Mental Health in applications? Two Ws.

[psyched_trojan2015]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm curious, have any of you discussed about personal mental health issues in your applications? I know it's something to be very weary of, unless the application specifically asks for it. I'm just wondering because I've been experiencing major depression since junior high, and just recently was diagnosed with ADD. I'm particularly nervous about my transcript because of two classes I ended up dropping because I was in a really bad state of mind and I was afraid of jeopaordizing my GPA at the time. I have a 3.6 overall, and my major is at a 3.8. The two classes I dropped, one unrelated to major, but the other one was a class that falls under my major, which is Psychology. It's not a requirement, but an elective. I'm retaking it next semester and I'm determined to ace it, I was just in a bad place and didn't want to risk getting C/D but now i've picked myself up. I don't plan on going to grad school for Psychology, actually. I want to get an MA in American Studies and then go to law school afterward. I'm so paranoid that grad schools will look down on me because I dropped a Psychology class, am I worrying too much? Do you ever discuss your mental health in grad school applications? The last thing I want to do is to come across whiney and blame my mental health issues on my decision to drop those two classes. I just want to come across humble and to state that I've learned to cope with these set-backs in better ways that wont interfere with my ability to get work done. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[thepictureisstill]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm curious, have any of you discussed about personal mental health issues in your applications? I know it's something to be very weary of, unless the application specifically asks for it. I'm just wondering because I've been experiencing major depression since junior high, and just recently was diagnosed with ADD. I'm particularly nervous about my transcript because of two classes I ended up dropping because I was in a really bad state of mind and I was afraid of jeopaordizing my GPA at the time. I have a 3.6 overall, and my major is at a 3.8. The two classes I dropped, one unrelated to major, but the other one was a class that falls under my major, which is Psychology. It's not a requirement, but an elective. I'm retaking it next semester and I'm determined to ace it, I was just in a bad place and didn't want to risk getting C/D but now i've picked myself up. I don't plan on going to grad school for Psychology, actually. I want to get an MA in American Studies and then go to law school afterward. I'm so paranoid that grad schools will look down on me because I dropped a Psychology class, am I worrying too much? Do you ever discuss your mental health in grad school applications? The last thing I want to do is to come across whiney and blame my mental health issues on my decision to drop those two classes. I just want to come across humble and to state that I've learned to cope with these set-backs in better ways that wont interfere with my ability to get work done. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Err...Yeah I don't know if that's the appropriate place to discuss these things. Find an eloquent way to say you encountered obstacles and overcame them. Most people have had depression touch their lives in some way or another but I don't think admissions wants to hear about it. I don't know about the ADD either...a new researcher just came out with a study saying it's a made up disease (I am not saying it is or isn't nor am I minimizing the obstacles you've encountered) so I'd be careful to discuss that with academia. I've struggled with serious mental health problems the last 15 years and didn't find it necessary to touch on anywhere in my application- I'm an artist too so I could talk about it. Stay positive and focused! Good luck!

[Dedi]

I don't want to say what I've done and give people the impression that I recommend it for everyone, but...

I had severe depression (with psychotic features) since high school. It was a big barrier because I ended up in the hospital every two months because of overwhelming suicidal thoughts. I've also had two W's on my transcript to save my GPA from plummeting more than it was. However, I've been in remission for almost 2 years and went from a 2.75 GPA to a 3.52. I expect that it will near 3.6 by the time I graduate. My grades shot up and have been keep a decent trend since (nothing less than 3.5 per semester for 4 semesters now).

Anyways, I told my POI about this (in general; I left out details) after a year of corresponding with him and working in his lab during the summer. I felt that I proved myself to be a competent individual despite a previous struggle. I knew I couldn't hide weekly appointments from him. He took it surprisingly well and found no major issue with this.

I left the admissions committee out of it--they don't know me and I feel that it's something that only the POI needs to be concerned about.

 

Everyone's situation is a little different.

[drownsoda]

I addressed an illness in my SOP but didn't go into detail. Granted, mine was not a mental health problem, but I did have cancer and had to drop out of school for a year because of it. I just mentioned a "serious illness" that interrupted my life that year, and briefly said in a sentence that it changed my perspectives and marked a turning point for me, tying it in with my academic interests coming into focus after I went back to school.

 

I wouldn't go in depth on a mental health issue per se, unless it's somehow detrimental to explaining a part of your application. For me, I wanted to address the year-long gap in my transcript, so I decided to say something, but I didn't dwell on it whatsoever. I never even mentioned the "C" word out of fear that they'd think I was begging for sympathy.

[uselesstheory]

I withdrew from a semester (medically approved) because of a serious illness, and addressed it as exactly that - I took time off because of an acute health problem that has since been resolved and is no longer relevant, especially in the context of my studies. If you feel like you need to address any sort of related "blemish" on your transcript, keep it short, vague, and positive. 

 

It is probably best to address withdrawals rather than assume an admissions committee will not care: they do care. That being said, the less specific, the better. Mentioning mental health problems is (unfortunately - stigma is a terrible thing) a bad idea in applications.