of my brain that was causing a ton of physical medical issues. It took several years to figure out what was going on, so I ended up in the hospital a good bit. I think all of you offered sound advice, and I will mention the problem in passing. However, I probably won't go into much detail about the specifics, and will instead focus on the fact that I have recovered and am ready to tackle a doctorate degree. Thanks again!

[TakeruK]

Good luck cgmoore! I think the mental illness topic came into play because another user brought it up (as it was relevant to his/her situation) in this thread. I'd like to see mental illnesses treated the same way as health or other physical illnesses though (i.e. unfortunately, for some reason, it's wrong to stigmatize, for example, paraplegics, but it's seems "less wrong" to stigmatize people with, say, schizophrenia), so I personally would like to group the two together!

[Sigaba]

@ the original poster

By providing so much precise information about yourself in the OP, you are, in fact, addressing your health issues in a way that limits your flexibility. Even if you find an ideal answer to your questions, you are opening yourself to risk in this thread. While you can easily be traced to this thread and the information in it can be used against you, it would be very difficult to prove that the information in it was used illegally.

Therefore, I recommend that those who have responded in ways that repeats the identifying information edit/delete their posts and/or the OP finds a way to get this thread deleted and to restart it so that a higher level of PERSEC can be exercised.

Just my $0.02.

[cgmoore1983]

I'm sorry, but why would I want to hide my identity? If a perspective graduate school is willing to go online and seek out a question from me in the grad cafe, then so be it. I am a Christian woman who has absolutely nothing to hide, and I would be just as willing to tell them this information if directly asked, as I am for them to stumble upon it. Besides, if they look up my name in a google search, they are far more likely to come across about 1 zillion articles related to the fact that my family was murdered when I was a child. Good luck to them in wading through that to get to this forum.

[Sigaba]

Here's the thing. Some secrets are kept because they're shameful. Others are kept because they're private.

While you apparently don't have filter between your personal life and your identity as an academic and while you may scoff at the notion that you should, your "open" approach to your past has the potential of unintended consequences. It is a buyer's market right now. Given the choice between a candidate who has "absolutely nothing to hide" and one who demonstrates a degree of discretion who is going to be a better fit in an environment in which an appreciation for privacy is vital to the building of relationships centered around mentoring? Add to this mix the growing concern about the impact of HIPPA-related concerns (and costs) and the focus on risk management in an environment increasingly driven by a corporate-mindset.

Yes, one could say "Well, I wouldn't want to go to a program that doesn't want me for who I am--unfiltered" but one never quite knows when one is applying to a program that has had experiences with "unfiltered" graduate students (and junior faculty), and has made a blanket decision to go with "filtered." History departments don't advertise these kinds of misadventures to applicants. They just distribute shovels to the faculty--and some graduate students--and say "dig a hole and bury this."

Also, you are profoundly over estimating your anonymity on the internet. If historians know how to do anything, they know how to do research.

But then, as you say, you have "absolutely nothing to hide."

Yet, that statement raises questions. Why have you started a thread on the best way to spin your health issues? By seeking ways to discuss your health issues, you're attempting to shape the narrative of your academic career in your favor. If you have nothing to hide then why are you looking for ways to not let your grades speak for themselves? (It is this glaring disconnect that I was attempting to bring to your attention by suggesting that you scrub your OP.)

[jeffster]

Sigaba, how did you turn this into a thread questioning the OPs integrity? My goodness.

Obviously everyone should be careful about how much they disclose on the internet, anywhere. It's valid in any thread on this forum. You brought it up, great. If the OP isn't concerned about it, stop trying to badger them into it.

[cgmoore1983]

Sigaba,

I have to say that I find your tone to be incredibly rude and presumptuous. I simply wanted to know the best way to discuss these issues so that I could account for gaps in my academic record. I have no intention of leaving the information out of an application, but I thought that people might know the best way to bring it up. There is no harm in asking. The responses that you have given on this thread and others in the forum, remind me of one of the reasons I have been so hesitant to become a part of academia. It seems that the more degrees a person has the more likely they are to develop a narcissistic and judgmental attitude towards others. I have said once that I feel no need to hide my personal life from the committee, so I'm not entirely sure why this matters enough to you to actually ridicule someone you don't know online.

In fact, I have found that it is through connecting my past to my present that I have had the most success with my students. There is a reason I don't hide my past, and it has clearly worked in my favor up to this point. In addition to teaching courses on the history of sexuality, I use my personal experiences to reach students who have grown up in poverty, who are dealing with family issues or medical issues, and who are most generally struggling with the world. My duty as a Christian is actually more important to me than getting into a Ph.D. program, and I would not be true to myself if I started hiding it now. Understandably, we all have different priorities in our studies, but I am telling you that given my priorities, disclosing personal information about myself is not something about which I am concerned. I am sure you will have more to say about this, as you clearly are an argumentative person, so have at it, but I have finished with this thread. I appreciate all of the genuinely helpful and honest replies that I received.

[victor.s.andrei]

I had a low overall GPA because I was an Engineering major for my first year and bombed a bunch of classes, including an F in a calculus class.

Torture (intentional or not) of undergrads is SOP for most U.S. engineering schools.

[CageFree]

Torture (intentional or not) of undergrads is SOP for most U.S. engineering schools.

Oh I know that well. I had to take a FORTRAN programming class and that was worse than the Calc class. At least in Calc I knew why I wasn't getting it.

[victor.s.andrei]

Oh I know that well. I had to take a FORTRAN programming class and that was worse than the Calc class. At least in Calc I knew why I wasn't getting it.

They still teach FORTRAN in undergrad?

[CageFree]

That was back in 1995-1996. Not sure now.