Writing About Overcoming Obstacles in Your Application Essays

What does the adcom actually want to know about the challenges you’ve overcome? In this short video, Linda Abraham shares the answer to this often-asked question:

Do you have questions about addressing obstacles you’ve overcome in your application essays? Leave a comment below and we’d love to help you out.

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Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application Essays, a free guide
• The Importance of Obstacles in Your Application Essays
• How to Write About Overcoming Challenges Without Sounding Like a Whiner

Kenny GO

ummm I already wrote one but would it be inappropriate to talk about improving my dating life from overcoming extreme shyness about women??? it is all related to how I become a better person
however someone who proofread it told me the topic is too improper….
- Linda Abraham
  
  Kenny,
  
  Without reviewing the essay, I can’t say for sure, but the topic sure has that potential.
Swapna

Hi Linda,

I battled an eating disorder and depression during the first three years of my college, and I was wondering how I should address it as it resulted in mediocre grades. I was a school topper until 17 but I really struggled with acads and relationships during college. Should I talk about the circumstances and how the depression was brought on by losing a father figure (my dad was always absent) and the ensuing divorce of my parents? Can I mention being bullied? Should I use specific examples for how I started finding my way again in fourth year? In retrospect, I realize that I hid my depression really well and not a lot of people who went to school with me had a clue about what I was dealing with everyday. I was the student head for my engineering department, led a ton of projects during tech and business festivals etc. Please advise.
- Linda Abraham
  
  Swapna,
  
  I’m sorry to read about these difficulties and challenges.
  
  It depends on how low your grades are. If they really were low, then you must address them. However, focus your essay not on the depression or the eating disorder, but on what you did to turn it around, how your grades and subsequent post college performance have soared since you overcame this problem, and how are now a stronger person, perhaps a more empathetic person. You can mention the causes of the depression briefly, the impact of the disease, and then as I just said, focus the bulk of the essay on your recovery and how it evidences what you’re really capable of now that you are well.
Kennesha (Nesha) Holmes

Would it be wise to talk about having a disease?
- Linda Abraham
  
  Nesha,
  
  That depends on the disease and whether you have learned how to deal with a condition or recovered from it. Without the details, I can’t give a strong opinion, but it certainly can work.
  - Kennesha (Nesha) Holmes
    
    I have type 1 diabetes and I was going to use perseverance and persistence to describe my situation.
    - Linda Abraham
      
      it could work!
JMG2012

I’ve had a very comfortable life and haven’t often gotten myself into adverse situations. There was a time where my freshman roommate and once friend cheated off me without my knowledge (genuinely, I in no way knew that she had done so until our AI and professor sat us down to talk about it). She was very vague about what happened, I didn’t know what had happened. Largely because I didn’t want to talk for her/’betray” her/throw her under the bus, I was found just as responsible as she was. Shortly thereafter, my mother was diagnosed with throat cancer, which only added to the stress. I felt like my entire academic and future medical career was jeopardized because of someone else’s actions and my ignorance, but I still maintained high grades, appealed, and was found not responsible through appeal with every record of the incident wiped from my academic file. I’ve never wanted to bring this up and have only spoken of it with one other professor because I feel like the entire experience would taint me because I was associated with academic misconduct.

I also didn’t make it into the very few medical schools that I applied to during my first round of applications due to a variety of reasons which I am currently working on. While it’s not really adversity, it was certainly a curve ball/challenge that has been very educational. However, I haven’t really overcome this challenge as I’m not yet in medical school.

Otherwise, I really haven’t had much adversity or significant challenges. The death of grandparents/dog in high school and working very part-time through college to alleviate pressure on my parents is about as hard as it gets.

I think my cheating story is by far the worst challenge I’ve had to deal with, but I’m nervous about writing on it. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
- Linda Abraham
  
  You didn’t find your mother’s diagnosis to be challenging?
  - JMG2012
    
    It was a somewhat challenging time for me, but she got sick, not me. She had significantly greater challenges to deal with in that regard than I ever did. Further, I had already moved out, so I missed out on a lot of the day to day events. I don’t really know to much about what happened, but I was shocked when I heard the diagnosis, but didn’t really have any doubts about her getting better.
    
    I hesitate to write about that because it wasn’t my struggle with illness. Further, I have no intention of going into any field that would deal with a cancer diagnosis. I have certainly mentioned her as one of my motivations for the field, but it’s because I would want to help someone in her position after they’ve recovered, not to cure them of cancer.
    - Linda Abraham
      
      JMG2012,
      
      Sorry it’s taken me several days to respond. I was away and also wanted to think about it. Your response is very thoughtful and you’re right that your struggle with your mother’s illness couldn’t compare to hers. However, that doesn’t mean you didn’t have a challenge to deal with.
      
      Regarding your initial and main question — whether to use the non-cheating story or not — I also asked our staff. The consensus, with which I agree, is that you should NOT use it. It introduces an element that is not part of your record that could cause some to question your character. You don’t need that.
      
      Regarding what you can or should use and the perspective you should take, that’s a little too complex a question for a blog comment. Realize that the point of view and analysis of your challenge as well as your response to it, are more important that the severity of the challenge. You don’t usually have control over the challenges you face; you do control your reaction to them. It’s that reaction — your reasons for it, the lessons learned from it — that will make or break the essay, not the challenge itself.
      
      Best,
      Linda
Rachel

I used to self-harm and would like to write about that in a prompt for the GW secondary, should I choose a different topic? It did effect my grades and social life, and I’ve improved my life dramatically since then and no longer self-harm. I’m just worried in 1000 characters it won’t make a compelling story?
- Linda Abraham
  
  Rachel,
  
  it’s hard to answer that question without knowing more about you (like what else you could write about if you didn’t write about this experience) although I would discourage you from writing about it under almost any circumstances if you only recently recovered. If this is 3+ years ago, I’d consider it as a possibility.
  
  Best,
  Linda
  - Rachel
    
    This was about 4 years ago, and I have completely recovered. I did loose a grandparent 2.5 years ago which was the most difficult time in my life. I only picked self-harm because it affected my grades. I’d like to write about losing my loved one I just feel it’s difficult since I didn’t handle my grief perfectly and it wasn’t a challenge I dealt with strategically which I did with self-harming. Would it still be a more ideal thing to write about then self harm?
    - Linda Abraham
      
      Rachel,
      
      I’m so glad you’ve recovered.
      
      It’s really hard for me to advise you because what you say and how you say it is as important as the topic. So I’m reluctant to voice an opinion without knowing the details here.
haley

My mother attempted suicide the summer before my senior year. I want to write about that as a topic and then branch into:
*How it helped me grow up: got a job (families financial struggle), staying out of trouble
*How it taught me the importance of my future: getting an education,improved grades
*How it taught me the lesson of taking life for granted: follow my dreams (Math Teacher), graduating, college

However, I’m worried that strays too far from the essay topic, “Describe a challenge or obstacle you have overcome on your educational journey.”
- Linda Abraham
  
  Haley,
  
  The 3 three sub points are the lessons you learned and the proof that you overcame the challenging if not devastating experience of your mother’s attempted suicide and its aftermath. You may not be able for space reasons to include all the lessons, but choose the most important ones. The outline you provided — if executed well — should be right on target.
Susy Puente

I’m currently applying for the Gates Millennium Scholarship, and I would like to discus my epilepsy for the 8th essay. Is it okay to talk about weight loss in these essays? I gained weight as a child due to the medication for my epilepsy but I have lost 65 lbs as of now, I want to use my fitness journey as an example of my determination. Will I sound like I have eating problems or the like if I do use this? I would greatly appreciate your response to this post as soon as possible, thank you 🙂
- Linda Abraham
  
  Susy,
  
  Without seeing the essay, not to mention the other essays, it is difficult to answer definitively. But I have seen excellent essays that dealt with becoming physically fit and weight loss. It depends how its handled and discussed as well as how long ago the go control of this problem.
  
  I don’t see how it could appear to be an eating disorder because you say it was caused by medication.
  - Susy Puente
    
    If I shared my essays with you, could you give me an opinion on how well I addressed the prompt on them?
    P.S: Thank you for replying!
    - Linda Abraham
      
      Susy,
      
      You’re welcome!
      
      One of our consultants would be happy to do so. We actually have someone who worked in UCLA’s Scholarship office for 4 years, However, reviewing and critiquing essays is a service for which we must charge. Details are at http://www.accepted.com/grad/services/essay-editing .
      
      Please let me know if you have any questions
Shaheed

Would you recommend it if i talk abt me smoking(i dont)and overcame it?? Would it be appropriate to the topic
- Shaheed
  
  Pls reply soon
  - Linda Abraham
    
    Absolutely not. I do not recommend that you write about a falsehood.
Eliza Henark

Would it be wise to talk about how I adjusted to an honors class for the first time?
- Linda Abraham
  
  Maybe.
  
  My answer would depending on:
  1) Are there other possible challenges that you dealt with that could be more distinctive?
  2) How long ago was this challenge?
  3) How hard really was it?
  4) Your other content and essays.
  
  Linda
Itzel

would is be wise or a good idea to write about personal sexual abuse?
- Linda Abraham
  
  Itzel,
  
  The “wisdom” of discussing sexual abuse would depend on the question posed and what you intend to say. However, my response to you would be very much like to Cadbury. If the question asks about a challenge overcome, or if you feel the abuse contributed to some rough spots in your academic or professional history that are now behind you, then it’s perfectly appropriate to mention the sexual abuse as context for those rough spots or your overcoming abuse as an example of your resilience and character strength.
  
  Linda
Cadbury

Would it be wise to talk about past depression?
- Linda Abraham
  
  Cadbury,
  
  Thanks for the question.
  
  Details matter a lot here so please take my answer with a large grain of salt, because I obviously no nothing about you, your application, or the impact of your depression on your qualifications.
  
  In general, if depression, like any other illness, caused your
  
  grades to drop or contributed to a period of unemployment in the past, then yes you can and probably should mention it as a cause or contributing factor for whatever blemish you are addressing. At the same time, focus on evidence that depression is no longer affecting your performance, or ideally, that it truly is an issue of the past.
  
  If you were fortunately enough not to have the depression affect your grades or performance or qualifications, then I see no reason and no benefit to mentioning it.
  
  Best,
  Linda
- sarah
  
  I guess so because it is a obstacle you have overcome.