Is this not a good application college essay topic?

Question

Okay, so the prompt was to write about why we wanted to major in whatever or what led to that major.

So I talk about some issues I had with depression and suicide and now I feel as if I shouldn't. I mean, I tried to address that in a mature, nonpitying way. I mean, it did contribute to my choice in major and I feel as if that's shaped who I am today.

But I think maybe I won't be accepted now that I put it in. I mean, I'm not the type of person to go hurting other people or anything. But what if I give off the impression I am?

Ah, and my scores aren't the best so I think by putting stuff in the essay about my mental health issues, which I thought were fairly common at least among kids I know, I just sabotaged myself.

I spent forever on those stupid essays. And now maybe one line means I won't get admitted! Agh.

Aw and I just realized in the question college and app should be switched around. Yeah, to show that I'm not an idiot I just want to say I noticed that.

Answer 1

I have read essays that address this well and others that don't. The ones that did it well included:
1- an honest admission that the person had been depressed and even suicidal, and what the "turnaround point" was that caused them to get help. And it is FINE to admit that you debated whether or not to include this in your essay, but that the experience has really influenced who you are today.

2- how they are a different person now that they have received treatment/what you learned from this process

3- why they believe it is unlikely that they will ever get to that point again. i.e. recognizing the warning signs and have developed better coping skills under stress

I have also seen essays where the writer "confesses" their dark thoughts to the reader and it doesn't appear that the person ever acknowledged a problem or received professional help. Those are the ones that scared me because if they were confessing these things to a stranger they wanted to impress they clearly had no accurate perception of how they came across. Made me think they would be a nightmare roommate without any common sense.

So go for it, just show that the process has matured you rather than kept you in turmoil.

Answer 2

Don't worry; if you suggested that this was a problem you had learned to cope with, and if it was related to your subject matter in some way and not just included gratuitously, I cannot imagine any school holding that against you. Certainly I went all through college deeply depressed, and it hasn't hurt me in the long run. If you don't get in, it is more likely to be because your scores "weren't the best", rather than because of your choice of topic.

Answer 3

I think it's probably fine. The fact that you have come to terms with that part of your life and are working to resolve it, and that it has led you to better things, such as choosing a major (what is your choice of major, btw?) is probably a good thing.
Personal growth is what college is all about.
The admissions board will probably recognize by your essay that you are willing and ready for even more personal growth.
Don't worry!

Answer 4

I suggest you choose something else. I can see a college saying, "We better not admit someone who is thinking so much about suicide."