College essay: can being too honest backfire?

[Anonymous]

Op, I don’t mean to be snarky but of course it can? How do you not know this?

[Anonymous]

My DS wrote in part about being diagnosed with dyslexia in high school. It was only part of the essay & focus was on how he improved. It could have been covered in the other info section as well. He knew it was a risk to disclose but felt it was an important part of his story and explained a significant upward grade trend. He was accepted to a reach last year so it didn’t seem to hurt. And he feels more confident starting knowing that they wanted him, learning challenges and all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, I don’t mean to be snarky but of course it can? How do you not know this?

Do you feel better now? Sad you know you’re being snarky and still post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS wrote in part about being diagnosed with dyslexia in high school. It was only part of the essay & focus was on how he improved. It could have been covered in the other info section as well. He knew it was a risk to disclose but felt it was an important part of his story and explained a significant upward grade trend. He was accepted to a reach last year so it didn’t seem to hurt. And he feels more confident starting knowing that they wanted him, learning challenges and all.

Thank you and congratulations to your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I don’t mean to be snarky but of course it can? How do you not know this?

Do you feel better now? Sad you know you’re being snarky and still post.

I think it’s strange an adult doesn’t know that it’s possible to be too honest in a college esssay (and basically any other area of professional or academic life.) I think they should stock up on college admissions books/online resources because most parents (and teens!) have a baseline understanding of the world and human nature such that the answer to the question is obvious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I don’t mean to be snarky but of course it can? How do you not know this?

Do you feel better now? Sad you know you’re being snarky and still post.

I think it’s strange an adult doesn’t know that it’s possible to be too honest in a college esssay (and basically any other area of professional or academic life.) I think they should stock up on college admissions books/online resources because most parents (and teens!) have a baseline understanding of the world and human nature such that the answer to the question is obvious.

NP. I think it's sad you're here, all up in OP's grill, getting on her case when she's exploring a really good issue. The responses her question elicited here have been helpful.

Perhaps you need to step away from the computer for a while. Maybe read some of those college admissions books you enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I don’t mean to be snarky but of course it can? How do you not know this?

Do you feel better now? Sad you know you’re being snarky and still post.

I think it’s strange an adult doesn’t know that it’s possible to be too honest in a college esssay (and basically any other area of professional or academic life.) I think they should stock up on college admissions books/online resources because most parents (and teens!) have a baseline understanding of the world and human nature such that the answer to the question is obvious.

Well, some adults are not as enlightened as you. My choice as a parent is to be as informed as possible and help my kid. Some of us are new to this (yes even in the DCUM world) and every bit of information helps. Others’ replies have been very informative and kind. Not yours, of course. You seem too smart
to contribute anything useful.

[Anonymous]

Two peas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not “honesty” that’s the problem, it’s that those kinds of stories tend to make dull, dreary essays. It’s an application essay, not a confessional. I would try to help dc brainstorm topics that have more to do with dc’s personality or interests or how he spends his time.

I agree. It doesn't need to be cathartic for your kid to write it, it needs to be an inspiration for anyone reading it. So you need to be able to take a step back and look at the essay as objectively as possible.

+2. The advice I’ve heard on essays is to put yourself in the admission counselor’s position of reading thousands of essays and maybe having 5-7 minutes per admission packet. Is this essay something you would want to read? Also with good writing in general you hear to “show rather than tell the readers”.

There is a related but separate debate if you should even acknowledge mention mental health struggles or neurodiversity in the application. I don’t know think my dd will include anything about that but if she does, at one of the college counseling sessions at her high school with a college admission counselor (not of a school she is applying to), the person mentioned that there is usually a section if you want to provide additional information.

At the end of the FAFSA there's an additional information section, that's the appropriate place to discuss trajectory in GPA. Don't weight down the essay with that. The essay should highlight her current self.

100% agree with this. That section is at the end of the Common App (not the FAFSA). What the colleges really want to know is what your kid brings to the table and how it helps round out the class. Will your kid be the engineer, the talented artist, the avid reader, the social media expert, the aspiring attorney helping those less fortunate defend their rights? Your student should use the “other info” section to provide context for the not so pleasant stuff, but use the essay to let his passions shine.

Oops, I meant to write Common App. Clearly I'm too awash in college forms at the moment .

[Anonymous]

OP, I would have him write about what he learned or found most moving or profound in his experience of working with younger students. What was hard for him there? What mistakes did he make when he was just starting out as a tutor? What change did he see in a student he was working with? When did he know he had won the trust of one of the students in a way that allowed him to be more effective? What memory from the sessions will he never forget?

People think essays must center around only the pragmatic or the exotic but the most interesting topics lie somewhere in between. Was there some other experience that helped make your DS into the considerate and focused young man he has become who is bound to use the privilege of attending college well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful if anything is related to ADHD, depression, etc. And prepare your kid to be rejected from a lot of schools he could succeed at. Make him apply to at least two schools with an acceptance rate over 70%. BTDT, now looking into transferring.

100% this. Do not make stuff about depression or anxiety a focus and be careful about how the "challenge" is framed. Best if it is something that can be completely overcome.

[Anonymous]

If you had bad grades your first year of high school due to ADHD, depression, or just plain laziness, don't mention it, even if you believe - and your subsequent performance shows - that you've overcome the problem.

If you feel the need to explain away that year, just make up a horrible tale about family hardship, having to work to chip in on the bills, or watching someone close to you die. It's not like they're going to verify it.

I know you and you know me. It's the sobb story, sobb story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had bad grades your first year of high school due to ADHD, depression, or just plain laziness, don't mention it, even if you believe - and your subsequent performance shows - that you've overcome the problem.

If you feel the need to explain away that year, just make up a horrible tale about family hardship, having to work to chip in on the bills, or watching someone close to you die. It's not like they're going to verify it.

I know you and you know me. It's the sobb story, sobb story.

"sob" has only one "b"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had bad grades your first year of high school due to ADHD, depression, or just plain laziness, don't mention it, even if you believe - and your subsequent performance shows - that you've overcome the problem.

If you feel the need to explain away that year, just make up a horrible tale about family hardship, having to work to chip in on the bills, or watching someone close to you die. It's not like they're going to verify it.

I know you and you know me. It's the sobb story, sobb story.

"sob" has only one "b"

Not a Leaders of the New School fan, I take it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had bad grades your first year of high school due to ADHD, depression, or just plain laziness, don't mention it, even if you believe - and your subsequent performance shows - that you've overcome the problem.

If you feel the need to explain away that year, just make up a horrible tale about family hardship, having to work to chip in on the bills, or watching someone close to you die. It's not like they're going to verify it.

I know you and you know me. It's the sobb story, sobb story.

"sob" has only one "b"

Not a Leaders of the New School fan, I take it?

DP: I think you set that one up to be corrected just so you could reply with this...Pretty niche group for a post in 2021 (though it fits my age/location demographic--Busta Rhymes!)