Appropriate personal statement?

[89vision]

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I'm working on writing a personal statement, and the prompt is why I'm interested in psychology. I know I need to be wary of too much self-disclosure and I'm trying to find a good balance so as not to create a damaging personal statement.

The main reason that I became interested in psychology is because I went through a period where I had frequent panic attacks, and I came to realize that psychology is very undervalued and unappreciated (especially in a very rural setting that I grew up in), which caused me to study psychology in the hopes of changing that. I haven't had a panic attack in over 2 years now and they are no longer a problem for me, but I don't know if I would be viewed unfavorably because of that. Could anyone offer some advice about whether or not to include any references to that type of thing, and if so, how best to go about it.

I appreciate any help anyone can give. Thanks.

 

[thepsychgeek]

I would briefly mention the panic attacks, but stress what you LEARNED from them (that you wanted to study Psych) and that they're no longer a problem. It's totally valid to talk about it if it has a relationship, but don't stress the problems it causes. As one mentor put it to me, "The programs don't want you to bring your issues with you." GOod luck!

 

[apumic]

I'd actually avoid mentioning the panic attacks entirely, to be honest. Is there more to why you want to go into this field than that? If not, you might want to rethink your field of study. Wanting to change the public opinion about a field is, perhaps, a fine reason to enter it; however, unless you have some clear goals for your career in psychology, you'll really just be wasting time and money. What do you hope to learn in grad school? What do you hope to do when you're done? Why do you want to do that? What currently qualifies you for this field above other applicants?