Once you've submitted your Common Application essay, it's usually a bad idea to write to colleges to say “Never mind." This conveys a message to the admission committees that suggests, “I didn't put adequate thought into my initial try, so now I expect you to take extra time to deal with a non-standard situation." Yet, over the eons, “The Dean" has sometimes seen students send second essays with no apparent penalty. Thus, I'll occasionally say, “Go ahead and try it," but only when the pros seem to outweigh potential cons.
In your case, however, they may not. For starters, even if you send a second essay, it's likely that the admission officials will look at your first one as well. (This will depend on protocol at different colleges, which will vary.) Secondly, because your English teacher signed off on your essay, I assume that the organization, spelling and mechanics were fine. So the real issue here is that you wrote about depression which your private counselor has told you is a no-no, but may actually not be. It depends on what you said.
I, too, often discourage students from writing about depression unless this depression caused low grades or other transcript anomalies that cry out to be explained. But even then, I typically advise using the “Additional Information" section of the application for this explanation, rather than the primary essay. Nonetheless, I've read primary essays written on depression that were excellent ... and appropriate. The quality of the writing is what counts the most. However, it's also important for a depression essay to state (or to at least imply) that its author is fully ready to embrace college life ... with all of its potential stresses.
So if you think that your essay shows that you've overcome your post-divorce depression and that your essay won't leave admission folks wondering if you can handle the adjustment to college life, then don't worry about this anymore. But if you suspect that this essay will spawn concern in admission offices that you're not ready for the demands just ahead, then you might want to send an “update" letter to all your colleges that clarifies your readiness. Ask the college officials to add this to your file. (And if you fear that perhaps you're really not ready, consider a gap year. Then you can reapply with a brand-new essay!)
From your question, it sounds as if one reason that the consultant disliked your Common App essay was that it didn't fit the prompt provided for the supplemental essay. Of course, “The Dean" can't weigh in on this without seeing both. However, if the consultant's main objection was that you raised a red flag by mentioning depression, you should rest assured that it may not be a problem at all, as long as admission committees don't question your fitness to start college next fall.
Finally, keep in mind that the struggle with depression is part of who you are, and even if you've been told that it's not the wisest essay topic choice, it's certainly an honest one. So take comfort in the fact that the colleges that accept you anyway are welcoming the real you, and not some whitewashed version that was created for your applications.
******
If you'd like to submit a question to College Confidential, please send it along here.
That’s why you want to use your authentic voice when writing any college essay.
So what’s the problem? A student has shared an ess…
I recently visited Washington University in Saint Louis and was lucky enough to set up an interview. By speaking with peers of mi…
Note: Click here for 10 Summer Programs You Can Still Apply For or keep reading to learn more about academic index scores.
Podcasts can offer a wealth of information to busy students, particularly when it comes to the college admissions process. We…
Decision Day occurs each year on May 1st and is the deadline for students to inform the college of their choice of their intent t…
Ascent offers cosigned and non-cosigned student loans with exclusive benefits that set students up for success.
Explore Now!Want to find money for school that doesn’t need to be paid back? Access insights and advice on how to search and apply for scholarships!