Application essay about parents' paranoid ideations?

[Anonymous]

Good idea? Bad idea? Inconsequential?

[Anonymous]

Bad idea. What college would want to deal with the parents and a kid who may inherit severe MH issues that often first become apparent in college?

[Anonymous]

IDK, OP. It probably depends on the details. Honestly, my first thought was how some psychotic disorders run in families and tend to first show up in young adulthood. That's not something you want college administration thinking about.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the two PP's.

[Anonymous]

I like it. I feel like I've read a few bestsellers along these lines.

[Anonymous]

Hell no!

[Anonymous]

Very much depends on tone, severity, and a bunch of other context.

I could imagine a funny, well-written, self-aware essay on this subject that demonstrates an applicant's independence, triumph over adversity, and resolve.

I could also imagine a train wreck of an essay that just makes the student and their family sound unstable at best.

I wouldn't do this without running it by a college counselor or other advisor first and thinking critically about what the goal of the essay is. If the only goal is to say "look how hard it was to grow up with a parent like this," I wouldn't do it. The essay is not supposed to be a plea for pity. The applicant needs to sell themselves. So only do it if the story reveals some really winning qualities by the applicant.

[Anonymous]

The kid would have to be an INCREDIBLY skilled writer to pull this off. It would take a lot of sensitivity to write about it without sounding like the writer is looking for sympathy. OTOH ... I can only imagine what a formative experience this must have been. My heart goes out to the kid.

[Anonymous]

I think it also raises the question -- should you really capitalize on a parent's mental health issue for your college essay? I vote no.

That said ... I can see some possibilities. Maybe the writer wants to become a neuroscientist or a therapist. Maybe the kid is obsessed with logic and data ... perhaps that's a subconscious reaction to the parent's paranoia. It COULD work. But it could also backfire.

[Anonymous]

Seriously?!?

[Anonymous]

It will all be in the execution. But needs to be about the kid, not the parent. Risky, probably not the best choice.

[Anonymous]

If the parent is actually mentally ill then MAYBE but you probably shouldn't. There is a huge difference between being misinformed / mislead and - well - actually mentally ill. A lot of people believe stuff for years before realizing it isn't reality. That isn't mental illness.

Tread carefully. Better yet just don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good idea? Bad idea? Inconsequential?

The essay should be about the student. The parent's mental health situation could be a valid context (50-100 words). The rest of the essay should be about..How did it affect you? What did you do? How did you grow as a person because of it? What value will you bring to the college because of it?

[Anonymous]

I woke in the night to find my father, dressed as my mother, attempting to paint the ceiling with miracle whip.

Maybe.

[Anonymous]

No. Plenty of other topics to choose from. Students don’t need to expose all the personal and intimate details about themselves or their families in the name of college admissions.