Mental Health Withdrawals

[ChemGrad08]

So I realize that this has been discussed before, but it's been awhile and I was wondering if there were different thoughts.

The first semester of my junior year I withdrew from most (but not all) of my classes for mental health issues that were mostly stress related. After that I got a much higher undergrad GPA both science and nonscience (3.6ish (before) vs 3.9ish (after)). I am also completing a masters degree, I have a lower GPA (3.4), but these were not simple classes and were far more stressful than any undergrad class I ever took. Now I'm wondering if I should note on my secondaries in the space where they're like "is there anything else you would like to tell us", that I withdrew from most of my classes that semester because I was diagnosed with _____ stemming from childhood issues, and after learning better stress coping skills have significantly improved or something like that. Or if I should just ignore it and let them ask in interviews

Thank you for any thoughts you might have.

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[pianola]

So I realize that this has been discussed before, but it's been awhile and I was wondering if there were different thoughts.

The first semester of my junior year I withdrew from most (but not all) of my classes for mental health issues that were mostly stress related. After that I got a much higher undergrad GPA both science and nonscience (3.6ish (before) vs 3.9ish (after)). I am also completing a masters degree, I have a lower GPA (3.4), but these were not simple classes and were far more stressful than any undergrad class I ever took. Now I'm wondering if I should note on my secondaries in the space where they're like "is there anything else you would like to tell us", that I withdrew from most of my classes that semester because I was diagnosed with _____ stemming from childhood issues, and after learning better stress coping skills have significantly improved or something like that. Or if I should just ignore it and let them ask in interviews

Thank you for any thoughts you might have.

I would say no way. I got a 3.01 semesterGPA due to mental health issues and I'm not explaining it. 3.6 is significantly higher. I've had 4 semesters since of 3.9-4.0 and it sounds like you've done pretty well for yourself, too.

Unless you have NOTHING else you can think of to write about on your app, I say leave this alone. Really. Just do. 3.6 is fine. People get that without health issues.

You don't want either your app or your interview to center around "what went wrong". You want it to center around "what you've done right." In some ways, it's in your hands.

 

[Caesar]

I would say no way. I got a 3.01 semesterGPA due to mental health issues and I'm not explaining it. 3.6 is significantly higher. I've had 4 semesters since of 3.9-4.0 and it sounds like you've done pretty well for yourself, too.

Unless you have NOTHING else you can think of to write about on your app, I say leave this alone. Really. Just do. 3.6 is fine. People get that without health issues.

You don't want either your app or your interview to center around "what went wrong". You want it to center around "what you've done right." In some ways, it's in your hands.

This is good advice.

 

[ChemGrad08]

Thanks! that makes a lot of sense

 

[soparu]

wow! and i did a medical withdrawl cause my grades were too poor that semester.