should you mention mental health in personal statement

Should I Discuss Mental Health in My Personal Statement or College Application? (And If So, How)?

Written by Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy), with input from Chris Loo (Director of College Counseling & DEI Educator), Sandy Longworth (Chief People Officer at College Essay Guy and trained Narrative Family Therapist), and Malissa Takacs (independent educational consultant and former school-based counselor).

Disclaimer: The content of this blog post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. I (Ethan, the primary author) am not a mental health professional, and the insights shared here are based on personal experiences or general information. Reliance on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding mental health concerns.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 0: the short version of this guide + students’ struggles with mental health, main takeaways from this article:, students are struggling with mental health challenges (just ask the cdc), part 1: should a student disclose mental health challenges in their college application, what college admission officers have to say, situations where you may want to disclose mental health challenges:, situations where you might not need to disclose mental health challenges:, questions to ask yourself before you commit to writing about mental health challenges… and recommendations:, part 2: if you do want to describe mental health challenges, where in the application should you — and how, option 1: “additional information” or “education” section., option 2: counselor recommendation letter, option 3: personal statement, key takeaways + next steps, appendix: additional resources, additional resource 1: using a supplemental essay to disclose a mental health challenge, mental health-related activity or community, or a learning difference, additional resource 2: the naming the problem exercise.

• Additional Resource 3: Questions Counselors Can Ask Students Who Are Struggling

If you’re trying to decide whether to disclose mental health challenges in your college application, ask yourself: Will disclosing this information help the reader understand the skills, qualities, values, and interests I’ll bring to a college campus?  

The personal statement may not be the best place to disclose. You can instead use the “ Additional Information ” or “Education” section of your application—see below for examples—and in fact, some college admissions officers prefer when students use these sections for disclosures .

Another option is to ask your college counselor to mention your mental health challenges/what you’ve done/what you’ve learned in a paragraph of their recommendation letter to colleges, allowing you to use your personal statement to focus on sharing the skills/qualities/values/interests you’ll bring to a college community. 

If you do decide to use your personal statement, consider devoting around ⅓ of your word budget to the challenges you experienced and their effects, ⅓ to what you did about it, and ⅓ to what you’ve learned about yourself.

Want the longer (audio) version of this guide? 

Check out our three-part podcast, Mental Health and the College Essay , which features practical advice from admission officers, a college counselor, and a former student who chose to disclose.

If you’re reading this, we probably don’t need to tell you that many high school students are facing mental health challenges. In fact, according to the CDC , in 2021: 

29% of high school students experienced poor mental health during the past 30 days.

22% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year. 

18% of high school students made a suicide plan during the past year.

And it’s not just high school students. 

Community college counselor and instructor Robin Eurgubian notes that “since COVID, close to 50% of my classroom nods along when a peer shares their experience with anxiety. While there appears to be an uptick in students identifying with anxiety and depression, I also wonder if students are simply more open about these challenges.”

So it’s probably no surprise that, at a time when students are being asked to write a “personal” statement, many college-bound students struggle with how, well, “personal” to actually get, and whether or not it makes sense to disclose their mental health challenges in their college application.

In this guide, which includes practical advice and examples from real students and counselors, we’ll share:

what college admission officers have to say

how to decide whether you (as a student) actually need to disclose, and 

where—if you do decide to disclose—you can do so in your college application.

Want to learn more about the mental health challenges young adults are facing? Check out On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challenges , a report released by our friends at Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project (see my podc a st here with MCC’s Trisha Ross Anderson).

All right, let’s get into it.

The short answer: Maybe. 

Remember, college admission officers want to know what skills/qualities/values/interests you’ll bring to a college community. Those are what you’re demonstrating through your writing and application.

Veteran college counselor Kim Ekstrom notes:  

“Students who are thinking about communicating mental health concerns are often still struggling and often can’t clearly explain how these struggles have changed them in a positive way, or how it has led them to create positive change at their school or in a wider context. Just explaining their mental health concern doesn’t usually help them explain how they are unique. 

Mental health conditions often sound very similar. One student’s explanation of what they went through during an eating disorder, for example, may sound very similar to another student’s challenge: counting calories, losing weight, isolating themselves, feelings of guilt and shame, denial, etc.

It is also true that the mental health challenge doesn’t define the student. They are so much more than that, and focusing on their strengths, values, and passions simply makes essays that represent them better.”

Given the above, if you’re trying to decide whether or not to disclose, here’s a good guiding question:

“Disclosing mental health shouldn’t be a negative and can help the selection committee understand the needs you might have and to ensure they have the necessary resources to make you a  successful student on that campus. The worst is getting accepted into a school that is not prepared to support your needs because you chose not to disclose. Remember, your application is as much of an interview for considering you as it is for them.” 

- Lorenzo Gamboa, Director of Admission for Diversity, Inclusion, & Outreach at Santa Clara University

Having said that…

“Mental health challenges have become a somewhat common topic for personal statements, and it’s fine to reference them in your personal statement or in the additional information section. But for the personal statement, consider whether you’re presenting the fullest picture of yourself. Is it possible that you might be better served by showing us other skills and qualities you’ll bring to our campus community?” 

- Hillary Dickman, Senior Assistant Director of Admission, Admission Marketing & Communications at Colorado College

Keep in mind:  

“Your goal here isn’t simply to write about the difficulties you’ve overcome. It’s important to give the admission committee a good perspective on who you are and what you’re bringing to our community.”

- Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College

If your grades were significantly disrupted. (Example: You failed two classes in grade 10 due to mental health struggles.)

If your transcript or application shows issues related to mental health challenges that need explaining. (Example: You took a semester away from school to attend an in-patient facility, or you switched high schools numerous times due to mental health challenges.)

If you feel your challenges are central to who you are and your story would not be complete without their mention somewhere in your application.

Your grades were not significantly disrupted or your transcript or application doesn’t show any issues caused by mental health challenges that need explaining.

Your diagnosis is relatively recent, and you may not have time to process the experiences in terms that will demonstrate the “what I’ve done” and “what I’ve learned” to a college.

The additional information description of the challenge, as written, raises more questions than it answers.

As Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College notes, “This is not a tell-all book, it is not a journal entry, it is not a diary entry, it is not an IG Live. It is a short snippet of who you are and an experience that has shaped you.”

These two sections are, in my (Ethan’s) opinion, underutilized sections of the application, but each can be a great place to disclose mental health challenges in a brief and factual way. 

What these sections are: 

Additional Information section (typically ~650 words) : 

Many applications offer an Additional Information section , including the Common App, Coalition Application, and UC Application, where students are invited to share anything that hasn’t yet been shared in the application. Note that different applications will call this something slightly different.

Education section (typically ~250 words) : 

This is a similar section of the application, but asks about details relating specifically to your academics and possible disruptions or impacts to your schooling.

Pros of using either of these sections:  

You can keep this short and informational, include a few bullet points on what you’ve done to overcome your challenges and what you’ve learned (see examples below)

And then use your personal statement to focus on all the other amazing skills/qualities/values/interests you’ll bring to a college campus 

In other words, by using this section you’re less likely to be defined by the single story of your mental health challenges. 

Potential cons:  

None, as long as your explanation focuses primarily on what you did, what you learned, and how you have recovered and are ready for college. 

Here’s a simple bullet-point structure you can use for disclosing in these sections:  

“Negative” effects

Turning point (optional, if you had one, but don’t necessarily need one)

Positive things I’ve done to get healthy

What I learned/Skills I gained/Positive effects

Important : Keep each part brief—one sentence if you can, maybe two sentences max.

If you go with this approach, here’s a template to get you started writing…

When I was X years old, I was diagnosed with Y—this is the challenges section

As a result [these were the impacts]—this is the “negative” effects section

After [this turning point moment—this is optional], I made the decision to [do X] and [here name the positive things you’ve done to work on yourself/get healthy: e.g., started therapy, began exercising, got more rest, changed my diet, practiced gratitude/mindfulness, began limiting screen time, etc.]

Thanks to these changes, I [here you name briefly what you’ve learned , or the positive impacts you’ve seen]

In terms of format, we recommend bullet points , as in the examples below. 

Example disclosure in an “Education” section:

Throughout my junior year at Northwest High School, I struggled with severe stress and chronic anxiety as a result of my course load - 6 AP classes, music, sports and other extracurricular activities. 

By the spring, I was burned out, unable to sustain the pressure. 

Ultimately, it was decided that I would be more successful with completing high school away from home at a small residential school in Vermont where I would be able to focus on my mental health and well-being. This shift in normalcy was initially extremely difficult. I struggled with missing the friends, family, and my lifelong school community I had left behind. 

However, with the support of my new teachers and peers, I slowly settled into the routine of my classes, easing into the new school and social environment. In the process of the personally tumultuous past year, I've learned how to prioritize my personal needs, balanced alongside academic expectations. 

As I progress into my future, I am ready to carry the many insights I have gained with newfound internal support and stability.

Analysis of What’s Working Well Here:

The bullet points make this very easy to read and the structure basically follows the template above, with emphasis on what the author has done and learned.

This isn’t the space for including a beautifully crafted personal statement #2. The tone here is (and should be) straightforward, informational.

This inclusion could have worked just as well in the “Additional Information” section. How do you decide? If your description relates to academics, and it’s short enough, put it in the Education section. Otherwise, the Additional Information section is fine. (Don’t stress over where to put it; you won’t “lose points” in an application for putting it in the “wrong” section.) 

Notes for Potential Revision:  

One potential critique of the example above is that the student could have perhaps  focused less on the “challenges/effects” and “turning point” and a bit more on the “what I did” and “what I learned.” 

Another minor note might be to briefly clarify a feeling and a need in the “effects” bullet point. (See this video + worksheet on the Feelings and Needs Exercise for more.)

Another suggestion might be to include a short subheading to let the reader know what’s being described here—this can help a reader who is skimming. Given these notes, here is…

A Revised Version (with new language in bold): 

Challenges Overcome & Strengths Gained

Throughout my junior year at Northwest High School, I struggled with severe stress and chronic anxiety as a result of my course load (6 AP classes), music, sports and other extracurricular activities. 

By the spring, I felt overwhelmed and realized I needed more rest and support.  

I moved to a small residential school in Vermont, where I’ve learned how to prioritize my personal needs,  how to do less, and how to ask for help . I’ve also been meeting with a therapist, exercising more regularly, and making sure I get 8 hours of sleep each night .

As a result, I’ve made some amazing new friends, begun regularly experiencing more joy, gotten better at prioritizing, and have learned the value in doing less, but better . I feel excited and ready for college. .

In the next example, the student doesn’t mention their mental health challenges explicitly. Instead, the focus is simply on what they’ve done and learned. Take a look:

Example disclosure in an “Additional Information” section: Southwest High School Peer-Counseling Program

We offer a safe and confidential resource for students who need a non-judgmental listener, advice, or professional resources. What I did and learned:

Counseled 25 students, totaling 50 one-on-one meetings

Advised students with stress, peer pressure, academic stress, family deaths, suicide, and other anxiety provoking issues

Trained peer-counselor

Supervised by certified school counselors and professionals through group seminars and courses earning a certificate

Improved my listening and communication skills

Journaled my experiences

  Brief Analysis:

Because the author chose not to mention their struggles here, the reader won’t know if they themselves struggled. Would knowing the student’s struggles improve their chances of being accepted at a particular college? It’s difficult to say. The choice to disclose is up to the individual; there’s no clear right or wrong answer.

Again, bullet points are great here. Notice how this is super short and to-the-point.

Don’t want to use either of these sections? If you have a college counselor writing a recommendation letter to include with your application, you might alternatively consider…

Pros of choosing this option:  

You don’t have to worry about writing it yourself; you can let your counselor handle it. 

You may not have a counselor

Or your counselor may not have all the details of your situation

And you may not see what your counselor has to say, so you have a bit less control. 

What you can do about this:  

Send your counselor an email with the bullet points you’d like to emphasize using the five-point template above (Challenges, Effects, etc.) and they can write a paragraph to be included, in addition to all the OTHER awesome things they have to say about you.

Here are some actual examples of disclosures in counselor letters: 

Example 1:  

And so while many here would identify Alan as a scholar and athlete, there are an equal number of people who would say that he has had a huge impact on the mental health of our community. This year, Alan is part of Mental Health Matters, a group of students who work with our school counselors to support others who struggle with mental health issues and find ways to be proactive and bolster the mental health of our students. This group of students do more than almost any other student group on campus. They host yoga sessions, pass out acai bowls, hang up hammocks on campus in random places, host journaling sessions and bring in therapy dogs during especially stressful seasons of the year. In addition, these students are the “feet on the ground” in helping our administration identify students who are struggling.  — — —

Brief Notes + Analysis:

This inclusion focuses on the student’s positive impact first.

Note that in this paragraph there is no mention of the student’s own mental health challenges (Do we know? Does it matter for the college application/improve the student’s chance of acceptance?) — the focus is on all the wonderful things the student and his peers have done.

And I love the specifics here: host yoga sessions, pass out acai bowls, hang up hammocks, etc.

Having said that, here’s a second paragraph the counselor chose to include, detailing the student’s challenges:

Example 2 (same letter continued, next paragraph):

It is no accident that he has given so much leadership to this team. He’s passionate about speaking up about mental health because he has had his own struggles with it. The pandemic was really challenging for Alan. Deeply social by nature, remote learning was terrible for him. In addition, the death of a friend last year by suicide greatly impacted him, on top of the stress of varsity basketball practices. He suffered from insomnia and there were days when he just couldn't get up for class. But with counseling and support, his light has returned. What he’s learned from life’s hard lessons has enabled him to be the support others need.  — — —

This paragraph gives more context to the student’s journey. Is it “better” to include it, or not?  There’s no perfect answer here—this is up to the discretion of the student and their college counselor. 

If you’re a student reading this: Be sure to discuss whether you’d like your counselor to share the details of your challenges, or not. 

Counselors: Ask your student if they’d prefer that you mention the challenges, or not.

Example 2 (shorter) : 

Sarah’s transcript does not adequately reflect her intelligence, engagement and curiosity. In fact, if there was any student whose GPA didn’t match their capability as a student in this year’s senior class, it would be Sarah Jones. She faced many personal challenges in her sophomore and junior year. Her uncle, who she was very close to, passed away from brain cancer. The grief of losing her uncle brought on symptoms of depression, which Sarah wasn’t even aware of. This summer, she was finally able to get the help that she needed. She found strength, support and motivation. She also found helpful ways to deal with her grief and stress. Her senior grades now reflect not only her ability, but her potential. Sarah never gave up on herself. And those closest to her in our community were always right there, cheering her on.  — — —

Here’s a situation where the student’s grades were negatively impacted, warranting an explanation. 

Note the simple structure: challenges, turning point, what she did, how her community supported her.

And check out all the positive language, from the first sentence to the last.

Example 3 (even shorter): 

But the tragic death of a friend by suicide became the trigger for David’s own struggle with depression. He was in a dark place and it took most of 11th grade for him to recover and get his life back on track. Many students would have given up, but the fact that he was able to finish up his junior year is a testimony to his determination, endurance and resilience. I want to provide this information so that his academic record can be put in the appropriate context.  — — —

Here’s another example of a mention that helps contextualize grades. 

Again, note how brief this can be (just 88 words here).

Potential pros of using the personal statement to disclose:  

You’re able to use this as an opportunity to show a college admission reader the skills, qualities, values, and interests you’ll bring with you to a college campus. 

Potential cons of focusing on mental health challenges at length in your personal statement:  

You may risk being defined by a single story (see this TED talk for more) and there’s a chance a student's application might feel like it's ALL about mental health if it's mentioned in the personal statement, counselor letter, additional information section, and teacher recommendation (as sometimes teachers will mention something).

You may miss out on an opportunity to write about something else that can more effectively demonstrate your skills, qualities, values, and interests.

The admission officer may be concerned that their campus doesn’t have adequate resources to support you.

If you do decide to use the personal statement, here’s how one student chose to do it (with section-by-section structural analysis):

Example 1: Describing Challenges + Effects, What I did, What I learned (using approximately ⅓ of word count for each section)

“Sara, smack her for me! She deserves it!”  Shock and confusion colored my face. Milliseconds later, anger consumed me. How could my own Grammy want me to commit such a violent act… to my mother. To her own daughter… My mother had finally stood up for me against my Grammy, had finally decided to protect my mental health, and because of that, we were in this situation. Because my mother valued me for once. With tears running down my face, hyperventilating, I found myself petrified and spiteful. My Grammy wasn’t always a “bad” person. As her life progressed, so did her memory loss, along with its complications. Unfortunately, she became verbally abusive and outright offensive with time. Even though I loved my Grammy, I used to envy her. My mother, who spent hours each day caring for Grammy so that she didn’t have to live in a nursing home, was treated poorly by Grammy, and yet, my mother prioritized my Grammy’s health over my mental health.  As my mother’s daughter, I couldn’t help feeling like I wasn’t valued in my own family. To make matters worse, I had to fight depression, ADHD, anxiety, and severe sleep apnea in a household that insisted children don’t experience these things. Each instance exacerbated the next, causing a big clump of problems. — — —

Section Analysis : Thus far, the essay has described the challenges and effects (217 words so far), which is less than ⅓, and works well. Up next is the “turning point” moment.

During my lowest point, I was admitted to the hospital, but this was where my story truly metamorphosed. I grasped that my life had meaning and purpose. I realized how much I missed my parents, my old life, and just being happy. After my parents drove an entire six hours one way just to see me in person for fifteen minutes, I also realized my parents felt the same way about me. Their effort meant the world to me, which was why when I left the hospital I was determined to complete my studies, mend the bonds I have with my parents, and try my best to better myself.   This was my first step towards happiness and I can honestly say that I didn’t let it fade away. — — —

Section Analysis: Here the author sets up the transition from the “turning point” to the “what I did about it” section below, which works well. 

For starters, my psychiatrist and I, after four tireless years, perfected the medication formula I take each day. Alongside medication, I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with three therapists who have all heard my story and discussed with me ways to regulate my emotions and understand myself more! While breathing techniques and other meditation-esque things don’t work for me because they make me lose sight of the bigger picture at play, I’ve been able to develop my own techniques to help me calm down during distressing situations.  — — —

Section Analysis: Here the author transitions from the “what I did about it” to next sharing “what I learned from these experiences” in the paragraphs below. But you’ll notice the author mentioning a few more things they’ve learned to do, so it’s kind of both “what I did” and “what I’ve learned,” which also works.

My parents and I now value and listen to each other’s experiences, which reiterates that we want what’s best for one another. I no longer sugarcoat things and place the blame on myself for things that were out of my control, and my parents do the same. Through this shared vulnerability, I feel as though it is safe to talk to them about everything that happened, validating our experiences and learning more about each other in the process. Working with and learning from therapists, I’ve been able to significantly change the relationship dynamic between not only my parents and me, but between my friends and me, finding two communities to call home. I use my voice to check-in with my support group before starting conversations with them to make sure they have the mental capacity to listen.  — — —

Section Analysis : One thing I really like about the final paragraph below is that she offers a “before” and “after” from how she used to feel… to how she feels now. Take a look:

Now, when thinking about Grammy's final months, I’m not filled with bitterness, but rather empathy and understanding. I choose to remember the good times I had with her. I’m thankful for these experiences because they’ve pushed me to accept both life’s beauty and cruelty. One day, I hope to use various types of animation to raise awareness about others’ mental health struggles and what can be done to best support them.  — — —

Note how the essay approximately follows this structure: 

Challenges + Effects (⅓ of word count)

What I did about it (⅓ of word count) 

What I learned (⅓ of word count)  

The “before” and “after” in the final paragraph shows us how the author has changed. 

Two common mistakes students make when using the personal statement to disclose a mental health challenge:  

Focusing more on the “challenge” part of their story than the “what I did” and “what I learned.” This can result in an essay that feels, to quote a past student, “like a sob story.” This is often because more than ⅓ of the essay is devoted to describing the challenge and effects. The author of the essay above avoids this by devoting a significant portion of her word budget to the “what I did” and “what I learned.”

Sometimes students move to “helping others” too soon (before working on their own healing). What this sounds like: 

the author realizes “I needed help” and then in the next paragraph they say 

“so I started to help others…”

The problem with this is that often we miss the details of what they did to help themselves, which can leave the reader wondering, “Did the author heal first—or not?” The author above avoids this by not describing what they did to help others at all, instead focusing on their own healing.

But there’s another way you can use the personal statement to write about mental health challenges.

Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College notes “Your disclosure does not need to be in your [personal statement] essay. I think your essay can be a wonderful place for you to talk about who you are and the lens that you use to view the world…but your struggles with mental health may not be the right kind of story that you want to tell, or it could be a portion of it. Maybe it’s a line in that story but it’s not the whole story.”  

In light of this, here’s an example of a student I worked with a few years ago who experienced anxiety, but who reframed it in an interesting way in his personal statement, and focuses primarily on what he did and learned.

Example personal statement that reframes his mental health challenge, focusing on it just briefly:

The clock slowly ticks on…  Tic , toc , tic , toc …. It’s 3:30 am and everything seems to be asleep. Normally, I’m coding at my desk with a glass of orange juice listening to movie theme tracks like “Time” by Hans Zimmer from Inception while the dark of a Seattle Night rests against my windows. I’m at peace as I chisel away at my code. What am I coding? Depends on the night, but you can tell from my whiteboard, as each night there is something new on it. This week it was modeling the flow of a rules engine for validating bank wires, one part of my work for Microsoft. The week before it was filled with data-flow models from my React UI to a SQL database for an app my school asked me to build.  Tic , toc , tic , toc …. But why am I doing all of this so late into the night? Tic , toc , tic , toc …. I’m battling time. Seeing how much territory I can claim before my moments are up.  Tic , toc , tic , toc …. — — —

Analysis from Ethan: This student struggled with anxiety, particularly surrounding time, but he found a clever way to include it as a motif in the essay (tic toc), and also begins with something “positive”—how he uses his work on software projects to battle his anxiety.

I didn’t know how to handle the idea of time as a kid and, when it became too much, I’d hide with my two stuffed dogs, my white blanket, warm vanilla milk, and the Calvin and Hobbes book The Days Are Just Packed . Under that blanket I would curl up and lose myself in Calvin’s antics as Spaceman Spiff. Tic , toc , tic , toc …. Eventually, I found a much better way to deal with time: through soccer. Each day I would come home and rush through homework so I could go outside and practice until it got so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. But after suffering twelve major injuries in between 6th and 11th grade I could feel all the time that I’d lost while recovering. This led to a burnout and caused me to transition away from soccer. So I did. During my recovery time I’d been learning to code through my own projects and CodeAcademy. As I entered high school, coding started to take over, and all the time I’d poured into soccer instead went to coding and the time I invested into coding led to some exciting personal projects such as a physics equation solver, a chip8 emulator and a compiler for my own language.  Tic , toc , tic , toc …. Recently, I’ve found another way to fight time: cooking. Last weekend I spent ten hours in the kitchen cooking a rosemary shrimp pan-seared in olive oil, a celery and green apple salad and a homemade pasta and ragu for my girlfriend’s family. I cook because it allows me to meditate, which allows me to reflect upon the past week. Without this time to reflect I wouldn’t change and if I can’t change, then I can’t learn. If I can not learn then I will not be prepared for my next battle with time. — — —

Analysis from Ethan: Here he shares more healthy coping strategies he’s developed: reading, athletics, cooking, and time with family/friends.

Tic , toc , tic , toc …. In the future, I plan to fight time through projects such as a city infrastructure software, robotic construction, and a physics education platform. These projects are important to me because they give back to others, whether that be through education or repairing our country's aging roads. I want to give back using my skills to increase the quality of life for others around me. Tic , toc , tic , toc …. Time never stops, so why should I? Why should I stop learning? Why should I stop asking why? The answer is, I shouldn’t. Just like time, I never should stop. I plan to continue to wage my battle against time by learning everything that I can. And I will. But I also won’t forget things I love: Calvin’s sled, homemade pastas, lacing up cleats before a game, and tinkering away late into the night on my computer. — — —

Analysis from Ethan: This student realized that anxiety need not dominate his life… or his college essay. And while he implies the anxiety hasn’t left him permanently (see the repetition of “tic toc”), his essay primarily focuses on the positive adaptations he’s made, and demonstrates skills, qualities, values, and interests that he’ll bring to a college community and beyond.

Ask: Will disclosing help me demonstrate skills/qualities/values/interests I’ll bring to a college campus? If so…

Could it go in the “Education” or “Additional Information” sections? If so, explain it briefly and factually .

Or my counselor recommendation letter? If so, talk to your counselor.

If using the personal statement, consider using this structure: 

Challenges + Effects

What I learned

Some colleges may ask you to describe a challenge you’ve overcome. If so, you can use the structure suggested above, splitting the ⅓ according to the word budget you’re given. (Example: If the essay has a 300 word limit, you might use 100(ish) words for the challenges + effects, 100(ish) words for “what I’ve done” and 100(ish) words for “what I’ve learned.”

Other colleges may offer an opportunity for you to describe an extracurricular activity (see link for full essay guide) you’ve been a part of, or describe a community (see link for full essay guide) that’s been meaningful to you. If so, you might discuss a relevant activity or community. And note that you may choose to describe your specific, personal mental health challenges, or not.

Supplemental Essay Example 1: Focusing on “what I’ve done about it” through an extracurricular activity

Prompt: What have you done to make your school or community a better place? 

According to US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, there is an “ epidemic of loneliness and isolation, which is a public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. "And we must prioritize building social connections... [to] build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.” He put into words what I see in my life and in my peers. Everyone struggles with their mental health from time to time.  I decided I wanted to do something in my community to combat the lack of resources available to deal with mental health at my school.  I joined the Mindful Club and became co-leader. Our goal at the Support Squad is to provide students at our school with a protected environment in which to discuss mental health issues. One of my roles is to create infographics on prevalent problems in the community, such as the Washington fires or the teen homelessness crisis in Seattle. I host a podcast about the ways students can deal with the stress of life, from ways they can cope with the pressures of school to ways they can address current events such as the war in Gaza. The Support Squad provides a safe space in the counselors’ rooms to address any issues anyone may be facing. More students, especially those from younger grades, are beginning to talk to our counselors. Many students have complained about the lack of sleep they get due to the homework load. Forefront created a sleep room in the counselor’s office to allow students to sleep during the day during breaks. Since opening the rooms, they have been packed with students getting the rest they need. To combat the stress students experienced when peers compared grades, the Support Squad also hosted a panel to redirect the talk about grades. We shift the focus to self-improvement and personal accomplishment rather than comparison. There is no easy fix for mental health issues. Through my experience at the Support Squad, I learned the importance of connecting with other students. I brought this to my role as the Spirit Leader. I plan team events like dodgeball that connect students from different grades. The hope is for students to experience and create a close-knit community at school. Through my experiences at the Support Squad and my role as Spirit Leader, I've learned the importance of fostering connections and creating a stronger sense of community within our school. Community provides a foundation for improved mental health. — — —

Again, note that the student doesn’t mention their own struggles directly. This is fine.

Note that this essay could have worked for any number of prompts, including those asking about an extracurricular activity, contribution to their community, and more.

This essay could also have been adapted to answer prompts asking about how that student hoped to contribute to a particular college/university ; if so, they would simply need to include specific opportunities/clubs available on the campus they imagine attending.  

While we haven’t discussed learning differences in this blog, sometimes students who experience mental health challenges also have learning differences. If that describes you, you could use this as a chance to describe your learning difference, as the student does below. 

Supplemental Essay Example 2: Describing a learning difference

Prompt: In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant's ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words)

ADHD entangled me in thought-spirals; impeded task transitions; rendered me too unproductive, too disorganized, too incapable. The more I tried to fix myself, the more I felt that I had no control over my mind and body.  But through support from friends, family, and science, I realized that ADHD is like having higher-than-average inertia (it takes significant force for my motion to change direction); my tangential thoughts are quantum jitters that provoke spontaneity. With this reframing, I’ve devised methodologies that work with my ADHD. I channel high inertia into hyperfocusing on projects like GWC hackathons, and channel my tangential nature into my personal life, embracing what friends dub my “chaotic energy,” which turns every day into an adventure! The lack of suffocating thoughts afforded me brainspace to appreciate existence. How lucky we are to exist in this tangible world! And then I think: I don’t need to be fixed. — — —

This isn’t a mental health challenge, such as anxiety or depression, as we’ve been discussing so far, but I’m including it here as some students wonder about disclosing learning differences. Also, some students who struggle with mental health challenges discover that they have learning differences. 

You’ll notice the format here is similar to a mental health disclosure: 

Challenges 

Effects 

Turning point

What I’ve done

What I’ve learned

You can use a similar format if you’re discussing a mental health challenge you’ve overcome.

Michael White, the founder of Narrative Therapy, famously stated that the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem.  

If you’re considering writing about a mental health challenge, try using our Naming the Problem exercise . It can help develop material to write about yourself in a way that shows colleges who you are becoming and you who intend to be on their campus.

Additional Resource 3: Additional Resource 3: Questions Counselors Can Ask Students Who Are Struggling

If a student reveals something in the process, what’s your responsibility as a counselor? 

According to Chris Loo, veteran college counselor and mental health specialist, “A good first step is to empathize. Listen. Help the student feel seen.” After that, it depends on the student.

But here are 3 simple questions you might ask (and that are easy to remember):  

Is the student safe ? Both from themselves, and others? 

Do they have support ? Do their parents know? Someone they trust whom they can talk to about personal issues? Are they seeing a counselor or therapist regularly? What this sounds like: “Are you talking to anyone else about this?”

What next step is the student comfortable with me taking?

It’s also good to ask: What policies does the school have in place?  

Here are some additional questions you might ask:  

How does the student describe their current emotional state ? Have they experienced any significant changes in behavior or mood recently ?

What coping strategies does the student currently use when feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Is the student engaging in any activities or hobbies that they enjoy?

Does the student feel comfortable seeking help when needed or accessing mental health resources?

How is the student managing their academic workload ?

What are the student's sleep patterns like, and have there been any recent changes?

Has the student noticed any changes in their appetite or eating habits?

How does the student feel about their future and their goals?

You can hear more from Chris Loo in our podcast episode on this very topic: College Essay Guy Podcast: Episode 512 Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Counselor Perspective

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, should i disclose mental health struggles on my college application.

I had some mental health struggles during my sophomore year, which affected my grades. Should I include this information on my college application or is it better to focus on my improvements without delving into personal issues? Thanks for any advice!

It's important to strike a balance when deciding whether or not to disclose your mental health struggles on your college application. If you feel that your mental health challenges had a significant impact on your grades, it could be worth mentioning it to provide context. However, it's crucial to focus on how you overcame those struggles and demonstrate personal growth.

While it's entirely up to you whether to share this information, keep in mind that admissions officers appreciate resilience and the ability to bounce back from hardships. If you decide to mention your mental health struggles, frame it in a way that highlights your determination and resilience in overcoming these obstacles.

For more guidance on this topic, consider reading this CollegeVine blog post: https://blog.collegevine.com/mental-health-college-essays/ It provides valuable insights on addressing mental health issues in your application and will help you make an informed decision.

Good luck with your college applications!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

How to Discuss Your Mental Health on College Applications

Should you write about depression in your personal statement? Should you disclose mental health challenges elsewhere on your college application? Here’s what experts say.

Within the next few months, many rising high school seniors will be staring at a blank computer screen with the same question on their minds: What should I write about in my college application essay?  This question can feel heavy.  After all, by the time students approach the end of their junior year, they’ve surely heard lots about “THE” college essay.  The concept can feel overwhelming so it’s no surprise that many students struggle when it comes to choosing the perfect topic.

For students who experienced a mental health challenge while in high school, this question takes on another dimension. Should they talk about how they coped with say, depression, or any other mental health condition? Should they refer to it only in passing? Should they avoid mentioning it at all?  What is the best way to handle such an important topic?

While this is a very complicated topic, the college planning experts I talked with all offered similar advice.

The Purpose of a College Application Essay

Before thinking about whether or not you should write about mental health in your college essay, you should remember what the essay — or the “personal statement”— is all about in the first place.  What is the purpose of the essay?

No matter which prompt students select, and for all college applicants, those with or without mental health challenges, the essay is the only part of the application in which college admissions officers have the opportunity to hear the voices of the student. The rest of the application contains numbers, statistics, and comments from teachers and counselors.

This is why the personal statement, as college planning experts concur, is where you should share part of your true self in the most positive light. Think about what a college wants to know about you as a person, or what a university would gain by having you become a part of the campus community.  Dig deep to figure out what makes you, you.

Use your essay as an opportunity to bring your college application to life. Try to strive for it to represent you in an authentic yet optimistic way. One former reader of applications at a top university’s admission office shared a fun way to see if your essay checks out.  She asked me, “Does the essay pass the midnight test”?

Picture an exhausted admissions officer with a stack of unread application files on her desk. She is reading yours at midnight at the end of a 16-hour day. Does your essay draw the officer in and make her eager to read until the end of your essay to learn more about you? Will she be eager enough for her to conclude that, yes, we want this student on our campus next fall? Or does your essay sound far too similar to some of the others she’s read that day?

The purpose of your essay is to take the reader beyond the numbers (test scores and GPA) and into who you are as a real live human being.

Experts on Writing About Mental Health

All counselors interviewed for this piece agreed that students’ college essays should not be about their struggles with mental health. Wendy Kahn , a Chicago-based college planner, and Anna Seltz, of Higher Ed U , a college consulting organization in Philadelphia, both spoke about how students should try to talk about themselves in a positive light, taking the opportunity to showcase one of their many outstanding qualities, like intellectual curiosity, personal growth, or maturity.

A couple of the counselors — Bruce Vinik of Vinik Educational Services and Marsha Shaines of College Strategies in Kensington, Maryland — said that the only case in which a student should consider writing about her mental health challenges is if the struggle truly defines her as a person. Even then, both counselors saw this as the rare exception, and suggest that instead, most students should take advantage of the opportunity to explore one of the many other attributes that makes them unique. Vinik says that mental health problems should only be shared in the essay if the college would not be able to understand the applicant without knowing about this part of her. Generally, he discourages selecting this as a primary topic.

The Additional Information Section

All of the college planners mentioned above agree that if your mental health struggle in high school clearly impacted your performance, then you should mention it in the “Additional Information” portion of the Common Application — but only in a factual manner. If you missed three months of your sophomore year to deal with a mental health condition, you should explain that you spent those months dealing with a “health challenge,” overcame it, and are now back on track, advises Vinik.

The three other college counselors generally agreed with this sentiment. All expressed that if the mental health challenges have made an impact on your grades, involvement in class, attendance, or ability to participate in school activities, you should provide a short, factual summary (no more than two paragraphs) for background purposes, always emphasizing your recovery after these difficult moments and your preparedness for a college environment.

Seltz suggests that talking about this in your admissions interview may be another route that applicants can explore. Seltz recommends taking an approach like the one outlined for personal statements above: Briefly explain how the challenge affected your grades and focus mostly on the fact that those problems are now under control.  Making sure to emphasize the way/s that the challenge helped you to grow as a person is also important.

All of the college planners suggest that you talk with your high school counselor to ensure that what you are saying about mental illness in the college application is consistent with what the counselor may or may not say in her own counselor recommendation. Or, if you’d prefer that the counselor not address your mental health issues, request that as well. School counselors are almost always open to any guidance you may have for what you’d like them to include in or leave out of your letter of recommendation.

Dealing With Mental Health Challenges Past the Application

Being told that you cannot share a part of yourself that may have had a large impact on your life can be difficult to hear. Unfortunately, mental health is a stigmatized topic, and it’s difficult to explore its nuances and complexities in the short and streamlined format of a college application.  It is also extremely important to remember that with or without mental health challenges, you are far more complex than a 650-word personal statement.

The fact that you are not writing about it on your application doesn’t mean that colleges don’t want the “real” you, or that you will be unable to succeed. A mental health condition does not disqualify you from having an excellent collegiate experience by any means, the same way that a physical limitation would not interfere with your success as a student. As you explore your college options, be sure to look for campuses that are particularly mental-health friendly, and focus on finding resources you can rely on as a student. From counseling services to wellness organizations, many campuses make student mental health a priority, and selecting this kind of college will help you embrace your challenges and thrive in a new environment.

If you are worried that your problems are not yet under control — and that college may exacerbate them — you may want to consider taking a gap year and working with a local counselor to prepare for the big transition.  There are lots of really wonderful gap year programs for students in this exact position. If you think you might be interested in this option, talk with your school counselor about exploring what programs are available to you.

Be personal in your college application essay — but do so in an optimistic and positive way. The purpose of the essay is to convince the reader that you belong on their campus next fall. Don’t leave the reader with any unanswered questions or red flags about you.  Be clear about who you are and your will to enhance whatever campus you find yourself on.  This is the best way to tell the story of who you are.

If there are circumstances that need to be explained — such as time off, a drop in grades, or diminished participation in extracurricular activities, do so in a factual and concise manner in the “Additional Information” section.

Yes, you may have experienced a mental health challenge, and/or you may be going to college with mental illness. But don’t let that singularly define you as a person. You have the propensity to offer much more to a college than your diagnosis. And the personal statement essay is the place to show the college who you are as an individual, why you are ready for college, and what strong and special qualities you will bring to the campus community if accepted.

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Talking about Mental Health in Your College Admissions Essay

The hello college team.

• Last Updated on August 29, 2024

Table of Contents

When applying to colleges, you may wonder whether discussing mental health in your essays is appropriate. While there is no firm rule about this, the following can help you make an informed decision. At the end of the day, though, it is up to you and your parents or guardians.

How common are mental health issues among high school students?

According to a 2022 study by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among adolescents aged 12-17 in the United States during 2018-2019, 15.1% experienced major depressive episodes, 36.7% had persistent feelings of sadness, and 8.9% attempted suicide. 

Mental health difficulties have become the leading cause of disability for high schoolers and the most frequent cause of poor outcomes among young adults. Clearly, mental health disorders are extremely common in today’s youth. 

When mental health gets in the way of success

The pandemic has worsened the preexisting mental health crisis among high school students. According to a 2020 study conducted by UNICEF, 46% of adolescents have become less motivated to engage in activities they previously enjoyed. This loss of motivation led to less involvement in school activities and poorer school performance. 

Mental health disorders, in particular, can impact high school performance. For example, students with social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder, are twice as likely to receive a failing grade than students without it. Social phobia can also prevent students from engaging in extracurricular activities. 

Similarly, clinical depression can be disastrous to students’ well-being, making it hard for students to get out of bed, much less keep their grades up. When their mental health struggles are severe, some students find that time off from school can be needed for mental health treatment. 

Missing school for mental health 

One of the most obvious ways that mental health affects student outcomes is increased absenteeism. According to a 2016 study by the U.S. Department of Education, in 2015-2016 over 7 million (about 16% of all) American high school students missed 15 or more days of school. Such absences are often tied to mental health troubles, which account for 13.4% of total absences (Fornander & Kearney, 2020). 

Absence due to mental health can be an important and healthy way for students to improve their mental well-being.  According to a survey by Mental Health America, over half of students believe that taking a mental health break from school or work would be helpful to them. The importance of mental health breaks is even recognized by some state legal codes. Minnesota has recognized the legitimacy of leaves of absence for mental health since 2009, a policy that other states have also adopted in the years following (Gewertz, 2021). 

For some students—especially those suffering from severe conditions such as suicidality, substance abuse problems, and eating disorders—taking long-term time off to get mental health treatment can be the only way to effectively treat their issues. Unfortunately, this can leave gaps in students’ academic records that might concern college admissions committees. 

Do you have to disclose a mental health diagnosis in a college application?

No, you do not. To prevent discrimination against students with mental health difficulties, it is illegal for U.S. colleges to request this information from you. It’s therefore completely up to the individual to decide whether to disclose a mental health disorder or mental health leave of absence in a college application or essay. 

So, should you talk about mental health absences in a college essay? 

The short answer is, no, generally not. Because college essays are so brief—the Common App personal statement is only 650 words, about a page and a quarter—students should use the limited space in their college essays to highlight 

their strengths. Given how prevalent mental health issues are, having a mental health disorder is unlikely to make a student stand out—and it may be viewed as a weakness.

Unfortunately, stigmas about mental health still exist, and, while colleges can’t legally discriminate against applicants for having mental health disorders, they still do so, as demonstrated by a 2019 investigation into the University of Florida’s admissions practices that found admissions officers to be flagging applications that acknowledge mental disorders to be flagged for additional review (Jaschik, 2019).

Exceptions for discussing mental health in a college essay:

If your high school transcript reflects absences from school that would raise even greater concerns if left unexplained..

Extended or frequent absences can themselves be reasons for a school not to admit an applicant. In many cases, it is better to disclose that the reason for such absences was mental health-related than to let it seem like a student was simply lazy or indifferent.     

If you are applying to become a mental health counselor or social worker.

When a student’s mental health diagnosis leads them to discover an academic or pre-professional interest, it can make sense to mention that diagnosis in a college admissions essay. Still, students should make sure to highlight how these issues motivated them to become better students and how it inspires them to pursue careers as a mental health professional. It may even make sense to discuss the topic as part of a personal statement or “Why Major?” essay. 

If you want to write about the strength mental illness has given you.

This is perhaps the trickiest exception to the general rule of avoiding discussion of mental health. But, if having a mental health disorder is central to a student’s life story and they feel that their personal statement would be unreflective or incoherent without it, they should reframe their diagnosis as a strength. Rather than focusing on how their condition reflected them negatively, students writing about mental health, for this reason, should focus for the overwhelming majority of their essay on how they overcame their struggles.  

Where to disclose mental health absences on a college application

If a student feels that they must discuss their mental health,  they should do so in the “Additional Information” section of the college application, not the Personal Statement. Depending on the application, students may also want to attach a note from a psychiatrist or therapist. 

However, before disclosing their mental health diagnosis on a college application, students should get advice from a college counselor on whether or not to make the disclosure. 

The bottom line:

Despite social progress, stigmas around mental health disorders still exist. If a student decides to disclose mental health information on the Common Application or another college application, they should proceed with caution and make sure to seek guidance from a trusted counselor. Remember, Personal Statement’s purpose is to highlight a student’s achievements, strengths, and uniqueness, and it is ultimately up to the student whether to discuss their mental health. 

For more guidance, check out: https://sayhellocollege.com/blog/

• Active minds (n.d). Recommendations for leave of absence and return from absence policies for mental health concerns at higher education institutions. https://www.activeminds.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ActiveMinds_PositionStatement_LeaveofAbsence_May2017.pdf .
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Children’s mental health. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
• Fornander, M. J., & Kearney, C. A. (2020). Internalizing Symptoms as Predictors of School Absenteeism Severity at Multiple Levels: Ensemble and Classification and Regression Tree Analysis.  Frontiers in psychology ,  10 , 3079. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03079
• Gewertz, C. (2021, June 24). Why more schools are excusing student absences for mental health. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/why-more-schools-are-excusing-student-absences-for-mental-health/2021/06
• How to discuss mental health in a college essay. (2018, December 4). TKG. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.koppelmangroup.com/blog/2018/12/4/how-to-discuss-mental-health-in-a-college-essay
• Jaschik, S. (2019, August 27). College Found to Discriminate on Mental Health. Inside Higher Ed . Retrieved April 6, 2022 from https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/08/27/new-college-florida-found-discriminate-against-applicants-mental.  
• Ryan, J. L., & Warner, C. M. (2012). Treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder in schools.  Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America ,  21 (1), 105–ix. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2011.08.011
• US Department of Education. Chronic absenteeism in the nation’s schools. From:  https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/chronicabsenteeism.html
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, December 7). U.S. Surgeon General Issues advisory on youth mental health crisis further exposed by the covid-19 pandemic . https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/12/07/us-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-on-youth-mental-health-crisis-further-exposed-by-covid-19-pandemic.html
• UNICEF. (n.d.) The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of adolescents and youth. https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/impact-covid-19-mental-health-adolescents-and-youth

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• How To Write Your Undergraduate Personal Statement
• How to start a personal statement: The attention grabber
• How to end your personal statement
• Introducing the personal statement tool
• Personal statement dos and don'ts
• What to include in a personal statement
• Using AI and ChatGPT to help you with your personal statement
• Using your personal statement beyond a university application
• Carers, estranged students, refugees, asylum seekers, and those with limited leave to remain
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• Personal statement: finance and accounting
• Personal statement advice: architecture, building and planning
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• Personal statement advice: physics
• References for mature students

If you're writing a psychology personal statement, describing your personal insights into the subject or how you've pursued your interest outside the classroom will impress over quoting Freud or Milgram (which might sound a little pretentious). That's what psychology admissions tutors told us when we asked them what they're looking for in your personal statement.

Five things to include in your psychology personal statement

The University of Bristol highlights five elements of a strong, academically focused psychology statement:

• Ensure it is well structured and well written .  
• Give details of any specific interests or ambitions you have that relate to the content of the course.
• Demonstrate your enthusiasm for psychological research as a focus for academic study.
• Provide evidence of when you have pursued your interest in psychology outside the classroom (see above!)
• Give examples of non-curricular activities you are involved in which indicate the contribution you are likely to make to university life. Any relevant work experience you have under your belt is also worth talking about. But if you haven't gained experience in the field directly, think creatively - there might be ways to link observations from your part-time job, voluntary work or extra-curricular activities to psychology. One successful applicant finished her statement with a short paragraph about her Saturday job on a supermarket fish counter, describing the satisfaction she got from knowing how to gut and fillet a mackerel. Linking her experience to psychology in an innovative but relevant way was a lot more interesting than just saying it had improved her teamwork or communication skills, which are a bit broad.

Psychology tutors tell it like it is

Here are some more points to avoid:

• A lack of understanding: ‘Some applicants display a misconception of what psychology is. We want to know that you understand the importance of scientific elements of the course and the importance of statistics and experimentation’.
• Not enough engagement with the subject: ‘Some applicants are rejected because of a lack of commitment to the subject, especially in cases where it appears that they’ve applied for a mixture of courses rather than five psychology ones’.
• Making it too personal: ‘Some applicants expand too much on personal circumstances, such as mental health issues or life events. Studying psychology may not necessarily help, so don't overplay personal stories’.
• Getting the tone wrong: don’t just say you ‘want to help people’ and don’t use inappropriate language like ‘less fortunate people’. Also, avoid inserting sophisticated language or phrases if you don’t fully understand them – ‘straightforward language is never a bad thing’.

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How to Address A Mental Health Issue or Disability On Your College Application

Applying to college can be a confusing and intimidating process for anyone. If you’re a student with a disability or history of mental health challenges, you might find the process even more so.

As a student who has a mental health issue or disability, your high school experience may have been inherently more difficult in some ways, and it has most likely been different from that of your peers. You might be unsure of how to speak about your unique challenges or struggles without sounding negative. At the same time, you may feel that your application is incomplete without addressing them. Your disability or mental health may be an integral part of your identity.

If you’re getting ready to apply to college and you’re wondering if or how to present a mental health issue or disability on your college application, this is the post for you. Here, we will discuss the factors to consider when choosing to disclose your challenges on your college application, and we will outline the various ways in which you can present these in the framework of a college application.

Should I discuss my mental health or disability on my college application?

Your mental health history or disability may be an integral part of who you are, but that does not necessarily make it relevant to a college application. For starters, it is important to know that it is actually illegal for a college to specifically ask for these types of details about your life, since doing so can be considered discrimination. Based on this reason alone, you are never required to disclose mental or physical health concerns on your application. Doing so is strictly a matter of personal choice and you should not feel that you are lying by omission if you choose to leave this information out.

Before you choose whether or not you’ll disclose your history of mental health or disability, you should think about the overall function of a college application.

Everything on a college application should contribute to an overall positive image of who you are as a student and as a member of a greater community. While you don’t need to hide integral parts of who you are, you also don’t want to share challenges that will not in any way support your application positively. This is true not only for mental health and disabilities but also for academics, extracurriculars, and other experiences. You always want to put your best foot forward and keep the focus on your strengths and most positive attributes.

That being said, mental health issues and disabilities are not inherently negative, and there is nothing to be ashamed of when discussing them. You should not feel like you need to hide these parts of your identity, but rather that you need to spin them in a positive way much the same as you would any other aspect of your application. Simply put, you want to ensure that you are presenting your true self in the best light. 

There are a few questions to consider when deciding whether you’ll include this information on your application at all. Ask yourself if your application will be confusing or incomplete if you don’t address these issues. For example, if you had to take a semester off to recover, you will obviously need to explain the gap in your transcript. Similarly, if you battled depression and failed one semester despite achieving a 4.0 GPA your senior year, you’ll need to explain the discrepancy. Never leave an admissions committee wondering what happened, since they will likely assume the worst if you don’t mention it at all.

If, after some introspection, you do find that these issues are ones that need to be addressed on your application, there are several places to do so. The specifics about why you choose to include these details in the first place will often dictate where the most appropriate place to discuss these issues is. 

When and how should I discuss my mental health or disability in my college essay?

The essay is one obvious place to include details about your mental health or disability, but you should only do so if you feel that your struggles with these issues truly define you as a person and can be included as part of a bigger picture that shows your strengths in a positive light.

Remember, the function of a college essay is not to be an autobiography. You should not be writing your life story simply to inform others of your experiences. Instead, the function of a college essay is to be part of an overall marketing package. And what are you marketing? Yourself!

Whatever you choose as an essay topic should shed light on the attributes that make you a beneficial and unique member of any community. If your struggles with mental health or disabilities are defining features of this nature, then your essay is a great place to frame them positively. If you choose to do so, focus extensively on your recovery or management of these issues, and stress your ability to overcome the challenges you have faced.

Never leave an admissions committee to wonder if you will be a liability in their community. While it is of course illegal to discriminate against applicants based on their mental health or disability, it would be nearly impossible to prove that your disclosure of these issues was a direct factor in your not being accepted. Make it a nonissue by always keeping the focus on how these issues have shaped you into a better, stronger person and emphasizing that you have fully recovered or managed your condition.

When and how should I discuss my mental health or disability in the additional information section of my college application?

If you realize that your disability or mental health is not a truly defining feature of you as a person, you will probably not include it in your essay. But if there are red flags or question marks on your application that cannot be fully understood without this information, the Additional Information section of your application is the place to discuss it.

In instances where this issue has impacted your grades, involvement in class, attendance, or ability to participate in school activities, you should provide a brief explanatory background, usually no longer than a paragraph or two.

If you are sharing information about your mental health or disability in this section, you should do so only in a factual manner. You should not offer overly detailed or emotional descriptions, but instead keep it short and to the point. Since you have already decided that this information is not worthy of including in your essay, you should feel no obligation to provide extensive details or specifics. 

For example, you might describe that you took a semester off to address a health concern that is now under control. Always emphasize your recovery or management of this condition and your readiness for college, so that the admissions committee is never left to wonder what your current status is.  

When and how should I discuss my mental health or disability in a college admissions interview?

The decision process to discuss these details in an admissions interview should be similar to the decision process to include them in your essay or the Additional Information section of your application.

If you feel that these experiences are the most defining feature of your personality and can spin them in a positive way that presents your best self, you should definitely do so during an admissions interview. On the other hand, if you feel that these issues are irrelevant to how beneficial you will be to the college community, you are under no obligation to divulge them. The only remaining reason to do so would be if part of your transcript is incomplete or confusing without this additional insight.

If you do end up discussing these challenges in your college admissions interview, frame them as you would in your essay or your Additional Information section. Make sure to discuss them in a brief, factual manner, and always emphasize your recovery or management of the issue, and your college readiness above all else.

One Final Consideration For College Applicants With Mental Health Challenges or Disabilities

Keep in mind that in addition to making your own decision about whether your personal challenges will be included on your application, you should also discuss your decision with your college counselor or any teachers who are writing recommendations for you. You need to be sure that the details you plan to include on your application are consistent with any details that your teachers might include in your recommendations.

Also keep in mind that you can always request that your teachers do not disclose any details at all about your mental health or disability. If you find no reason to mention it on your application, it’s unlikely that they would have any reason to mention it in a recommendation, either, but you should always communicate with them ahead of time to ensure that you’re on the same page.

If you’re a high school student who has struggled with mental health or disabilities, you may feel uncertain about how or even if you should disclose this information on your college application. You should know that you are not required to do so in any way, and that the final decision is always yours to make.

For more about disabilities, mental health, and the college admissions process, see these valuable CollegeVine posts:

• A Guide to Disability Accommodations for Standardized Testing    
• Getting Back On Track After a Disciplinary Setback
• Dealing with Test Anxiety
• How to Get Into a Competitive School if You Struggled in High School
• What Makes a Good Recommendation Letter?
• How Often Should I Meet with My Guidance Counselor?
• Doubt, Discouragement, and Setting Appropriate Goals in High School

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

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Should I include information about my mental health in my masters personal statements? [duplicate]

I graduated in 2016 with a 2:2, which I feel was lower than what I could have achieved.

I had had some minor issues before starting university, however I had an amazing support system and managed to get these in check. I completed my first year with only the normal issues (homesickness at first and adjusting to living away from home) until just before the end. I failed the last two exams of the year, partly due to the same issues that reoccurred later.

I had been struggling with one of my elective modules and after talking with my tutor, he recommended not worrying about it as I could fail 20 credits and as a 10 credit module, it would not affect my grade. However, the day of I woke up and completely panicked, zoning in and out all morning. I walked to the exam, and blanked and ended up in my department building instead of the exam hall, which was 20 minutes away and I had to run down a very steep hill to make it to the exam. But I made it and sat the exam.

I injured my knee while running. The problem with this is that my main coping method is exercise and I was on crutches. I then managed to completely space out for the last exam of the year. Meaning I failed both these modules, which was my 20 credit allowance. Despite this I averaged a high 2:1 for the year.

I went into my second year, with added roles and responsibilities. I had lived in catered accommodation in first year and moved to self catered in my second year. I became the social secretary of the physics society and started another sport (total of three) I had been a super human in my first year and wanted to do more. This turned out to be a bad idea, as my mental health started to decline, and my grades took a hit.

I then tried to pull them back up in my third year, but poor living conditions caused a physical health decline, which then exacerbated the mental health problems to a point where some days I couldn't get out of bed.

The main problem being that in my third year I was living with some really shitty people and they were really scathing of mental health issues, meaning I didn't seek the help I needed and am now getting and didn't apply for special circumstance. Hindsight really is 20:20.

I have taken time out of my career to get this sorted and to make sure that I am taking the right path for me. I have now ruled it down to three possible paths and want to apply to see what I can do.

I just want to know whether I should mention these issues and the steps I've taken in my time off to overcome these, on my personal statement. I don't seem to get anywhere else to put this and none of my previous lecturers know about this to mention on any references.

• statement-of-purpose

3 Answers 3

You should not. But if you write it in the way you wrote the question explanation (rich in useless details) nobody would consider it. Another aspect you need to work on: given the text, the only thing important to you are/were the grades, not career development and knowledge. The major reason you attend classes is to acquire knowledge and wisdom, with grades being a metric of how this acquisition went. If you go for grades without actually acquiring knowledge, your career will get very dull.

The statement is about your passion to the field (which is ... ?), about how you want to teach, sing, dance, engineer, heal, fight, prosecute or whatever the degree is about, how enthusiastic you are about it. While pushing this concept can be enforced by your past, the statement shouldn't be a judgement of what you did in the past.

We all have ups and downs. Finding the one responsible for downs (like the shitty people from the junior year for example) is an evidence of lack of personal responsibility. You had your down, you overcame it, that's good for you, but it was because of you, not because of other people.

I believe you should indeed advise your tutors about your mental health condition and what you have been going through, and that you are motivated and willing to do whatever you can to succeed.

Not to make them biased about your condition and kinder to you on the grades, but to inform them about what you are going through in case your grades suddenly take a hit. Also make sure the tutors keep these informations about you for themselves if you do not wish to deal with people's judgmental behaviors.

You don't have to keep this as a personal burden, don't hesitate to seek for help or talk to people about your personal/scholar record. You shouldn't feel crippled about it, but rather embrace it and who you are, and work on fixing it (if possible of course).

I strongly suggest that you do not give any importance to the "shitty people" you are referring to, and that you focus on yourself, your studies and your well-being, which is the most important.

If you judge that it is important for you to tell your tutors about it, I think you should.

That being said, for your statement of purpose, as far as I remember, the point of it is to describe your personal record, what has influenced your career path, professional and personal interests, and so on...

And again, if you judge that it is important for you to mention, or justify some things about your personal record, why not mention it? Remember that statement of purpose is the only part of your application over which you have full control. So it might be worth it. Just make sure it remains an informative aspect and not the core of your SoP.

I would personally mention it. But it's up to you to decide wether you should share this very personal part of your life or not, it isn't easy for everyone.

Best of luck to you.

Mention it, yes, but don't dwell on it.

The majority of your personal statement should be devoted to explaining your motivations for further study and (if it's a research Master's) your potential to do good research. However, since your mental health had such a big impact on your grades, I would add one or two sentences explaining that this was the case.

Ultimately, the most important thing to emphasise if you do mention it is that your mental health is stable now and you are not expecting to experience similar problems during the Master's course.

Good luck with your applications.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged masters statement-of-purpose physics grades health .

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Addressing Depression in Your Personal Statement

• college application essays
• essay topic

Did you know 20% of teenagers experience depression before reaching adulthood? It is also during this time that college applicants have to answer the most intimate question in order to gain acceptance at their dream school. What defines you?

While it may feel extremely vulnerable to talk about your experience with depression, don’t let that immediately deter you from choosing it as your personal statement essay topic. Here are 5 examples that may help you approach the topic in an essay:

UC Irvine ‘17

Throughout the past few years, I have gone through depression. The inability to focus not only in school, but also in life, is something I have struggled to overcome. The majority of the time, I am able to successfully distinguish my emotions from my academics because of my overly organized tendencies. At other times, the feelings that come with depression are inevitable. Depression, for me, is hopelessness. My biggest struggle with depression is not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel; therefore, this way of thinking has caused me to feel unmotivated, alone, and frightened. Because of this, I have spent endless nights contemplating my life till 4 or 5 in the morning, I have no motivation to wake up in the mornings, and I feel pain and grief on a daily basis. Keep reading.

Brittanybea

Uc berkeley ‘19.

On a warm August morning I sat shivering and shaking in the waiting room to my doctor’s office. I had my mother make the appointment but didn’t give her the reason; I’m not even sure I really knew the reason. I just knew something was wrong. The past five years had been all uphill - outwardly, at least. I was doing increasingly well in school, growing more independent, and had greater opportunities at my feet. Inwardly, however, was an entirely different story. Those five years felt like an upbeat movie I was watching while in my own personal prison. I was happy for the characters, even excited for their accomplishments. The problem was that my outward self was a character entirely distinct from the internal me. View full essay.

869749923096609FB

Williams college ‘19.

Perhaps the greatest blessing my parents have ever granted me was the move from our apartment in the Bronx to a two-family home in Queens, two blocks away from a public library. The library had all the boons my young heart could desire: bounties of books, air conditioning in the summer, and sweet solace from a dwelling teeming with the cries of an infant sister, a concept I couldn’t yet fathom. Read more.

When I was younger, people chided me for being pessimistic. It was my sincere belief that there were no rewards to be reaped from a life here on earth. I was bored, unhappy, and apathetic. War, injustice, environmental collapse, the mean thing X said to me the other day-it all made me see the world as a tumultuous and unpleasant place. Continue reading.  

879216135461584FB

Dish soap, pepper, a toothpick, and an empty pie tin. The first materials I ever used to perform a simple experiment in grade school. Looking back that would be the moment I fell in love with science. I can still feel the excitement I felt as I watched as the pepper dart off to the edges of the pie tin as I touched the water with the end of a soap coated toothpick. Though I didn’t have to question how or why the reaction happened, I never stopped wondering. It was then that a passion for science ignited in me. It was a fire in my soul that could never die out. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. As I grew older, the fire within me began to dim and in the year 2012, it became extinguished; the world as I knew it had ended. View full profile.

While this essay topic helped these students gain acceptances to UC Irvine , UC Berkeley , Williams , Vassar and NYU , it doesn’t mean it will work in the exact same way for you. Brainstorm and think carefully about what you want to write in your personal statement and how you want to share your own, unique story. For more inspiration, AdmitSee has a database of 60,000+ successful college applications files waiting for you! 

About The Author

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.

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How to write an excellent personal statement in 10 steps

The ucas personal statement is changing in 2025.

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• How to write your personal statement in an evening

How to write your university application

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By Nik Taylor (Editor, The Uni Guide) | 18 August 2023 | 22 min read

Stand out from the crowd: here's how to write a good personal statement that will get you noticed

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Your personal statement forms a core part of your university application, and the sooner you get going, the better you can make it. You may think that your personal statement won’t matter as much to unis as your grades and experience but a great personal statement could make all the difference between you and a candidate with the same grades. Sure, your application might not reach that deal breaker stage. But is it something you want to leave to chance?  Here we’ll take you through the process of planning, writing and checking a good personal statement, so you end up with something you can submit with confidence. And to make sure the advice we're giving you is sound, we’ve spoken to admissions staff at loads of UK universities to get their view. Look out for video interviews and advice on applying for specific subjects throughout this piece or watch our personal statement playlist on YouTube .

• Are you looking for personal statement examples? Check our library of hundreds of real personal statements, on The Student Room

Personal statement deadlines

You'll need to make sure you've got your personal statement written well in advance of your application deadline. Below are the main university application deadline dates for 2025 entry.

2025 entry deadlines

15 October 2024: Deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities, along with most medicine, dentistry, and veterinary courses.   29 January 2025: Deadline for applications to the majority of undergraduate courses. After this date, universities will start allocating places on these courses –   but you can still apply after the 29 January deadline , as this article explains . 30 June 2025:  Students who apply after this date will be entered into Clearing .

• Read more: Ucas deadlines and key application dates

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a central part of your Ucas application, where you explain why you’ve chosen a particular course and why you’ll be good at it. It's your chance to stand out against other candidates and hopefully get that all-important offer. You only write one personal statement which is then read by each university you apply to, so if you are applying for more than one subject (or it's a combined course) it's crucial that you include common themes or reference the overall skills needed for all subjects. Personal statements are especially important if you’re trying to get on a very competitive course, where you need to do anything you can to stand out to admissions tutors. Courteney Sheppard, senior customer experience manager at Ucas, advises that your personal statement is "the only part of the application that you have direct control over. Do lots of research to demonstrate your passion, curiosity and drive to pursue your chosen subject." There’s a limit on how much you can write: your personal statement can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of 95 characters (including spaces); whichever is shorter. This may appear generous (read: long) but once you've got going you may find yourself having to edit heavily.

• Read more: teacher secrets for writing a great personal statement

1. Plan what you want to cover

The first thing you need to do is make a plan. Writing a personal statement off the top of your head is difficult. Start by making some notes, answering the following questions:

• What do you want to study?
• Why do you want to study it?
• What is there about you that shows you’re suited to studying this subject at university? Think about your personality, as well as your experiences.
• What are your other interests and skills?

These few points are going to form the spine of your personal statement, so write them in a way that makes sense to you. You might want to make a simple bulleted list or you might want to get all arty and use a mindmap. Whatever you choose, your aim is the same. You want to get it clear in your own head why a university should offer you a place on its course. Getting those details down isn't always easy, and some people find it helpful to make notes over time. You might try carrying a notebook with you or set up a memo on your phone. Whenever you think of something useful for your personal statement, jot it down. Inspiration sometimes comes more easily when you’re thinking about something else entirely. It might help to take a look at The Student Room for some sample personal statements by university and sample personal statements by subjects , to give you an idea of the kind of thing you want to include. 

• Read more: personal statement FAQs

2. Show off your experience

Some things are worth adding to your personal statement, some things are not. Firmly in the second camp are your qualifications. You don’t need to mention these as there’s a whole other section of your personal statement where you get to detail them very precisely. Don’t waste a single character going on about how great your GCSE grades are – it’s not what the admissions tutor wants to read. What they do want to see is: what have you done? OK, so you’ve got some good grades, but so do a lot of other applicants. What have you done that’s different, that shows you off as someone who really loves the subject you’re applying for? Spend some time thinking about all the experience you have in that subject. If you’re lucky, this might be direct work experience. That’s going to be particularly appropriate if you’re applying for one of the more vocational subjects such as medicine or journalism . But uni staff realise getting plum work experience placements is easier for some people than others, so cast your net wider when you’re thinking about what you’ve done. How about after-school clubs? Debating societies? Are you running a blog or vlog? What key skills and experience have you picked up elsewhere (eg from hobbies) that could be tied in with your course choice? Remember, you’re looking for experience that shows why you want to study your chosen subject. You’re not just writing an essay about what you're doing in your A-level syllabus. Use this checklist as a guide for what to include:

• Your interest in the course. Why do you want to spend three years studying this subject at university?
• What have you done outside school or college that demonstrates this interest? Think about things like fairs/exhibitions, public lectures or voluntary work that is relevant to your subject.
• Relevant work experience (essential for the likes of medicine, not required for non-vocational courses such as English )
• Skills and qualities required for that career if appropriate (medicine, nursing and law as obvious examples)
• Interest in your current studies – what particular topics have made an impression on you?
• Any other interests/hobbies/experiences you wish to mention that are relevant either to the subject or 'going to uni'. Don't just list your hobbies, you need to be very selective and state clearly what difference doing these things has made to you.
• Plans for a gap year if you’re deferring entry.

Read more: 6 steps you need to take to apply to university

3. Be bold about your achievements

Don't be bashful about your achievements; that’s not going to help you get into uni. It's time to unleash your inner Muhammed Ali and get all “I am the greatest” with your writing. Do keep it focused and accurate. Do keep your language professional. But don’t hide your qualities beneath a layer of false modesty. Your personal statement is a sell – you are selling yourself as a brilliant student and you need to show the reader why that is true. This doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and if you’re finding it difficult to write about how great you are it’s time to enlist some help. Round up a friend or two, a family member, a teacher, whoever and get them to write down your qualities. Getting someone else’s view here can help you get some perspective. Don’t be shy. You are selling your skills, your experience and your enthusiasm – make sure they all leap off the screen with the way you have described them.

• Read more: the ten biggest mistakes when writing your personal statement  

4. How to start your personal statement

Type your personal statement in a cloud-based word processing program, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word and don’t copy and paste it into Ucas Hub until it’s finished.  One of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can run spell check easily. (Please note, though, that Word adds "curly" quotation marks and other characters (like é or ü) that won't show up on your Ucas form, so do proofread it on Ucas Hub before submitting it to ensure it is how you typed it.)  Another big benefit is that you'll always have a backup of what you've written. If you're being super careful, you could always save your statement in another place as well. Bear in mind that extra spaces (eg adding spaces to the beginnings of paragraphs as indentation) are removed on Ucas. In your first sentence, cut to the chase. Why do you want to do the course? Don’t waste any time rambling on about the daydreams you had when you were five. Just be clear and concise – describe in one line why this course is so important to you. Then, in the rest of your intro, go into more detail in demonstrating your enthusiasm for the course and explaining how you decided this is what you want to do for the next three or more years. However you choose to start your statement, just avoid the following hoary old chestnuts. These have been some of the most used lines in personal statements over the years – they are beyond cliche, so don’t even think about it.

• From a young age I have (always) been [interested in/fascinated by]…
• For as long as I can remember, I have…
• I am applying for this course because… 
• I have always been interested in… 
• Throughout my life I have always enjoyed… 
• Reflecting on my educational experiences… 
• [Subject] is a very challenging and demanding [career/profession/course]… 
• Academically, I have always been… 
• I have always wanted to pursue a career in… 
• I have always been passionate about…   

5. Focus your writing on why you've chosen that subject

So you’ve got your intro done – time to nail the rest of it. Bear in mind that you’ve got to be a little bit careful when following a personal statement template. It’s easy to fall into the trap of copying someone else’s style, and in the process lose all of your own voice and personality from your writing. But there is a rough order that you can follow, which should help keep you in your flow. After your opening paragraph or two, get into any work experience (if you’ve got it). Talk about extracurriculars: anything you've done which is relevant to the subject can go here – hobbies, interests, volunteering. Touch on your career aspirations – where do you want this course to take you? Next, show your enthusiasm for your current studies. Cite some specific examples of current work that you enjoyed. Show off your relevant skills and qualities by explaining how you’ve used these in the past. Make sure you’re giving real-world examples here, not just vague assertions like “I’m really organised and motivated”. Try to use examples that are relevant.   Follow this up with something about you as a person. Talk about non-academic stuff that you like to do, but link it in some way with the course, or with how it shows your maturity for dealing with uni life. Round it all off by bringing your main points together, including a final emphasis of your commitment to studying this particular course.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement in an evening  

6. How long should a personal statement be?

You've got to work to a very specific limit when writing your personal statement. In theory you could use up to 4,000 characters – but you’re probably more likely to be limited by the line count. That's because it's a good idea to put line breaks in between your paragraphs (to make it more readable) and you only get a maximum of 47 lines. With this in mind, 3,500 characters is a more realistic limit. But when you’re getting started you should ignore these limits completely. At first, you just want to get down everything that you feel is important. You'll probably end up with something that is far too long, but that's fine. This is where you get to do some polishing and pruning. Keep the focus of your piece on the course you’re applying for, why you want to do it and why you’re perfectly suited to it. Look through what you’ve written so far – have you got the balance right? Chop out anything that goes on a bit, as you want each point to be snappy and succinct.

• Read more: universities reveal all about personal statements  

7. Keep it simple

Editing your statement isn’t just about hitting a character count. You need to also make sure your writing is doing its job: explaining why you want to do the course and why you’re right for it. Simplicity is the key here. Aim for short, punchy sentences that get your point across. Keep reminding yourself that you are not writing an essay. What matters are the facts – get these across clearly and avoid the temptation to embroider your writing with flowery language. As a guide, spend around 60% of the space talking about your course, why you want to do it and how you’re suited to it, 30% on your work experience and any other activities that are relevant to your subject and 10% on your career aspirations. Exactly how you write your statement depends on your subject – generally people write more about work experience for vocational subjects like medicine and law than they would for subjects like maths or English where work experience is less important.   

8. Smart ways to end your personal statement

Writing a closing line that you’re happy with can feel as tricky as coming up with your opener. What you’re looking for here is a sign-off that is bold and memorable. The final couple of sentences in your statement give you the opportunity to emphasise all the good stuff you’ve already covered. Use this space to leave the reader in no doubt as to what an excellent addition you would be to their university. Pull together all your key points and – most importantly – address the central question that your personal statement should answer: why should you get a place on the course?

• Read more: universities explain how to end your personal statement with a bang  

9. Make sure your personal statement has no mistakes

Now you’ve got a personal statement you’re happy with, you need to make sure there are no mistakes. Check it, check it a second time, then check it again. Once you’ve done that, get someone else to check it, too. You will be doing yourself a massive disservice if you send through a personal statement with spelling and/or grammatical errors. You’ve got months to put this together so there really is no excuse for sending through something that looks like a rush job. Ask your teachers to look at it, and be prepared to accept their feedback without getting defensive. They will have seen many personal statements before; use what they tell you to make yours even better. You’ve also got another chance here to look through the content of your personal statement, so you can make sure the balance is right. Make sure your focus is very clearly on the subject you are applying for and why you want to study it. Don’t post your personal statement on the internet or social media where anyone can see it. You will get picked up by the Ucas plagiarism checker. Similarly, don't copy any that you find online. Instead, now is a good time to make your parents feel useful. Read your personal statement out to them and get them to give you feedback. Or try printing it out and mixing it up with a few others (you can find sample personal statements on The Student Room). Get them to read them all and then try to pick yours out. If they can't, perhaps there's not enough of your personality in there.  

10. Don't think about your personal statement for a whole week

If you followed the advice at the very start of this guide, you’ve started your personal statement early. Good job! There are months before you need to submit it. Use one of these weeks to forget about your personal statement completely. Get on with other things – anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed.

• Read more: how to write your personal statement when you have nothing interesting to say  

10 steps to your ideal personal statement

In summary, here are the ten steps you should follow to create the perfect personal statement.  

Personal statement dos and don'ts

• Remember that your personal statement is your personal statement, not an article written about your intended field of study. It should tell the reader about you, not about the subject.
• Only put in things that you’re prepared to talk about at the interviews.
• Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course – more than just "enjoying the subject" (this should be a given).
• For very competitive courses, find out as much as you can about the nature of the course and try to make your personal statement relevant to this.
• Be reflective. If you make a point like 'I like reading', 'I travelled abroad', say what you got from it.
• Go through the whole thing checking your grammar and your spelling. Do this at least twice. It doesn’t matter if you’re not applying to an essay-based course – a personal statement riddled with spelling mistakes is just going to irritate the reader, which is the last thing you want to do. If this is something you find difficult then have someone look over it for you.
• Leave blank lines between your paragraphs. It’s easier for the reader to get through your personal statement when it’s broken into easily digestible chunks. Remember that they’re going to be reading a lot of these! Make yours easy to get through.
• Get someone else's opinion on your statement. Read it out to family or friends. Share it with your teacher. Look for feedback wherever you can find it, then act upon it.
• Don’t write it like a letter. Kicking off with a greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam" not only looks weird, it also wastes precious space.
• Don’t make jokes. This is simply not the time – save them for your first night in the union.
• Don’t criticise your current school or college or try to blame teachers for any disappointing grades you might have got.
• Be afraid of details – if you want your PS to be personal to you that means explaining exactly which bits of work or topics or activities you've taken part in/enjoyed. It's much more compelling to read about one or two detailed examples than a paragraph that brushes over five or six.
• Just list what you're doing now. You should pull out the experiences that are relevant to the courses which you're applying to.
• Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated by you or what you learnt from them. Anyone can write "I have great leadership skills" in a PS, actually using a sentence to explain when you demonstrated good leadership skills is much rarer and more valuable.
• Refer to experiences that took place before your GCSEs (or equivalent).
• Give explanations about medical or mental health problems. These should be explained in your reference, not your PS.
• Apply for too many different courses, making it difficult to write a convincing personal statement which supports the application.
• Write a statement specific to just one institution, unless you're only applying to that one choice.
• Copy and paste the statement from somewhere else! This means do not plagiarise. All statements are automatically checked for plagiarism by Ucas. Those that are highlighted by the computer system are checked manually by Ucas staff. If you’re found to have plagiarised parts of your statement, the universities you apply to will be informed and it could jeopardise your applications.
• Use ChatGPT or another AI program to write your personal statement for you. Or, if you do, make sure you thoroughly edit and personalise the text so it's truly yours. Otherwise you're very much at risk of the plagiarism point above.

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Should you discuss mental health issues in your college essay?

by Erica L. Meltzer | Oct 20, 2018 | Blog , College Essays | 6 comments

Image ©Nickshot, Adobe Stock

Note, January 2022: This post was written in 2018, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, many things have changed since then, not least the amount of psychological pressure that many high school students have experienced. Clearly, some of the boundaries and expectations surrounding acceptable/advisable topics for admissions essays have shifted, and applicants undoubtedly have more leeway in discussing mental-health issues than they did in the past. That said, I would still caution against making this subject the exclusive focus of your essay(s). If it happens to be relevant—and it very well might be, given the events of the last couple of years— then you should focus on discussing it in a mature way that conveys qualities such as empathy and resilience, and that demonstrates your ability to reflect insightfully on what may have been very difficult situations.  

As regular readers of my blog may know, I periodically trawl the forums over at College Confidential to see what’s trending. Recently, I’ve noticed a concerning uptick in the number of students asking whether it’s appropriate for them to write about mental health issues, most frequently ADD and/or anxiety, in their college applications.

So the short answer: don’t do it.

The slightly longer version:

If you’re concerned about a drop in grades or an inconsistent transcript, talk to your guidance counselor. If these types of issues are addressed, the GC’s letter is the most appropriate place for them. If, for any reason, the GC is unable/unwilling to discuss them and the issues had a significant impact on your performance in school that unequivocally requires explanation, you can put a brief, matter of fact note in the “is there any additional information you’d like us to know?” section, but think very carefully about how you present it. Do not write your main essay about the issue.

The full version:

To understand why these topics should generally be avoided, you need to understand what information colleges are actually seeking to gain from the personal statement. Although it is technically a personal narrative, it is, in a sense, also a persuasive essay: its purpose is to convey what sets you apart from the thousands of others with equally good grades and scores, and to suggest whether you have qualities that make you more likely to thrive at university x than the other 10 or 15 or even 20 applicants clamoring for that spot.

Now, whether such thing can actually be determined from 650 words (with which some students receive significant help) is of course questionable; however, the bottom line is that, adcoms are looking for students who will be successful in college. Discussing one’s inability to focus or intense aversion to social situations does not exactly inspire confidence, even if a student insists those problems have been overcome. Leaving home, dealing with professors and roommates and more challenging classes… Those are all major stressors. There is a tacit understanding that of course some students will flame out, have breakdowns, etc., but adcoms are understandably hesitant to admit anyone who is already at a higher risk for those issues. You want them to be excited about the prospect of admitting you, not debate whether you’ll really be able to handle college. (In fact, I had multiple students with various issues who were not truly ready for college and who did flame out — colleges have good reason to take these things seriously.)

This concern goes beyond any particular student’s well-being: graduation rates get factored into rankings, and every student who doesn’t make it through drags that statistic just a little bit lower. If a student does develop serious problems while on campus, there are also potential legal/liability issues involved, and no school wants to deliberately court those.

Besides, if your grades are iffy, it is extremely difficult not to sound as if you are making excuses. You are much better off talking about an experience or interest that will make them look past the transcript and think, “Hey, I really like this kid.” And the reality is that if your grades are that iffy, you’re probably not a competitive candidate at super-selective colleges anyway. These schools are looking for applicants who are on the way to fulfilling their potential, not for ones who need to explain away chronic underachievement.

In addition, one thing applicants — and sometimes their parents — have difficulty wrapping their heads around is the sheer number of applications the average admissions officer has encountered. Situations that may seem extreme and dramatic to adolescents who have recently confronted them may in fact have already been experienced — and written about — by thousands of other applicants. A 17-year old may believe that describing their anxiety in morbid detail will make them seem complex and introspective, but more likely it will only come off as overwrought and trite.

I know that might sound harsh, but please remember that admissions officers are coming at this process with no pre-existing knowledge of you as a person, only a few minutes to spend on your essay, and hundreds of other applications to get through. They are also under intense pressure to ensure that the appropriate demographics targets are being met and all the various institutional constituencies (coaches, development office, orchestra conductor) are being satisfied. They’re not ogres, and they’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if yours is the fifth essay about overcoming anxiety they’ve seen in the last 48 hours, they will look at it and reflexively think, “oh, another one of these.” That is not a first impression you want to make.

Now, are there exceptions? Yes, of course, but they are rare. In all the time I did college admissions work, I had exactly one student successfully discuss anxiety in an essay. It was, however, introduced in the context of a family tragedy that had profoundly shaped the student’s life; given that background, the discussion seemed natural and matter of fact rather than overdramatized. Even so, I made the student take a good week to think about whether that topic was truly the one they wanted to write about.

Ultimately, of course, the decision is yours, and the choice depends on the larger story you want to tell as well as your ability as a writer, but these topics are so difficult to pull off well that you are best off avoiding them if you can (particularly if you don’t have access to someone with a lot of admissions experience who can review your essay). Find another topic/ experience that you enjoy writing about (and that others are likely to enjoy reading about); that presents you as someone interesting and thoughtful; and that suggest you are ready to thrive in college.

If you really are concerned about your ability to function in college, most schools have plenty of resources for you to take advantage of (academic support, counseling center, etc.). But those are things to investigate after you get admitted. Before that, don’t go out of your way to fly red flags where none are warranted.

Why is Dyslexia ok to mention on an essay, but overcoming selective mutism is not?

Dyslexia is a learning disability that lends itself to proof that it has been overcome through excellent scores in reading and writing. It’s not easy to overcome or cope with dyslexia so an essay showing how a student did it demonstrates their tenacity and resourcefulness. Grades and scores are proof that the dyslexia will not be a problem in college, while the essay can highlight the characteristics that led to the student’s success and which will serve them well in college.

I wrote about how my dog helped me overcome me ending my life/depression and moving to another school is that too common

Thanks for the tips and perspective. It seems like common sense to me as a parent and tutor, but now I have an “established author” to cite!

I want to write about how depression had change me. But my grades and statistics are all great. Is this okay to write? My bad mental health somehow didn’t manage to get to the others parts of my life.

Is it okay to write about how despite psychosis I could manage to get good grades?

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Should you mention your history with mental health issues in your medical school application? Plus, what issues often affect disadvantaged students and URMs?

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For more help on your medical school application, check out The Premed Years Podcast .

[00:26] Question of the Day

Q: “I was wanting to know how medical schools view mental health and if that’s something that we should disclose to medical schools or if that’s still kind of a taboo in society?”

A: This is a very tough question. But this is something I talk a lot about because it’s always something that is top of mind for students who have struggled with mental health.

And ultimately, the question that medical schools have when they’re looking at an application is: Will this student succeed in our medical school? Will this student represent our medical school to the fullest? Will this student finish medical school in the time we have allotted, which is typically four years for most medical schools?

If students are taking longer to graduate medical school, that’s typically something they have to report for accreditation purposes. They don’t like reporting stuff to the accreditation bodies.

Medical schools are looking at GPA, MCAT score, and the rest of the application to see if the student is going to do well in their school. And if you have a history of any mental health struggles and you have a demonstrated issue because of the mental health struggles that you have, this is going to start to raise some red flags for medical schools.

By demonstrated issues, meaning, they’re going to look at whether you had to take time off of undergrad. Did you fail out of a semester? Did you have to withdraw a semester or take a year off or whatever that journey looks like?

If you have an academic record, that’s stellar. If you didn’t miss any classes and did well in undergrad and did well on the MCAT. And then you have depression or have bipolar, but your academic history says, you’re doing okay, it’s probably not going to be an issue.

[02:52] Should You Discuss Your Mental Health Issues?

There is a huge stigma in our society around mental health. And you would hope it’d be less in medical school admissions, but we’re all healthcare professionals. We want to take care of people with mental health. At the end of the day, they are still individuals reviewing applications.

Maybe you won’t have to focus on it 1,000% because the point of the application is really about why you want to be a doctor. If part of that reason of why you want to be a doctor is because of your mental health struggles, go for it. But also need to understand that it could be a red flag for some medical schools. They may not look at the application because of that, which stinks. But that’s just the way it is.

[04:11] Discussing Breaks in Your Education Due to Mental Health Issues

Q: Is it best for students who have taken time off to not disclose that about their mental health?

A: In the primary application, there really isn’t any specific place for disclosing time off. Where a lot of time off comes from, in terms of answering that question, is in secondary essays. A lot of schools will ask if you had any breaks in your education, and that’s where you can talk about those breaks in your education. Now, it is completely individual. You may have had multiple breaks. Someone else may have had just one semester to deal with something and so on.

At the end of the day, try to put yourself in the shoes of the admissions committee. If you’ve had multiple breaks and multiple issues over the period of your undergrad career, you will likely need breaks again throughout medical school because medical school is that much harder. Your sleep is going to be less and self-care is going to be less. And that exacerbates mental health issues. So a person reading that will probably assume that you’re going to need a lot of extra help in medical school.

If you can potentially frame it in a different way, then you can try that. But if you just really want to be you and you want schools to accept and support you, that’s another potential argument for why you should disclose.

If you’re going to apply to 20 schools and you disclose your mental health struggles and taking time off, and there are five schools that are okay with it, then great. You can be who you are in those schools. And you can step forward and be honest and go ask for help.

On the contrary, some students who may avoid putting stuff on an application may be scared to go seek help. And so students suffer in silence, which isn’t good either.

[07:00] Mental Health Support

Q: Do medical schools offer any type of mental health services? Do they do anything at all to help check on you and just make sure that you, as a student, are okay and to help lift that burden?

A: As you go through this process and you’re looking at schools to apply to, either ask students who go to that school or search anywhere online where you can find students at those schools. Ask them if they have resources for mental health stress, or testing anxiety, or whatever. A lot of schools will have that in place because they know that they need it.

[08:12] How Do They Look Upon LGBT Applicants

Q: How do you think medical schools view being LGBT?

A: It’s something that that is just looked at separately. A lot of schools may look at it at some secondary essays. They may ask if you identify as part of the LGBT community. And it’s a simple yes, no, or essay type response. Schools will use that to add diversity to their class.

It’s a very med school-specific thing to determine how they potentially ask those questions, and how they weigh that into a diversity conversation.

It’s just another part of the application. It’s another part of who you are as a student. Medical schools are going to look at all the applications holistically. And a lot of students roll their eyes with that word. Holistically doesn’t mean they’re not looking at your scores. But it means that if you have shown yourself academically capable of succeeding in medical school, they’re going to look at your whole application to determine who you are.

Again, it’s not about being LGBT or whether you have mental health issues. It’s just part of your story and the whole application.

[11:30] Going Against Religion or Personal Beliefs

Everyone’s an individual. We all have our own beliefs and our own thoughts about religion and the LGBT community and everything else. Unfortunately, not everyone is open, progressive, and accepting of everyone. And that’s their own issue to deal with. 

Depending on the state, depending on the hospital, there are going to be policies and procedures in place to have them be able to take care of people that they may not specifically want to take care of.

That being said, there’s no need to disclose with medical schools to say it’s against their religion so they wouldn’t want to care for this type of patient.

[12:31] Can’t Afford to Fly Out to Interviews

Q: What do you recommend for students who can’t afford to fly out for interviews?

A: You need to understand that the application process is expensive – from the primary applications to the secondary applications, to having a suit to wear for the interviews, to actually flying and staying in a hotel, food, and everything – while you’re traveling.

Check out the Medical School Applications Cost Estimator and use it to estimate the costs of applying. You just need to budget and save as much as you can before you apply.

The worst thing that you can do is apply to medical school, drain all of your funds, and when it comes to getting an interview going, you can’t go. That just shows them that you probably didn’t plan very well. And that shows a part of who you are.

For example, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, which is a relatively new school, doesn’t do interviews. They do a video recorded-type response, but they don’t do in-person interviews. So that’s one school out of almost 200 that doesn’t do interviews.

I don’t see interviews changing because humans need to have someone sit in front of them. Although data shows that’s not necessarily true to be able to get to know someone and have that interaction. But that’s just the way it’s been and it’s probably going to be that way for a long time.

Moreover, there is a benefit to going to the schools and seeing the school and seeing the culture and talking to students and looking at facilities. I personally think an in-person interaction is always the best.

I’m not saying the interview process typically is the best to do in-person. In fact, there are a lot of issues with in-person interviews and the MMI, hopefully, is fixing some of that. That being said, Skype interviews for a lot of people would definitely be beneficial. It would help overcome a lot of the financial barriers for disadvantaged students.

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Should I mention mental health issues in personal statement?

Yep, definitely don’t mention it in your personal statement- that’s the thing that’s meant to make you sound really good. I included it in the “health” part of my UCAS application, had a letter from my GP and my head of sixth form also added a few lines in my reference.

Table of Contents

How do you explain mental health in a personal statement?

I am a good listener and have strong powers of empathy and understanding. I work well with others, but also have the courage to trust my own judgement and make my own decisions. I am purposeful and clear sighted in my ambitions, and I hope you will consider my application.

Is it okay to talk about depression in a personal statement?

It is best to completely leave out any mention of depression. Also, Aerus, it is not possible to “make it clear that you won’t relapse into depression.” This is not possible to do as anyone, including those who have never been depressed, can suddenly find themselves depressed.

Why is mental health not an excuse?

The definition of mental health clearly states that a person realises his abilities, cope with normal stresses of life and work productively. Mental health is not an excuse to just cut off or disregard any criticism that comes your way, in an attempt to protect your mental health.

Should you declare mental health on UCAS?

Ucas is about providing access to education for all. No student should be, or fear being, negatively impacted by disclosing a mental health condition. “Universities and colleges want students to succeed in their studies and have an array of support services available to ensure this.

Should you talk about mental health in college essay?

Vinik says that mental health problems should only be shared in the essay if the college would not be able to understand the applicant without knowing about this part of her. Generally, he discourages selecting this as a primary topic.

How do you write a statement of purpose for mental health nursing?

I am applying for a Mental Health Nursing degree because I want to help people who suffer from mental illness. With the skills I have acquired whilst working as a support worker and whilst studying a Health Professions course, I believe I will achieve my goal of going to university.

What should be in a personal statement for a mental health nurse?

I have strong analytical skills, work well under pressure and enjoy being a part of the clinical team. I am totally committed to my goal, and believe I have the necessary qualities to become a very successful Mental Health Nurse.

How do you write a good personal statement?

• Explain the reason for your choice and how it fits in with your aspirations for the future.
• Give examples of any related academic or work experience.
• Show you know what the course will involve and mention any special subjects you’re interested in.

Do colleges care about mental health?

Check out a college’s services ahead of time In a recent survey of college students with a diagnosed mental health condition, 45% rated their respective college as being somewhere between supportive and very supportive. The other 55% felt that mental health care on campus was less than ideal.

Do college applications ask about mental health?

For starters, it is important to know that it is actually illegal for a college to specifically ask for these types of details about your life, since doing so can be considered discrimination. Based on this reason alone, you are never required to disclose mental or physical health concerns on your application.

Can colleges discriminate based on mental health?

While universities are not responsible for mandating a student’s medical care, federal law does require that they do not discriminate against those who suffer from mental health disorders. Universities are also required to make reasonable accommodations to allow these students to succeed.

Is depression an excuse to ignore?

Mental illness alone is no excuse to break up with someone. Lots of people with mental health conditions are able to enjoy long-lasting, fulfilling, happy relationships. Just because someone is depressed, doesn’t mean you should write them off. A condition in and of itself is not a reason to break up with somebody.

Can you use anxiety as an excuse?

Using Anxiety to Hold Yourself Back. Depending on how you look at the world, using anxiety as an excuse to stay in a bad situation, date the wrong person, or simply not try may be no worse than skipping the occasional holiday meal. In this context, you can literally use anxiety to hold yourself back.

Is bipolar disorder just an excuse?

Myth: Bipolar disorder is a figment of one’s imagination. Fact: Bipolar disorder is a treatable brain disorder that is real and can cause a lot of suffering, especially if it is not well managed. Individuals cannot just snap out of it!

Do universities have a duty of care?

Universities owe all their students duties arising from the student contract and they have a general duty of care. They also have specific statutory responsibilities towards U18 students and disabled students.

How do you ask students about mental health?

• Breathe in and out, and notice the emotions that are inside of you.
• In the past week, how often have you felt: sad, angry, happy, joyful, proud, etc.?
• How much emotional support do you feel you have at school?
• What color is the best fit for how you feel today?

Should I write about depression in my college essay?

A statement about your treatment for depression is usually most appropriate for the Additional Information section on the Common Application, or for a supplemental essay in a college’s own portion of the application.

What should you not write about in a college essay?

• Controversial Topics. Controversial topics, such as current political hot buttons, should be avoided at all costs.
• Highly Personal Topics.
• Personal Achievements and Accomplishments.
• Most Important Place or a Role Model.
• Creative Writing.
• Athletic Topics.
• Humorous Topics or Jokes.
• Tragic Events.

Can you write about trauma in a college essay?

April 8, 2019. Traumatic or otherwise difficult experiences do NOT have to be off the table for your college application essays. They are legitimate subjects (depending on the essay prompt, of course; it has to make sense as a response to the particular question).

How do you write a personal statement for adult nursing?

I am versatile and adaptable and enjoy being challenged, and I work hard and am very dependable. I work well in a team but am equally confident acting on my own. My greatest virtues are my patience and my genuine compassion for those in my care, no matter how testing the circumstances might be.

How do I write a cover letter for a mental health job?

• Research the company website.
• List contact information at the top of your letter.
• Introduce yourself to the reader.
• Highlight relevant skills and information.
• Explain your unique qualifications for the position.
• Thank the hiring manager for their time.

How do I write a personal statement for a staff nurse?

• Education. Discuss your previous education experience relevant to nursing.
• Volunteer work.
• Work experience.
• Relevant skills.
• Personal motivation.
• Unique traits.
• Research the course.
• Read the directions.

How do you end a nursing personal statement?

• 1 Talk About Your Main Points.
• 2 Summarise Your Key Points In A Simple Way.
• 3 Use Your Key Points To Restate Your Passion For Your Course.
• 4 Double Down On Your “Why”
• 5 Mention The Next Step Of Your Application Process.
• 6 Make The Universities Excited To Have You As Their Student.

How many words should a nursing personal statement be?

An average personal statement length is around 500 to 1,000 words which will equate to one to two sides of typed A4 paper. You should aim to make your personal statement concise so that it is easy to read. Additionally, it should also be clear and simple to understand.

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Should I Disclose My Mental Health on My Law School Application?

Have you ever wondered if it’s a good idea to tell the law school admissions committee about any mental health or wellness concerns that you may have? Or if disclosing your mental health situation is required for your application? Let’s talk about it! 

In this blog post, we’re going to be talking about what reasons you may or may not decide to disclose your mental health concerns on your law school applications may be. We’ll discuss how to understand a school’s mental health and wellness support services, questions admissions may ask, and how to make the right decision for you.  

Would you rather listen to or watch this blog post? Watch our recent YouTube video on this topic by Associate Law School Consultant Alice Foley! 

Do Your Research

Like many parts of the application process, we always suggest that you start by doing your research on the schools you are interested in applying to. When it comes to mental health and wellness, that means looking at the law school’s support services available to professional students. 

During this process, it’s important to remember that applying to law school is not a one-way process. You are picking the law school you want to attend just as much as they are choosing you. If mental health is a concern for you, it’s important to look at schools that have the services that you may need throughout your time at law school. 

Law schools that are attached to a larger college or university may not have a dedicated counselor or support services to support you. You may have to go through main campus, and if that’s the case, it’s best to reach out to the school and ask. 

A great question to ask is whether or not a counselor center, crisis center, or whatever the wellness office is on campus prioritizes professional school services. It’s important to know if you will be able to access these as a law school student, especially if your law school is connected to a greater university with undergraduate students. 

A lot of times this information won’t be easily available on their website, so it is best to give the school a call or send them an email. The information they give may not be super detailed if you aren’t a student yet, but you will get an idea of whether or not professional students are prioritized in their counseling services. 

If you know someone that goes to or graduated from that law school, that is also a great resource to ask. Invite them out to coffee and ask questions about the campus climate and what wellness resources they had access to. 

Another key piece of research that you should do relates to where you want to practice law. If you already know what state you are interested in practicing in, see what the state bar asks in their character and fitness questions. 

Most of the time they are not going to ask broadly about mental health issues or concerns. Instead, they are going to ask very specific questions, like whether or not you have a mental health issue or concern that will affect your ability to practice.  

This is a very important phrase to understand. If your mental health issue is managed or have a support system that works for you, there is no reason to tell them because it should not affect your ability to practice. 

Focusing on the Questions Asked

If there are questions on your law school application (or state bar character and fitness questions), make sure to read them carefully and answer only what you are asked. You don’t need to give law schools any additional information about your mental health and wellness. 

Character and fitness questions on your law school application typically to four core areas, none directly related to mental health. 

Academic Disciplinary Actions

When it comes to academic discipline, they are asking if you were placed on academic probation, if you were accused of plagiarism, if you were caught cheating, or anything along those lines. 

Non-academic disciplinary actions include being suspended or expelled, if you have a bunch of dorm violations, or something like that. 

Criminal Offenses 

This one is pretty straightforward; law schools are interested in what your criminal history looks like. 

The description will usually sound something like: Any criminal law violations that you were arrested, cited, ticketed for, or charged with committing. 

Don’t panic if you have racked up a lot of parking tickets because they don’t typically ask about non-moving traffic violations. However, if you ran a red light, had a fender-bender, or something similar, those should be disclosed. 

They don’t expect you to talk about your expunged or sealed records in your law school application. 

Professional Organization Discipline

If you belong(ed) to a professional organization and/or you held any type of professional license before law school and your governing body disciplined you, suspended you, or revoked your membership or license, they want to know about that. 

Significant Financial Events

This includes major debt default or a bankruptcy.

If this question is answered yes, it signals to the admissions committee that they want to make sure they’re not putting you in line for a worse financial position. It’s likely not going to impact your application decision by itself, but law school is long and expensive and admissions committee members want to make sure they are setting you up for success in law school. 

These character and fitness questions serve two main functions: The admissions committee at your law school will look through them, and they will go to your state bar. 

Most state bars require you to include your law school applications as a part of your application to sit for the exam. If there are major discrepancies, they are going to ask why. This is why it’s important to disclose any infractions in your application. 

Make sure to answer the question you are asked. You do not have to elaborate to indicate why these events happened, unless that is something that is prompted or you feel necessary. If any of these issues were a result of mental health issues, you do not necessarily have to say so. 

How to Decide to Disclose 

You can absolutely tell the admissions committee about your mental health issue or concerns if you want to, but with the exception of some specific circumstances, you do not have to. 

Sometimes a mental health issue or concern will come up in your personal statement. diversity statement, addendum, or elsewhere in your application. That’s okay, but you don’t necessarily have to go into more detail than what is provided in the place that it showed up first. 

At the end of the day, the law school application process is about convincing the admissions committee that you belong in law school. If your mental health is a concern that comes up in your application materials, if it is an important piece of your history and the story that you want to tell to that admissions committee in your application, you can absolutely tell them. 

If you choose to self-disclose, make sure you know why you are doing it.  

It’s important to recognize that sometimes - not always, but sometimes - disclosure like that can raise a red flag. 

There is no reason that a mental health issue or concern should keep you from law school, but law school can be difficult. Admissions committee members don’t want to put you in a position where you will be unwell, that will stress you to the point of breaking. But if you are telling a story about how you have it managed and are taking care of yourself in the way that you need to make sure that you are healthy, that is what admissions committees want to see. 

The other thing that self-disclosure may provide is a chance for you to get connected with the law school support services (that you should have researched already!) before the start of the semester. 

At some schools, the process to get accommodations can take a really long time. If you can start if before even going to orientation, that means come mid-terms and finals, you will be ready to go. 

Some schools may also have a waitlist for you to see any counselors. Especially if it’s a counseling center that you share with a larger university, if you can get on the list before the semester starts, you are ahead of the game. That can be helpful, especially if they don’t prioritize professional students. 

Final Thoughts

Law school can be really hard at times, as any law school grad would tell you. Knowing that you have the support services that you need and understanding whether or not you should disclose your mental health concerns are key in the application process. 

There are lots of reasons to talk about a mental health issue or concern that you may have in your law school application, but at the end of the day you want to make sure that there is a why behind telling the admissions committee. 

The team at Barrier Breakers® Admissions Advising is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through discounted advising for BIPOC, first-generation, and LSAC Fee Waiver applicants, our essay review services and courses , or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School , we're here to help make this process easier.

As always, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast , streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.

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