Should You Write About Mental Health in Your College Essay? A Guide for Parents of Juniors and Seniors

We are well into the college application season, and many students are contemplating their Common App essay. For students who have dealt with mental health challenges, the question arises: Should I write about my mental health in my college essay? As a parent, you might wonder how to guide your child in making this decision.

There’s no right or wrong answer to this question, but understanding the pros, cons, and best practices can help you and your student make a thoughtful choice. Let’s explore what to consider when deciding whether or not to address mental health in a college essay.

1. The Importance of Authenticity

The primary purpose of the college essay is to allow admissions officers to get to know your student beyond grades, test scores, and activities. It’s their opportunity to show who they are as a person, what they’ve overcome, and what makes them unique. Mental health struggles can be a significant part of a student’s journey, and writing about them can provide an authentic and powerful narrative.

If mental health challenges have shaped your child’s high school experience in a meaningful way, writing about it could help them tell a story of resilience, growth, and self-awareness. Admissions officers often value students who demonstrate perseverance, and the ability to overcome adversity, and a well-crafted essay can highlight these traits.

2. When It Might Be a Good Idea

Writing about mental health in a college essay might be a good idea if:

• The challenge is central to their story: If mental health has played a significant role in your student’s life and has shaped their personal, academic, or extracurricular experience, it might be a natural topic to explore.

  
  

• They’ve shown growth and resilience: If your student can demonstrate how they’ve worked through their mental health struggles—perhaps through therapy, coping strategies, or support systems—it can make for a compelling narrative of growth and self-awareness.

  
  

• It’s related to their future goals: If your student’s mental health journey has influenced their passion for a certain field (e.g., psychology, social work, healthcare), it can help explain why they’re pursuing a particular major or career.

  
  

It’s important that the essay is not just about the mental health issue itself but also about the growth and learning that came from it. The focus should be on how your student has evolved as a person, not simply on the challenges they faced.

3. When It Might Not Be the Best Topic

While mental health can be an important part of your student’s story, there are instances where it might not be the best topic for a college essay:

• If it’s still unresolved: If your student is still deeply struggling with their mental health and hasn’t yet developed coping mechanisms or achieved some level of stability, writing about it could come across as more of a red flag to admissions officers. They might question whether your child is ready for the pressures of college life.

  
  

• If the essay doesn’t show growth: Admissions officers want to see a story of perseverance and how the student has emerged stronger or more self-aware. If the essay focuses only on the struggle without a narrative of growth or insight, it may not leave the best impression.

  
  

• If it overshadows other aspects of your student’s story: If your student has other meaningful experiences or passions that reflect who they are, those may be better topics for an essay. The essay should reflect a well-rounded individual, not just one aspect of their life.

  
  

4. Balancing Vulnerability with Strength

If your student decides to write about mental health, it’s important to strike a balance between vulnerability and strength. Mental health is a deeply personal topic, and it’s essential that your child feels comfortable sharing their story. However, it’s equally important that the essay doesn’t read as a plea for sympathy.

Encourage your student to focus on how they’ve learned from their experiences, how they’ve developed new coping skills, and how they’ve emerged more self-aware and resilient. The essay should reflect their ability to manage challenges and use those experiences to grow, rather than centering on the challenges themselves.

5. Protecting Privacy

Mental health is a sensitive topic, and your student has every right to protect their privacy. If they don’t feel comfortable sharing details of their mental health journey with a college admissions office, that’s perfectly valid. Remind your child that their essay doesn’t have to reveal everything about their life. They can choose to write about other meaningful experiences that reflect their character, strengths, and aspirations.

If they choose to write about mental health, ensure they’re comfortable with the level of detail they share. They should avoid providing overly intimate or graphic information, and instead focus on their personal growth and lessons learned.

6. Consider the Additional Information Section

If your student wants to address mental health issues but doesn’t feel comfortable dedicating their main essay to it, there are other ways to address the topic. For example, they can use the additional information section on the Common Application to briefly explain any circumstances related to their mental health that may have affected their academic performance or extracurricular involvement.

This section can be a helpful tool to provide context without using the personal essay space to focus entirely on mental health. That way, they can use their essay to highlight other aspects of their personality, interests, or future goals.

7. Have an Honest Conversation

As a parent, your role is to support and guide your student through this decision. Have an open and honest conversation with your child about whether writing about mental health feels right to them. Encourage them to weigh the pros and cons and consider how their essay will reflect their overall story and who they want to present to admissions officers.

Consider involving a school counselor, college advisor, or trusted teacher in the conversation if possible. They can provide a third-party perspective and help your student craft an essay that strikes the right balance.

Wrapping Up

Writing about mental health in a college essay can be a powerful way for your child to share their personal story, but it’s not the right choice for everyone. The decision ultimately depends on whether they can frame their experiences in a way that highlights their growth, resilience, and readiness for the challenges of college.

As a parent, remind your child that their mental health challenges are just one part of their story—and no matter what they choose to write about, they are more than their diagnosis. Help them navigate this decision with care, empathy, and the understanding that their path to college is as unique as they are.

As always, I look forward to your conversations with your students, teens, and young adults. Let's make this journey joyful and transformative for them!

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