Personal information in application

[Christen712]

I would greatly appreciate any advice on how much I should disclose about "trying" personal situations in the optional section of grad apps.

I am applying for a MA in International Affairs at top 10 schools.  The average admittance GPA for the schools is 3.6, while my undergrad GPA is 3.1 (albeit from a top 4 ivy) and I'm concerned about getting a strong third letter or recommendation (three are required).  The rest of the app (GREs, other recs, experience) is good.

I came to undergrad after 10 years living alone with a mentally ill parent, and then 1.5 years in foster care (add to this economically disadvantaged public school, and low income household).  I was admittedly distracted during my undergrad, working through a lot of issues.  I then took a year off (at the urging of the school's advising office) after a situation arose with my parent in my junior year.  My GPA isn't a reflection of what I am academically capable of, and I have grown a lot and resolved many issues during three years of professional work experience.

After looking at a lot of advice here, I know to frame this disclosure in a positive light, how it has made me more resilient and focused on achieving goals, etc (all true, actually). However, not sure how much to disclose.  Is alluding to "family problems which were significant enough to prompt the Dean of Academic Advising to recommend that I take a year off" too vague?  Alternatively, I believe one of my recommenders is actually mentioning my parent's mental illness (in the light of impressive things overcome).  Is this too much to disclose?

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[TakeruK]

I don't think you need to mention the specific details, unless you really want to. I don't think the reason for taking a year off should matter--all the committee needs to know is that you needed a year off and you did it and it resulted in very positive outcomes. You can include the Dean's recommendation or not. 

And as to the LOR, it's fine for the LOR writer to provide that detail if that is what you want the committee to know. If you don't want the committee to know, then it is also okay to ask your LOR writer to omit the detail.

In the end, you don't have to justify or "prove" anything to the admissions committee. All they need to know is that you decided a year off was the right thing for you and they should (and will) accept that. In the end, it's what you actually achieved that matters--an extra year off isn't a big deal.

[Christen712]

Thanks for the advice TakeruK!

[J. R., MPPA]

I disagree.  I also have a complicated history that impacted some of my undergrad studies.  To explain a couple low grades, I needed to explain why in some detail.  I was also accepted to all MA programs I applied to with that personal statement.  American U, George Washington, Georgetown etc.  Readers need to know about YOU!  What did you learn from the trying situations.  How have you grown as a person to become who you are.  Take it from someone whose gone through this before, explain and then describe how it made you who you are.

[TakeruK]

The admissions committee is neither qualified nor has the right to decide whether or not you made the right decision on taking the year off. A year off isn't even a big deal so it's your prerogative on what you want to disclose.

I feel that sometimes people in academia feel the need to disclose much more personal information than necessary, or sometimes people in power seem to demand much more personal information than necessary. When we (academics) are not qualified to judge something, we should refrain from judgement (i.e. admissions committee do not need to judge whether or not you should have taken that year off). For example, when one of my students comes to me with a note from the disability office asking for a special concession in lectures, or a note from the health/counseling center asking for an extension on the homework, my professor and I would always grant it without reservations. We would never ever ask a student what the details are and we would never try to judge whether or not the concession or extension is "necessary".