Hey guys. I’m going into my senior year of high school in the fall and I’m using the summer to start writing my colleges essays. I have a few ideas and drafts but my favorite one is about my struggle with depression and anxiety, and how I overcame it, as well as how that has changed my life.

To be clearer, I decided to write about this topic in particular because it was one of the hardest things i’ve ever done and i’m proud of myself for being in a better place mentally now, but I read a lot of things online saying to avoid talking about mental health disorders in the common app because it’s a red flag to admissions officers that you’re probably going to drop out or something. I was feeling pretty confident about my essay but now I’m thinking that it’s not a good idea to write about that?

If anyone could help me decide if I should still go with this idea or choose something else to write about that would be really great. I’m just looking for advice because my dream school is one of the top in the nation and I want to be strongly competitive for it. My GPA and test scores are very strong but I want this essay to be excellent too. Thank you so so much for any advice anyone is able to give <3