Should I talk about the sexual assault that affected my grades in my secondary essays?

[amy-gdala1234]

This is my first time posting so hello everyone!

In the fall of my freshman year I was raped at a college party and became pregnant as a result. I had an abortion over the summer but the PTSD I suffered (and am still dealing with) severely impacted my grades that term and at the beginning of my sophomore year, earning me very low GPAs for those terms. My grades have significantly improved since then as I've developed coping strategies, visited a counsellor, and developed a solid group of people who love and support me. I'm wondering whether I should include this in my essays, mainly those that ask for an explanation of grade fluctuations and even potentially overcoming challenges as I see this period and the darkness it created as the most challenging part of my life.

I'd really appreciate any help - I don't want to accidentally ruin my chances of being accepted.

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[gyngyn]

Anything that is presented in an application is fair game in an interview. Be sure that you are ready to discuss this with strangers in a stressful (high stakes) situation.

 

[deleted480308]

I’m sorry you went through that

I would heavily consider how hard it would be to have that conversation 30 times during application season, I doubt the payoff would be worth the emotional impact

 

[DokterMom]

Was it perhaps Spring of Freshman year that you were attacked?

 

[deleted972488]

I went through something similar and have chosen not to talk about it on my applications because I would honestly rather not talk about it, but I don’t think it will be held against you or “ruin your chances of getting accepted” so long as you are comfortable talking about it.

 

[deleted983872]

I will be talking about a semi-similar situation in my secondaries (i.e. sexual assault, but in class and did not result in a pregnancy). A lot of my volunteer work ties in with my incident so I will also be drawing connections between the two.

I think it really depends on how much you have recovered/learned from your experience and how you plan on explaining it. Just make sure that you are comfortable talking about it! Huge respect for anyone who has gone through anything similar.

 

[LizzyM]

Was it perhaps Spring of Freshman year that you were attacked?

I was struck by the fall/summer timeline in the narrative as well. That in and of itself makes the story seem odd.

@amy-gdala1234 use this to show the coping skills you've developed or how you've dealt with adversity but don't draw a line connecting it to your poor grades. Let the dates on your transcript (transcribed into the AMCAS application ) and in your narrative help the readers draw their own conclusions. Also, you could consider calling this a "violent assault" (rape is by definition an assault) that required medical treatment. Painting it more broadly as assault and medical care rather than specifically describing rape and abortion may be a better approach.

 

[TSHJB302]

I had a friend who talked about a sexual assault when he was a child and he received feedback that it was too personal and he didn't receive an interview because of it (n=1). That was just one school though, he received plenty of other interviews. Whether you write about it or not is 1000% up to you and how comfortable you are with talking about it. Just know that some adcoms might be uncomfortable with the information (especially with the abortion. You never know the perspectives of the people on the admissions committee).

 

[amy-gdala1234]

Thank you everyone for your input! I wrote this at 2am so I got confused - I meant to say spring term instead of fall term.

In terms of talking about it - I’ve become a pretty vocal advocate on campus for sexual assault prevention and education and have dedicated a lot of my time to helping make my campus a safer place, so I definitely think I’ve grown as a person and learned a lot from the awful experience, and would be comfortable talking about this.