The Biggest Topic to Avoid on Your College Application

[@SupertutorTV]

Want to read more than watch? 👀Check this out: supertutortv.com/college/biggest-topic-to-avoid-on-your-college-application

[@DonSyndrome]

I know someone who wrote about overcoming anxiety and was admitted to the engineering school at Cornell.

[@ichesley15]

To be completely honest, I kind of understand why. While I do think it is pretty disgusting how selective the college admissions process has become and how difficult it can be to understand what a university wants, I can see why discussing these topics can turn off an admissions officer, especially for an Ivy League school. Many Ivy League and Ivy League-level schools have horrible mental health statistics and don't necessarily have the best history of providing proper treatment for their students. At the end of the day the job of an admissions counselor is to admit students who they believe will be able to succeed at the university and if they know, in-depth, that an applicant is predisposed to struggles with mental health then the admissions counselor might believe the student is not the best fit for the university. Especially, at a university where they will be under intense academic pressure with little help from the university. There should be no shame around the discussions of mental health and I think a lot of universities need to do so much more in terms of how they take care of their students but given the current reality, this does make quite a bit of sense.

[@en2-joserivera896]

I agree.

[@Noe11e]

@@aman-qj5sx A bunch of top universities in the US are private. They aren't funded by taxpayer money (although public universities are expensive as well). There are thousands of applicants who have good grades, extracurriculars, etc. With a small number of seats available compared to the amount who apply every year, not everyone is going to get in. Edit: most unis also use a holistic process. They consider several other factors, not just grades.

[@mujtabaalam5907]

@@aman-qj5sx Both Germany and Canada have private universities

[@unknownperson3691]

@@aman-qj5sx there are more smart people than there are top university spots.

[@eneums]

This is really tough. I have 75 students finishing up college essays and 30% of them are addressing mental health in their essays. It’s very difficult to talk them out of writing about it.

[@brookifyd]

I know it's tough. And it's also that kids feel (understandably) that these stories are a part of their truth.

[@bwalyaphiri1011]

I almost cried watching this video and seeing a little of emotions from our amazing coach and knowing if I did essay writing myself, I would have made that mistake as I just recently got out of battling with depression and anxieties. Thanks a lot for this 🙌💯

[@arushigupta8399]

it is great that you got out of battling depression and anxiety! good job!

[@bwalyaphiri1011]

@@arushigupta8399 thank you

[@leyenda6149]

Off topic, but please consider doing a "reality check" video that helps students put into perspective dream schools they may need to just not apply to considering limitations in their GPA, SAT/ACT, & extracurricular activities

[@Loveitmore1]

You are so authentic and are always willing to tackle difficult subject matter. I appreciate your content so much.

[@abbyjolet4114]

In complete and true transparency, my top school at this moment is a state school, especially when it comes to affordability and the mere fact that….. well I’m an art major. However I’ve really appreciated this channel, and this is really helpful! My overcoming is most likely my strongest topic, so this is all really good to know.

[@84zero00]

Thank you for your video. The fact that the admission doesn't want to admit someone, who wrote about their mental struggles really angers me. My daughter has autism and Tourette's. She overcame Tourette's tics herself. But she is always a person with autism. It is part of who she is. She wants to pursue degree in neuroscience because of what has been going on her brain. She is inspired by her own experiences on neurological struggles. It is sad that the admission discriminates people based on their neurological differences. It should even be illegal. She was proud to be herself and was going to write an essay on how she overcame them and on the fact that these mental struggles were actually more like gifts to her now. But now, I will have to tell her to stop writing about her neurological differences, because the admission simply doesn't want to admit someone like my daughter? How would that make her feel?

[@aditicrosby]

Thank you so much for confirming this. My daughter has this struggle and was wondering whether to write about it as her "challenge" essay topic. Now I'll tell her to avoid it like the plague. It's just not worth it to risk. Your videos are very helpful!

[@abrhamtesfaye2605]

You know, I have watched your videos since I was in like grade 9 and you have been my companion for at least 5 years. I'm about to apply for college. By the way, I'm an international student and your videos have had a great impact on my life. When I struggled with the process of application, the only thing that kept me from falling was your video, so I want to thank you even though I don't have the Oxford dictionary word that fits you, so just God bless you. Finally, I'm going to take 2 tests on October 1, which are the SAT and Duolingo English tests, so wish me luck. Last but not least, you have so many similarities with Emma Stone. Have you ever noticed this, or have you ever received a compliment like this: "Hey, are you Emma Stone's sister?"

[@toyagirl1]

Would you say ADHD is “mental health”? I was initially dismissed from college because I had horrid grades and only just went back and I now have a 4.0 and will be applying this fall. I only just found out I had ADHD this last semester. It’s been eye opening and I feel it’s pertinent because those grades are still present on my transcript despite them no longer impacting my GPA.

[@SupertutorTV]

In a case like this it sounds like figuring out what was going on actually helped improve your situation rather than deteriorate it. When you have horrible grades they do need explanation and if that is what the explanation is you were probably better off mentioning it but I would keep it for the additional information not your main essay. You want to shine in a way that goes beyond ADHD.

[@sophian.777]

Hi! I applied recently to colleges, and as someone who also has adhd, I totally feel for you. As she said in this video, I wouldn’t make it the main focus of any of the essays, but you can mention it. In one of my essays, I talked about how because my brain worked differently, it gave me new insight on certain subjects, and inspired me to become a math tutor. I talked about my ability to hyper focus and think outside the box. The important thing is that you talk about how your struggle made you a better person (even if it isn’t necessarily true).

[@toyagirl1]

@@sophian.777 thank you for your insight! I decided to mention it in the challenges prompt, PIQ

[@kingexplosionmurderfuckoff9376]

@@toyagirl1 Did you make it in?

[@mikhailareid8412]

So for my personal statement draft I’ve written about the trauma associated with being a child of immigrants and how that encouraged me to pursue a career in the research of collective trauma. Although I don’t explicitly say I’m depressed I do talk about higher rates of mental illness within my demographic. I’m kind of scared now that even that is toeing it a little close to the line

[@brookifyd]

As I said, writing about challenges=good. Writing about your depression, mental health or implying your own issues there=bad.

[@sillyslayer_]

ok so i definitely should not be writing about that time i was hospitalized for hearing voices!!

[@litete2512]

So my essay focuses on my acceptance of the fact that i dont have close friends 😅 but i also realised that i had many people supporting me in academics and life in general. However part of my essay does talk about where i'd had to deal with being bullied for acting "weirdly" (ie. Showing reclusive behaviours) and how i overcame that struggle during the christmas break by studying, praying to God, going to church and relaxing, which affirmed my self worth and boosted my confidence. This in turn allowed me to be more active in student life as i volunteer frequently and i am also able to go and handle myself in public (btw i live in Jamaica the country so this is more of a major bonus than it seems for US citizens). So is my essay ok, or should i like tweak it or scrap it entirely? I dont see much of an issue with it, my grades and activites are ok and aside from 1 school i dont intend to go to a top level university, and i dont have any other good essay ideas.

[@_WhatsOnUrMind]

I also kind of see why they don't like these types of topics, one thing I really agreed with my counselor is that when you write about these stuff, no matter it's your depression anxiety problems or your parent's divorce, if you are just plainly writing about it, it doesn't show why you are a better applicant and has nothing to do with you being admitted or not to this college. Not that you can't write about it at all, but only if you can show how you are a better applicant and show that you are a good fit for the college then you can write about it.

[@hazelthylacine6995]

I am wondering if I should write about my high school suspension? I got suspended my sophomore year of high school for writing and distributing a Google form about a teacher. This teacher broke school code on multiple occasions and many reports had been written about her to the office. I felt as though the school wasn't handling the situation well, they allowed the teacher to know who wrote incident reports on her and those students experienced backlash, so I took it into my own hands. I made the form to be a safe area where students could respectfully voice what was happening in the classroom. I had the support of my mom and grandparents and they even helped me try to organize a meeting with the principal to go over the results. That is when they suspended me for harrasment of a teacher and never took the time to go over the survey information. My mom would have appealed the suspension with an attorney, but we could not afford one. Should I potentially add this to my college essay, or will they think I was a disrespectful little bully like my school did? My grades in her class were awful (D's and F's), but after my suspension she never came back, we got a new teacher and I earned A's on every assignment he gave me. My final grade was a B- which is the lowest grade I've gotten in high school.

[@arkoroy7469]

Thank you so much Brooke! We forget that the readers of our essay are real people, with their own likes, preferences, and views. And we have to remember that the the picture our essays are painting doesn't cause a red flag to any of their minds. I'm actually struggling after the application process too. I gave 8 months of my life to the US College Application and went nowhere. Worst of all, I've been waitlisted by Franklin & Marshall College and Trinity College, CT since March. It's very frustrating to stay in this limbo for so long. Do you think I should be optimistic about these waitlists?

[@josepharmstrong6429]

I don't see why some colleges would do that tbh.

[@FantasticFoxVlogs]

I was going to write my personal statement on losing my friend, who was part of the lgbtq+, to suicide and how it led me to get involved in mental health, lgbtq+ issues, and neuroscience-my intended major. Would this hurt my application? I have other essays I could use, but I was planning on doing this.

[@brookifyd]

If it's about your friend NOT you, then I do think you can write about it. But be clear about your why/how on your interests and ensure that your own story is also on the page-- i.e. it's not too much about your friend. Also be careful on the balance of positivity vs. negativity.

[@josecisternas3723]

I LOVE YOUUU 😭, tysm ♥️

[@ManuelGomez-xy6ph]

I’m currently applying as a transfer student. In one of my essays where I need to discuss a challenge in my life, I talk about my chronic migraine condition. Mental health is not my main talking point here, but I do mention that it was impacted due to my chronic migraine condition. I bring up later how I’ve overcome it, Is this okay?

[@bpxl53yewz29]

Speaking of Cornell and going a bit off topic, it would be misleading to think that everyone's application/essays get read by admissions officers and/or faculty. Cornell puts out job listing each year for temporary essay readers. They are just folks in the area or just friends of admissions people, etc. and often very young. I found out my reader for a UC school had just graduated only a few months before deciding the fates of 1000s of applicants.

[@wimwomwim209]

lol now i’m overthinking my essay that i wrote about overcoming anxiety… sigh

[@NoeliaGarcia-cb9cs]

hey! i wrote my college essay about depression and how i overcame it, as long as you write about how that shaped you into who you are and less about the negativity it brought i’m sure you’re good. i managed to get into all the schools i applied to plus my dream school! good luck!

[@commondirtbagz7130]

I’m almost completely certain this violates the equal protections clause and is extremely illegal.

[@フアン-f6e]

YES, I heard that story with the girl and was so confused

[@leyenda6149]

I remember hearing about that girl. Whatever happened to her?

[@leyenda6149]

@@aman-qj5sx Suzy Lee Weiss. That was an interesting state of affairs

[@jhmrem]

I usually try to make a funny comment. But the fact that we still stigmatize mental health is not funny at all.

[@foxdaledigital]

Help! I finished my Junior year and have an overall weighted GPA of 4.2. I received a Junior achievement award for English and am in leadership roles in several school clubs. BUT, no matter how hard I try, I can't get get my ACT over 25! I've taken it 4 times! Should I submit test optional? Thank you and love your content!!

[@gloriamartinez5540]

Out of curiosity, what is a junior achievement award? I also would like to ask how you acquired leadership positions in your school clubs, my school is young compared to other schools in my district and there are probably three active clubs. I didn’t know clubs were such a huge part of admissions and didn’t join a club freshman year, I want to ask if joining your clubs freshman year lead to you acquiring leadership roles (My reach school is a state school)

[@KhalidaKhairy]

a question, what if its someone writing about war? i am from Afghanistan.

[@gheller2261]

On the one hand, rejecting an applicant because the student has mental illness is reprehensible and probably should be against the law. On the other, this supposed 30% of students suffering from mental illness is nonsense. These days, every parent seems to claim that their kid has anxiety and depression as an excuse for their simply not being at the top at the top. It is beyond irritating to those of us who have a child who has been clinically diagnosed, whose brain wiring actually requires medication as opposed to "my kid is depressed because she didn't get an A on a test" or "my kid has anxiety" because they are taking more AP courses than they can handle.

[@Astroshid]

What about ADHD and OCD? Please someone answer

[@AbdulMalik-uz5ok]

I’m also 2nd and third and fourth and fifth

[@arktheidiot]

My school does not offer any AP courses. Will the APs I self-study for be factored into course rigor or is it based on just the classes I take in my school?

[@anthonywilson7041]

Yes, you get to list 8 AP exam scores in the common app so they are counted toward academic rigor. However, because you won’t have a grade in the class, these scores will only really help you if they are a 5. POSSIBLY a 4 in some hard subjects like Chem or Physics. It’s kind of a rule not to really put anything lower than a 3 on the application

[@sabrinam7866]

my letters of rec may include stuff about my mental heatlh bc my teachers who are writing them for me know me well and know about some mental health difficuties i've had, is that ok? if i don't mention it on my own, is that ok??

[@brookifyd]

You might ask them to keep some of that on the DL for you. It's not ok if they say you struggle with an eating disorder, depression etc.

[@AbdulMalik-uz5ok]

Nobody can beat me

[@AbdulMalik-uz5ok]

I’m always first

[@MdSohelrana-wv7im]

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[@AbdulMalik-uz5ok]

First

[@antonioruelas8902]

i respect the hustle

[@jocelyncarrasco481]

what a go-getter

[@AbdulMalik-uz5ok]

@@jocelyncarrasco481 You look too old to be here You should be pursuing your phd lol

[@mikhailareid8412]

So for my personal statement draft I’ve written about the trauma associated with being a child of immigrants and how that encouraged me to pursue a career in the research of collective trauma. Although I don’t explicitly say I’m depressed I do talk about higher rates of mental illness within my demographic. I’m kind of scared now that even that is toeing it a little close to the line

[@mollyjames9534]

You're amazing, like wow that sounds like a lot. Really those colleges should appreciate such diverse perspectives, especially with claims to striving for diversity. This is your story and you should not have to limit it or feel like it has to be avoidant of some things. I know this is just my opinion, but seriously, if colleges can't appreciate such strong and unique individuals, then that is seriously their MAJOR MAJOR loss.